Benefits of a tree in a garden:
•Highly ornamental
•Add form, height and structure
•They can be used to create focal points
•They can be used to obscure unsightly views
•They can be used to highlight lovely views
•They live a long time and require little attention
•They encourage wildlife
•They provide shelter and shade
A tree, to earn a place in a garden must work for its place. It must be small enough to not overpower the garden and it should provide more than one season of interest. Ideally, a tree in a garden will have flowers, leaves that provide a good colour change in the autumn, seeds or berries to feed wildlife and hopefully have interesting bark.
Having said that any tree will do a lot for the environment. As it grows it photosynthesis whereby it removes carbon dioxide CO2 and releases oxygen O2 into the air in a complicated process which also provides energy for the tree to grow, in the form of sugars.
So, what else makes it so valuable to plant a tree:
As any tree grows its roots go down into the soil and they attract fungi that have a symbiotic relationship with the tree providing benefits for them both.
As the bark develops it creates fissures or small indentations which provide shelter for insects and, a foothold for lichens and mosses and in some cases mistletoe.
The leaves are where most of the photosynthesis takes place, so provide the energy for the tree to grow and they are wonderful for wildlife in their own right. They provide shelter and food for insects and birds, and in the autumn, they take all the good chemicals back into the tree, which changes the colours to give us the benefits of autumn colour and then they drop where they provide shelter for insects and small mammals. They then rot which helps sustain a further range of insects and fungi and ultimately create nutrients for the trees and other plants.
All trees have flowers, some of which are insignificant to us humans but provide a wonderful source of pollen and nectar for a wide variety of bees, butterflies, moths and other insects. Some, however, are very beautiful and give us colour and scent. All flowers are followed by seeds, fruit and nuts in some form. Sycamore trees are often thought of as boring, non-native trees have masses of flowers in the spring and help produce a delicious pale green honey!
The seeds, fruit and nuts are produced by the tree to propagate itself, but at the same time, they provide an excellent source of food for us humans, other mammals, birds, insects and fungi.
Suitable Trees for Gardens
The type of tree best suited to your garden depends on the space you have available. With an enormous garden, you can plant trees which will grow huge, for example, Oak, Beech, Elm, large conifers such as Scots Pineor evergreens such as Yew or Holly.
For most of us, trees that grow this big are not an option but we still have a large choice.
1. Trees with flowers, autumn colour and fruits
Amelanchier
Quite tall trees which orange, they have white flowers in spring. Attractive foliage which turns a glorious orang/red in autumn and blue/black fruit.
Crataegus species.
Crataegus is the scientific name for Hawthorn. Hawthorns can grow into lovely small trees and are not necessarily only used for hedging. There are hawthorns with red berries, but there are also Hawthornswith orange berries, dark red berries, almost black berries and you can even get weeping Hawthorns.
Malus species.
Malus is the scientific name for Apple and includes the Crab Apples. There is a wide choice, some Apples and Crab Apples have dark, wine-coloured foliage, all have scented flowers in spring, all produce fruit, either for you or wildlife and many have really good autumn colourSorbus species. Sorbus include the Rowansand there are many types with different coloured berries ranging from the bright red/orange that we all know to white, yellow, deep pink.
2. Trees for flowers
Crataegus species–see above
Cornus species.
Cornus are deciduous trees that appear to have flowers but actually have very large bracts. They are often used as specimen trees, a tree on its own, as they are spectacular when in flower. The flowers can be white, cream, deep pink and red and many follow the flowers with fruits that look similar to strawberries.
Laburnum.
Laburnum trees have bright yellow flowers in spring and you can get both an upright and a weeping form. However, every part of a Laburnum is highly poisonous and is not recommended for gardens with children or visiting children.
Crataegus species.
Crataegus is the scientific name for Hawthorn. Hawthorns can grow into lovely small trees and are not necessarily only used for hedging. There are hawthorns with red berries, but there are also Hawthornswith orange berries, dark red berries, almost black berries and you can even get weeping Hawthorns.
Magnolia species.
Magnolia can be trees or shrubs and often have scented flowers, some even flower a second smaller flush in summer. They usually flower in spring just before or at the same time as the leaves are bursting. The downside of Magnolias is that they are messy, dropping large petals, then the dried-up remains of the flower and then in autumn the leaves which are waxy and don’t rot down well.
Prunus species.
Prunus include Cherries, Almonds, Plums and Damsons. There are a wide variety of Flowering Cherries which include Japanese Cherries. They flower spectacularly in spring, and some have good autumn colours. There are a couple of Prunus that are grown for their interesting bark. The fruiting Cherriesprovidefruitfor you and or the birds, likewise the fruiting plums and damsons.
3. Trees for Autumn Colour and Bark
Acer species.
Acers, (Maples,)are a group of shrubs and small trees which are often grown for their spectacular autumn colour. Some are also grown for their interesting bark. There are snakebarkedAcerswhich have streaked bark which looks like snakeskin, there are also peeling barked Acers where the bark peels attractively.
Betula species.
These are the birches. Silver Birch is suitable for small gardens in that it has a very upright habit, has interesting bark, provides dappled shade and its leaves turn yellow in autumn. Some Birches are bought purely for their bark which can be white or peeling.
Prunus species.
Three of the prunus species are also grown for bark, Prunus serrula flowers with white flowers in spring turn yellow in autumn and have wonderful shiny, mahogany-coloured bark.
4. EvergreenTrees
Ilex species.
Holly trees provide small insignificant flowers, dark green glossy leaves, sometimes variegated leaves and, if female, red berries in winter. Some Hollies are said to be self-fertile but generally, you need to have a male Hollyfairly close to the female for berries.
Conifers.
The Conifers range from dwarf to enormous! If you are set on having conifers do your research carefully and buy according to the size it will grow to. Taxus, (Yew) is classed as a conifer but is highly poisonous and this should be taken into consideration before choosing a Yew
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