English Trees Seen Driving Or Walking

Recent rains have left England in mid summer as a 'green and pleasant land', the motorways AiM, M25, M11, A14, A141, all equally delightful. I tried to identify British trees. In France or Italy I would have recognised tall, slim, poplars, neat as a curved pen. In merica or Australia I would have seen giant trees like the sequoia. In Singapore the flat dark rain trees with orchids growing in the V. Here is England's suburban gardens I could identify an occasional imported pretty palm tree, and the grand Rhododendrons with their magenta flowers which the Rothschilds imported from the Himalayan mountains of Asia. Holly, I could also recognise, like a leftover from Xmas cards. Plus the rows of quick-growing Cypress Leylandi bordering front gardens from prying neighbours, or concealing mismatched fence panels, as a high hedge.
   Out in the fields and forested hillside, along the edges of motor routes, it was easy to identify the huge broad-trunked oak. The pretty horse chestnut with its triangular blooms of red or white candlesticks. The tree with the green hair sweeping the ground is the weeping willows. The white peeling trunk of the silver birch is easy. The monkey puzzle tree.

Ivy on a fence

fig

Fig

Gnarled apple tree, pollarded (cut)

Apple tree leaf

The apple and pear tree leaves are almost identical. In one London garden I can see slightly smaller leaves on the pear tree. The similarity of the trees caused my late father to say, "You don't have many apples on your tree this year." I replied, "We aren't expecting any. They fruit every other year. Besides, it's a pear tree!"

If you can spot the difference please tell me.

Fig tree can grow in a sunny spot of an English garden. We waited several years before ours bore figs.

The plum colour leaves of the prunus. In springtime it has white or pink blossoms and is known as the cherry blossom tree. The Japanese gave these trees to the Americans for the streets of Washington DC as a peace offering after the war. But these trees are not only in Japan and the USA. You will also see the blossoms in the UK. We have also have plenty in the streets of London, England, decorating the streets in springtime.

Rhododendron large colourful flower, plants imported from the Himalayas by the Rothschilds are now found all over Britain in gardens and sold in garden centres.

Not to be confused with hydrangea which also has large colourful flowers.

Cypress Leylandi hedge

Rhododendron flower bud

Rhododendron

Conifer has cones

Holly - not just Xmas but all year

White horse chestnut or conker tree. White and red horse chestnut trees are seen in London in streets and parks. In autumn the trees have conkers, brown 'nuts', actually seeds. 

CONKERS: Children hang a conked on a string and swing them against another child's conquer until one conked breaks and the one which stays intact is the winner. This game was recently banned in at least one UK school for fear that a child might hit another in the eye or face. Conquers - bonkers, thought some. 

Roasted Chestnuts: You will see these in London if you go to London as a tourist board representative or travel trade press, in the trade travel show, The World Travel Market, held in east London at Excel in November (details online). If you go the adjacent railway stations, as you leave the show in the evening you will see kiosks selling small packets of hot roasted chestnuts, passed in paper bags to the buyers. 

Trees you probably now can recognise:

1-10 apple, aspen, cedar of Lebanon, fig, holly, horse chestnut, lavateria (named after the Lavater brothers are flowering trees with white, red or pink flowers ) or tree mallows, lilac, monkey puzzle tree, Norway spruce (xmas tree), 

11-15 oak, palm,  prunus,  rhododendron, silver birch.

The above tree photos are by Angela Lansbury copyright Angela Lansbury

More information from:

An internet search will bring up out of copyright encyclopaedias and wikipedia; also garden centres selling trees with information such as the height a tree will grow - and, of course, how to buy a suitable tree such as a fruit tree for your garden or patio pot.

You will also see climbers and small conifers in pots with labels outside supermarkets or indoors in the bouquet section. You can read the labels and learn to recognise the plants or take photos to remind yourself of what you wish to remember or buy.

When planting trees in the garden note how large and wide they will grow. You don't want them so to collide with other trees. Nor grow too near the fence upsetting neighbours or breaking bye-laws. You don't want to obscure light to your garden or windows. Nor undermine foundations of your house - bearing in mind you might extend the back of your house with a conservatory or the front with a garage or carport.

If you are interested in reading about or visiting famous trees, such as where King Charles hid from Roundheads in the oak, there's a list in Wikipedia.

 Orchids in pots are in Morrisons, Tesco, M & S. 

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/my-account/scrapbook/