ELM, FIEld (Ulmus Minor)
A phoenix from the ashes, the field elm has been able to recover from the decimation of Dutch elm disease thanks to its ability to grow easily. However, it’s still under threat, along with the wildlife that relies on it. Mature trees grow to 30m. The bark is grey-brown, often with crossing ridges. The twigs […]
ELDER (Sambucus Nigra)
Feared by the devil. Favoured by foragers. Elder is the very essence of summer with its fragrant flowers and soot-dark fruits. It was said that an elder planted by your house would keep the devil away. Mature elder trees grow to a height of around 15m and can live for 60 years. Elder is characterised […]
DOGWOOD (Cornus Sanguinea)
Understated until the colder months when it bursts into colour, dogwood is a broadleaf shrub which thrives in damp woodland edges. The timber is so hard, it was used for crucifixes. Dogwood is a small broadleaf shrub, typically found growing along woodland edges and in hedgerows of southern England. Mature trees can grow to 10m. […]
CYPRESS, LAWSON (Chamaecyparis Lawsoniana)
Tall ornamental with feathery foliage. One of the UK’s most popular garden conifers, Lawson cypress has rot-resistant wood which is popular in Japan for coffins and shrines. Lawson cypress is an evergreen, narrowly conical tree that can reach up to 45m high. The trunk often forks. The bark is cracked into vertical plates and the […]
CHESTNUT, SWEET (Castanea Sativa)
Loved by the Romans and now a roasted winter treat here in the UK. These long-lived giants, with their prickly husks and deeply grooved bark, give us our classic Christmas nut. Sweet chestnut is a deciduous tree which can reach 35m when mature and live for up to 700 years. They belong to the same […]
ASPEN (Populus Tremula)
Trembling, fluttering and shimmering in the slightest breeze. The rippling leaves of this beautiful tree give it its name: quaking aspen. Also known as quaking aspen, this is a beautiful tree with shimmering foliage. Mature trees grow to 25m. Older trees may be covered with lichen, which gives the trunk a black appearance, and the […]
BLACKTHORN (Prunus Spinosa)
Early to blossom, blackthorn trees have clouds of snow-white flowers in early spring. They’re best known for their rich, inky, dark fruits used to make a favourite wintry tipple – sloe gin. Spiny and densely branched, mature trees can grow to a height of around 6–7m and live for up to 100 years. The dark […]
LIME, COMMON (Tiliaxeuropaea)
At home on a country estate or deep in the wild, this lime is common in name only. It’s a hybrid between the small-leaved and large-leaved lime and is a particular favourite of aphids and their many predators. A hybrid between small-leaved and large-leaved lime, common lime has characteristics of both species. The bark is […]
HORSE CHESTNUT (Aesculus Hippocastanum)
Spiky cases, gleaming seeds, celebrated by children. Horse chestnuts, with their mahogany-bright conkers, are the very essence of autumn. Mature horse chestnut trees grow to a height of around 40m and can live for up to 300 years. The bark is smooth and pinkie-grey when young, which darkens and develops scaly plates with age. Twigs […]
HOLLY (Llex Aquifolium)
Festive, neat, and prickly. Holly is a well-loved shrub that shelters birds and gives hedgehogs a cosy place to hibernate. Mature trees can grow up to 15m and live for 300 years. The bark is smooth and thin with lots of small, brown ‘warts’, and the stems are dark brown. Look out for: its bright red […]