Celebrating Trees is about taking time to appreciate and wonder at trees. Consider this: they are the longest living organisms on earth. Surely trees deserve our respect and gratitude?
But when did you last take time to stop, and gaze and wonder at the beauty of autumn leaves? At the delicate tracery of bare branches? Have you rested your back against the trunk of a tree, closed your eyes and listened to the breeze rustling its leaves; to the birds singing in the branches above you?
Celebrating Trees allows me to share some interesting facts, quotes and photos with you: Enjoy.
Celebrating Trees – Autumn
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
Albert Camus
Deciduous trees, those that drop their leaves, fill our world with a blaze of colour in autumn. But being a diva isn’t all that they’re up to. For us humans and mammals that hibernate autumn is about harvest. We gather together the fruits of the trees to keep us alive over the cold, inhospitable winter months.
All those acorns that the squirrels have buried lie underground. And of those oak tree seeds – for that is what acorns are – some will be forgotten by the squirrels. These will put out roots into the soil, and a green stem to break through the earth. And in time become great oak trees themselves.
Celebrating Trees – Winter
“So the shortest day came, and the year died… To drive the dark away They lighted candles in the winter trees” Susan Cooper
Certainly, lighting up trees to encourage the daylight to return is an old pagan ritual. But perhaps some of the lights had a more prosaic use. If there were trees lining well-used paths and roadways it would seem easier to set lights in those than to make complicated lamp-posts…
Winter is the season when dark days are lit by snow reflecting what little light there is. Beautiful as it looks on trees, heavy snowfall can break branches. Be sure to brush snow off your specimen trees (after taking an arty photo, of course!)
Celebrating Trees – Spring
“The significance of the cherry blossom tree in Japanese culture goes back hundreds of years. In their country, the cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life. It’s a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short.”
Homaro Cantu
Flowering plants, including trees, are known botanically as Angiosperms. This describes the fact that their seeds are encased, surrounded an ovule. Think of that sweet cherry, that the spring blossom will turn into. A seed surrounded by an ovule. Angiosperms which are trees are known as hardwoods, or broadleaved trees. They are usually deciduous, but some, such as Rhododendron, are evergreen.
Of course, for our flowering cherry to develop fruit, or seeds, it needs to be pollinated by bees. Pollinating insects are vital to the food supply of humans and other animals. So be wary of using chemicals that harm them.
Celebrating Trees – Summer
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
Warren Buffett
The documentary evidence for the earliest designed gardens that we know of comes from the warm Mediterranean and Asian countries. Is it any wonder then, that trees for summer shade played such an important role in these formal gardens?
Whilst shady trees offer a meeting place in parks and a cool sitting place in gardens its not as simple as you may think. Did you know that shade from street trees is critical in keeping down the temperatures in the concrete and stone cities that most of us live in? Seriously reduce temperatures, by up to 10 degrees in some cases.
Trees in our summer gardens may also be carrying immature fruit. The June drop where surplus apples fall from the tree may have been what hit Isaac Newton on the head. It would have been amusing if it had been a Newton wonder apple that hit him, but that cultivar dates from 1870. It’s a very good dual-purpose apple by the way.
Celebrating Trees – Conifers
“Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible.”
Euell Gibbons
Now I bet you never thought about eating your Christmas tree, did you? Well, it may not be the tastiest thing you’ve eaten, but some pine trees are edible, nutritious and pleasant to eat. If you’re going to forage food from pine trees (or anywhere) be very sure that what you are eating is not poisonous!
Having said that, I’m nibbling pine nuts while I write this blog. And I only foraged as far as the local shops… There are about 20 species of pine that produce nuts that we humans find tasty. If you have enough space its another tree to add to your orchard, nuttery or edible landscape. The Mediterranean Stone pine, Pinus pinea would be a very decorative addition. We’ve been eating these pine nuts for 6000 years. Pesto anyone?
Conifers are the sub-category of plant (taxonomic class) known as gymnosperms. Gymnosperm means ‘naked seed’; a seed which is not surrounded by an ovule, as an apple seed is, for example. Conifers are also referred to as softwoods. They are usually evergreen, but not all them are. Deciduous conifers include: –
Ginkgo biloba, maidenhair tree;
Larch – Larix decidua is the European Larch;
Metasequoia glyptostroboides, dawn redwood;
Taxodium distichum, bald cypress
Did you know that the tallest living organism in the world is the Californian Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens?
Or that you’ll never see a monkey on a monkey puzzle tree? The monkey puzzle tree, Araucaria acaucana supposedly got its name as it would be a puzzle to any monkey that tried to climb it…
Celebrating Trees – Urban Trees and Cityscapes; Suburban Trees
“Suburbia is where the developers bulldoze out the trees, then name the streets after them.”
Bill Vaughan
We’ve already touched on the cooling effect trees have on the urban jungle. Did you know that they also reduce the effects of flooding and water run-off? Urban trees help to keep our air clean too. Not only do they breathe the carbon dioxide that we and the vehicles exhale, but they absorb other air borne pollutants too.
Wind turbulence is another factor where trees are useful. All those tall buildings can create wind tunnels, and the street trees, whether in full foliage or with bare branches, filter the wind and slow it down. And of course, trees add a decorative visual counterpoint to the artificial jungle of buildings and cityscapes.
Celebrating Trees – Orchards
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
Martin Luther
And a pear tree, cherry tree, peach tree, plum and a quince tree. Plus, a lemon tree and an orange tree in large pots so I could take them into the greenhouse overwinter. Maybe a fig tree, with its roots restricted so it fruits rather than shoots. Ooh, maybe a pomegranate tree too.
Garden orchards, kitchen gardens, edible gardens, gardens full to bursting with fruit trees. Is it any wonder that so many religions and cultures over the centuries have considered the tree of life to be a fruit tree?
As you may know, ornamental edible gardens are a particular passion of mine. This includes both an orchard or edible garden which is decorative. And gardens where edibles and ornamentals are massed together creating a luscious mix of fruit and flowers. How to have the best of both worlds, you might say.
Oh, and I’d have a nuttery as well as an orchard. Nuts are often the poor relations and that’s such a shame. Sweet almond trees have some of the prettiest spring blossom and you get the nuts too. And a few coppiced hazel trees would provide a harvest of fresh cobnuts in their frilly cases.
Celebrating Trees – Designing with Trees and Planting Trees
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
Chinese proverb
Talking of orchards, nutteries and ornamental edible gardens leads me onto designing with trees. There are blogs in in the links below to give you inspiration for topiary trees, ornamental trees for small gardens and suggestions for fruit trees. Including trees into a garden design is fundamental in my view. Even small courtyard gardens have room for a tree in a pot; as do many balconies. Bonsai trees may need to be used in the smallest of spaces, but it’s still a tree!
Planting trees should be carried out with care and much preparation. The tree may well live longer than you, so give it a good start. See link below for how to plant bare-root trees; many of the stages are the same for containerised trees. Designing with trees and how to choose the right tree for your garden are topics which I will be writing about soon.
Celebrating Trees – humour and lyricism
“My absolute favourite piece of information is the fact that young sloths are so inept that they frequently grab their own arms and legs instead of tree limbs, and fall out of trees.”
Douglas Adams
(Okay, so this is a kangaroo apple tree, Solanum aviculare, but I don’t think there is a tree named after a sloth)
“Swimming in a pool surrounded by trees. Dark redwoods, transparent pale-leaved birches. In their delicate network, a sliver of the moon.” Czeslaw Milosz
Inspiring Trees
Celebrating trees: although this blog was partly inspired by National Tree Week UK, it is also borne out of a year-long dialogue between myself and trees. The trees I grow myself, those I plant for clients; those I prune; the trees I walk past on daily dog walks and when visiting different cities. There is always something to wonder about or care about or be in awe of – that is my dialogue, to acknowledge and be grateful.
National Tree Week UK began in 1975 and is an annual celebration of our trees at the end of November / beginning December. It is timed for this point in the year as this coincides with the beginning of the bare root tree season.
There are other tips and tricks, some of which can be found in other Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below,
and finally…
Whatever you do, enjoy celebrating trees in your garden and if Plews can help you with anything, please do get in touch. For example –
Our Garden Consultancy & Advice Visits may help with some of your issues. Or does your planting need a rethink? Do you have a birthday coming up? Plews bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden make a wonderful and practical gift. You could learn how to grow an orchard of citrus fruits in your conservatory! We help you with both gardening basics and more ‘expert tasks’, depending on what you need. Have a read through this pdf download for info.
For further gardening advice and inspiration could come and find us on InstagramPinterest and Facebook too.
Feeling nosey? You can have a peek at the progress of my garden renovation, Spitfires and Slow Worms, on Instagram and Facebook
You’ll get to see it in person if you come to the Plews Gardening Workshops Current ones on Eventbrite for you to book into. Follow for updates on topics and dates on Plews website, Instagram, Eventbrite, Facebook
Plus get your local garden club, allotment, WI, U3A or other group to ask me along to give a talk (and bring plants 😉)
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