Guides / Trees
Trees
Woody plants that grow with a single main trunk.
A
Abyssinian Gooseberry
Dovyalis abyssinica
How to grow Abyssinian gooseberry, Dovyalis abyssinica. Why a female plant needs a male nearby to fruit at all, the highland origin that lets it tolerate a light frost most tropical shrubs cannot, and training its spines into an impassable hedge.
American Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis
How to grow American arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis. Choosing the right cultivar for hedging, why the foliage carries a genuine toxin, and avoiding winter bronzing.
American Chestnut
Castanea dentata
Practical guidance for growing American chestnut, Castanea dentata, including chestnut blight and its collapse from dominant forest tree to root sprouts, resistant hybrids, cross-pollination, and its sweet, edible nuts.
American Hazelnut
Corylus americana
Practical guidance for growing American hazelnut, Corylus americana, including its suckering thicket habit, native tolerance of eastern filbert blight, wildlife hedgerow use, and edible nuts.
American Persimmon
Diospyros virginiana
How to grow American persimmon, Diospyros virginiana. Why a female tree needs a male nearby to fruit, waiting for it to soften fully before the tannins stop puckering the mouth, and the bezoar risk that means fencing grazing animals away from windfalls.
American Plum
Prunus americana
How to grow American plum, Prunus americana. Why a lone tree can flower heavily and still crop poorly without a second plum nearby, the crescent scar that means plum curculio, and the root suckers that spread it into a thicket.
Amur Maple
Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala
Practical guidance for growing Amur maple, Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala, including its fragrant spring flowers, extreme cold hardiness, hedge and shelterbelt use, and mild toxicity.
Ash
Fraxinus excelsior
How to identify ash, Fraxinus excelsior. The black winter buds, ash dieback and what it means for your tree, and whether to fell or wait.
B
Beech
Fagus sylvatica
How to grow beech, Fagus sylvatica. Planting a bare-root hedge, the single August trim, why a clipped beech keeps its copper leaves all winter, and beech bark disease.
Black Cherry
Prunus serotina
How to grow black cherry, Prunus serotina. Why wilted or frost-damaged leaves carry more cyanide risk than fresh ones, telling ripe fruit from the bitter unripe kind, and why a swallowed stone is safer than a crushed one.
Black walnut
Juglans nigra
How to grow black walnut, Juglans nigra. Superb timber, a rich strong-flavoured nut, and a root system that poisons the ground around it.
Blackthorn
Prunus spinosa
How to grow blackthorn, Prunus spinosa. Blossom on bare stems before hawthorn, picking sloes for gin, planting a stockproof hedge and controlling the suckers.
Box Elder
Acer negundo
Practical guidance for growing box elder, Acer negundo, including its compound leaves, separate male and female trees, weak wood, fast growth, and toxicity to horses.
Butternut
Juglans cinerea
How to grow butternut, Juglans cinerea. Why an introduced fungal canker has made this tree endangered across most of its range, the juglone in its roots that stops tomatoes growing nearby, and why a healthy survivor is worth planting from seed.
C
Cedar of Lebanon
Cedrus libani
How to grow cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani. Why a young tree looks nothing like the flat, tiered giants of legend, the patience its famously slow growth demands, and why its cones fall apart scale by scale rather than dropping whole.
Chebulic Myrobalan
Terminalia chebula
How to grow chebulic myrobalan, Terminalia chebula. Why its astringent fruit is one of the three in Triphala, the tannins that stain skin and fabric and made it a dye and tanning agent, and the decade or more it can take to first flower.
Cherry
Prunus avium
How to grow cherries, Prunus avium. Choosing a dwarfing rootstock, netting against birds, why the fruit splits in rain, and pruning only in summer to avoid silver leaf.
Cherry Plum
Prunus cerasifera
How to grow cherry plum, Prunus cerasifera. The first blossom of the year, why the fruit is worth more than its reputation, and its use as a hedge.
Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana
How to grow chokecherry, Prunus virginiana. Why the ripe fruit still puckers the mouth raw, the suckering habit that turns one plant into a thicket, and the cyanide risk in wilted leaves and chewed pits.
Common Box
Buxus sempervirens
How to grow common box, Buxus sempervirens. Why box blight and box tree caterpillar have made a once-easy hedging plant hard work, the extremely slow growth that holds a crisp shape for decades, and why hedge clippings left where livestock can graze have killed horses.
Common Juniper
Juniperus communis
How to grow common juniper, Juniperus communis. Why its berries take three years to ripen and flavour gin, and why almost no other woody plant grows across so much of the world.
Common lime
Tilia europaea
How to grow common lime, Tilia europaea. Why it drips sticky honeydew onto everything below, how to pleach it, and the July blossom that scents a whole street.
Crab apple
Malus sylvestris
How to grow crab apple, Malus sylvestris. Britain's only native apple, the pollination it gives an orchard, and turning sour fruit into jelly.
D
Dawn Redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
How to grow dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides. A conifer known only from fossils until living trees were found in a Chinese valley in 1944, and one of the fastest to grow.
Deodar Cedar
Cedrus deodara
How to grow deodar cedar, Cedrus deodara. Telling it apart from cedar of Lebanon by its drooping, nodding leader, why it grows a metre a year while young, and why it takes far less winter cold than its Mediterranean relative.
E
Eastern Redbud
Cercis canadensis
How to grow eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis. Why flowers grow straight out of the bark and sometimes the trunk, eating the spring blossom, and why a taproot makes the tree impossible to move once it is past its first few years.
English Holly
Ilex aquifolium
How to grow English holly, Ilex aquifolium. Planting, clipping, hedging, why your holly has no berries, and how poisonous those berries are.
English Oak
Quercus robur
How to identify and grow Quercus robur. The one check that separates it from sessile oak, why a single tree supports over 2,300 other species, and why acorns kill horses.
English Yew
Taxus baccata
How to grow Taxus baccata. The one conifer that regrows from bare wood, why clippings kill horses, what the red berries are, and how it reaches two thousand years.
European Larch
Larix decidua
How to grow European larch, Larix decidua. A conifer that sheds its needles every autumn, why that suits cold winters, and its need for full sun and space.
H
Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
How to grow hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna. Planting a bare-root hedge, the trimming that thickens it, laying an old one, May blossom and the haws that follow.
Hazel
Corylus avellana
How to grow hazel, Corylus avellana. Coppicing on a seven-year cycle, planting two for a crop of cobnuts, the catkins in February, and losing the lot to squirrels.
Hong Kong Orchid Tree
Bauhinia blakeana
How to grow Hong Kong orchid tree, Bauhinia blakeana. Why every tree alive is a clone of one nineteenth-century original, flowering through winter when little else blooms, and why it rarely sets a single viable seed.
Hornbeam
Carpinus betulus
How to grow hornbeam, Carpinus betulus. The hedge that holds its leaves all winter and takes wet clay where beech fails, when to cut it, and how to tell the two apart.
Horse Chestnut
Aesculus hippocastanum
How to grow horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum. Conkers, why the leaves go brown every August, bleeding canker, and why a conker is not a sweet chestnut.
I
Incense Cedar
Calocedrus decurrens
How to grow incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens. Why it is not a true cedar at all, the tight columnar shape it holds for most of its life, and why its aromatic, decay-resistant timber became the standard wood for pencils.
Italian Cypress
Cupressus sempervirens
How to grow Italian cypress, Cupressus sempervirens. A narrow Mediterranean column that needs sharp drainage and heat, and struggles where winters are wet as much as cold.
J
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
How to grow Acer palmatum. Shelter from wind, why leaf scorch is not a disease, verticillium wilt, and the maple that is dangerous to horses.
Judas Tree
Cercis siliquastrum
How to grow Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum. The legend behind its name, why poor stony soil produces better flowers than a rich border, and why pruning in winter risks coral spot and canker.
K
Katsura Tree
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
How to grow katsura tree, Cercidiphyllum japonicum. Its autumn leaves smell of burnt sugar and caramel, dry soil scorches the leaf margins no matter how mild the winter was, and nurseries let you choose a single trunk or a multi-stemmed form.
Korean Fir
Abies koreana
How to grow Korean fir, Abies koreana. Why its purple-blue cones form on trees barely a metre tall, its dislike of heat and humidity, and choosing a dwarf cultivar for a small garden.
L
Lawson Cypress
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
How to grow Lawson cypress, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana. Choosing among hundreds of dwarf and golden cultivars, and recognising the root disease that has devastated the species.
Leyland Cypress
Cupressus x leylandii
How to grow Leyland cypress, Cupressus x leylandii. A sterile hybrid from a single 1888 accident, its speed of growth, and keeping a hedge from outgrowing a boundary.
M
Maidenhair Tree
Ginkgo biloba
Practical guidance for growing maidenhair tree, Ginkgo biloba, including fan-shaped leaves, male and female trees, pest resistance, autumn colour, and seed toxicity.
Mimosa Tree
Albizia julibrissin
Practical guidance for growing mimosa tree, Albizia julibrissin, including fast growth, pink pompom flowers, folding leaflets, seed pods, mimosa wilt, and self-seeding.
Monkey Puzzle
Araucaria araucana
How to grow monkey puzzle, Araucaria araucana. A lone tree never cones, since each is either male or female, it takes a century to develop the bare-trunked umbrella shape, and the species is endangered in the wild yet common in gardens.
P
Pacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii
How to grow Pacific madrone, Arbutus menziesii. Why summer watering, the instinct behind planting almost any other tree, is what usually kills it, and why the cinnamon bark peels away in curling papery sheets each summer.
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
How to grow paper birch, Betula papyrifera. The chalky bark once stripped for canoes and paper, why a hot, humid summer threatens it more than a cold winter, and why its shallow roots dry out faster than those of most trees.
Pecan
Carya illinoinensis
How to grow pecans, Carya illinoinensis. Why a tree hardy to minus 25 deg C can still fail to crop without a long, hot summer, why it rarely pollinates itself alone, and the tremors mouldy fallen nuts can trigger in a dog.
R
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Practical guidance for growing red maple, Acer rubrum, including early red flowers, wet-soil tolerance, brilliant autumn colour, and toxicity to horses.
Red Mulberry
Morus rubra
How to grow red mulberry, Morus rubra. Telling it from white and black mulberry by its sandpapery leaf surface, why the fruit ripens a few berries at a time rather than all at once, and why fruit drop makes it a poor choice over a patio.
Rowan
Sorbus aucuparia
How to grow rowan, Sorbus aucuparia. The best small tree for a cold exposed garden, berries for birds from late summer, and why summer heat rather than winter cold is what limits it.
S
Sandalwood
Santalum album
Practical guidance for growing sandalwood, Santalum album, including its need for a host plant, slow heartwood development, dry-season triggers, frost sensitivity, and essential oil safety.
Saskatoon Serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
How to grow saskatoon serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia. Why birds usually beat you to the berries, the faint almond flavour that comes from the seeds, and cold hardiness that lets it fruit as far north as the Yukon.
Saucer magnolia
Magnolia x soulangeana
How to grow saucer magnolia, Magnolia x soulangeana. Goblet flowers on bare wood in April, why frost ruins them, and where to plant one so it does not happen.
Scots pine
Pinus sylvestris
How to grow Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris. The most widely distributed pine on earth, the orange upper bark that identifies it, and why it suits poor sandy soil that defeats other trees.
Shagbark Hickory
Carya ovata
How to grow shagbark hickory, Carya ovata. Why a young tree can take a decade or more before its first useful nut crop, why transplanting past its first year rarely succeeds, and the juglone in its roots that stunts nearby tomatoes.
She-Oak
Casuarina equisetifolia
How to grow she-oak, Casuarina equisetifolia. Why it is not a conifer despite looking like one, the shallow roots that can topple even a healthy tree in a storm, and why it is a listed invasive species in parts of the world it thrives in.
Silver Birch
Betula pendula
How to grow Betula pendula. Why a short-lived tree is the right choice for a small garden, what the black diamonds on the bark are, the root system to plan around, and tapping the sap.
Spindle
Euonymus europaeus
How to grow spindle, Euonymus europaeus. The pink capsules and orange seeds that make it the brightest native shrub in autumn, its value to wildlife, and why the fruit must not be eaten.
Star Magnolia
Magnolia stellata
How to grow star magnolia, Magnolia stellata. Why a late frost can brown its open flowers within hours of a cold night, why it dislikes being moved once settled, and why its compact size suits an ordinary-sized garden.
Strawberry Tree
Arbutus unedo
Practical guidance for growing strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, including its flowers and fruit together in autumn, lime tolerance unusual for its family, peeling red bark, and edible but unremarkable berries.
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum
Practical guidance for growing sugar maple, Acer saccharum, including sap tapping, slow shade-tolerant growth, salt sensitivity, and brilliant autumn colour.
Swamp Cypress
Taxodium distichum
How to grow swamp cypress, Taxodium distichum. A deciduous conifer that thrives in standing water and produces knobbly knees whose exact purpose is still debated.
Sweet chestnut
Castanea sativa
How to grow sweet chestnut, Castanea sativa. Telling it from horse chestnut, why the nuts are often small, and the blight and canker to watch for.
Sweet Crabapple
Malus coronaria
How to grow sweet crabapple, Malus coronaria. Why it needs a real winter chill to flower well, the root suckers that build it into a thicket if left unchecked, and cooking the tart fruit into jelly, sauce or cider rather than eating it raw.
Sycamore
Acer pseudoplatanus
How to identify sycamore, Acer pseudoplatanus. Telling it from field maple and Norway maple, the seedlings that kill horses through atypical myopathy, and managing it in a garden.
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