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Amur Maple Seed
Acer ginnala£5.00 inc. VATAmur Maple is a deciduous shrub or small tree with a vigorous spreading growth habit. The 3 lobed leaves turn vivid crimson and orange in autumn. It produces fragrant green-white flowers in late spring. It produces masses of seed and in America is becoming invasive, but here in UK is one of the best for autumn tints.
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Arolloa / Swiss Pine Seed
Pinus cembra£10.00 – £25.00 inc. VATPinus cembra is a small slow growing tree with an almost columnar habit and purple-blue cones. The densely arranged dark blue green needles are blue-white on the inner surface and arranged in fives. It is resistant to white pine blister rust and is therefore being used to try and breed for resistance in other pines. The timber this tree produces is pale, soft and easy to work – ideal for wood turning.
Slices of the cone are used to flavour Schnapps
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Atlas Cedar Seed
Cedrus atlantica£5.00 – £11.50 inc. VATThe Atlas Cedar is one of the most planted of the decorative conifers. Its long grey-green leaves cover the branches thickly. Branches become horizontal, but slightly drooping, with age. Useful for being heat and drought resistant. There used to be vast forests in Morocco and Algeria, but these are declining. A most famous tree is that planted on the lawn outside the White House in Washington D.C
Not for forestry purposes.
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Austrian Pine Seed
Pinus nigra austriaca£5.00 – £12.00 inc. VATThe Austrian Pine is a commonly planted evergreen conifer with a dense head of large branches. The best suited of all the pines to chalky or lime rich soils, drought tolerant when established, though undoubtedly it grows better on rich, moist but well drained soils. The needles are dark green and in bundles of 2. Makes a good windbreak, especially in coastal areas.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Black Birch Seed
Betula lenta£5.00 inc. VATBlack Birch is also known as Cherry Birch because of the similarity to cherry in foliage and Sweet Birch because the sap smells and contains Oil of Wintergreen. Fantastic yellow autumn leaf colour and dark shiny bark, becoming plated and ridged on maturity.
This tree is rarely grown, although it is quite fast and makes a very attractive multi-stem specimen for a smallish garden.
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Black/Rum Cherry Seed
Prunus serotina£5.00 inc. VATA medium sized tree with simple serrated, glossy, deciduous leaves up to 15cm long. About 40 white flowers are produced on each raceme in the spring. These give rise to fruit which turns from green to red and then black. Mature Black cherry is easily recognised by its dark grey or black bark that can easily be broken off, and the almond smell coming from young twigs if the bark has been scraped off. Good for birds which eat the fruit, although both the stones and foliage(especially when wilted) is poisonous to livestock.
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Bristlecone Pine Seed
Pinus aristata£5.50 inc. VATPinus aristata or Bristlecone Pine is a large shrub or small characterful tree with needles in groups of 5, flecked with white resin, looking like dandruff. This is how to tell it from the other Bristlcone pine, Pinus longaeva . It has slender bristle like cones. Some specimens in the wild are over 2500yrs old, it is very slow growing! The oldest trees are found in northern New Mexico, Arizona and in the Rockies at high elevations where the conditions are cold and dry.
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Cedar of Lebanon Seed
Cedrus libani£6.00 – £10.00 inc. VATLebanese Cedar is a huge wide-spreading, flat topped conifer, whose characteristic architectural growth habit forms a tiered arrangement. Young trees are conical but branches spread as the tree matures. Cedar of Lebanon has many historical associations. It is the national emblem of Lebanon, and on the Lebanese flag, although there are decreasing numbers growing in the wild. King Solomon is said to have used Cedar timber to build his temple. Cones are large and oval, taking 18 months to mature and then fall to pieces. The timber is prized for furniture making, being close-grained, a good colour and aromatic. Cedar oil extract is used in cosmetics.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Cherry Plum Seed
Prunus myrobalan / cerasifera£5.00 inc. VATCherry Plum is a small, native, deciduous tree smothered in small white flowers in early spring. Mature specimens bear red cherry-plums in late summer and autumn. It is an excellent shrub for a dense hedge and attracts early insects so is useful on meadow edges and mixed plantings of native trees. Tolerant of pruning. Also known as Myrobalan Cherry. (There are other trees from Asia, also know as Myrobalan)
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Chinese Mahogany Seed
Toona sinensis£5.00 inc. VATToona sinensis is a highly decorative deciduous tree, often multistemmed. The long and large pinnate aromatic leaves are often pink when young and are used in Chinese cuisine. The smooth bark on young trees becomes shaggier with age. Small scented flowers in July, white or pink, are produced in long pannicles at branch ends. The wood is used for furniture as a ‘genuine’ mahogany substitute and also burns aromatically. It is now being investigated as an alternative woodland tree because of climate change and disease issues.
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Chinese Wisteria Seed
Wisteria sinensis£10.00 – £20.00 inc. VATWisteria is probably the most noble of climbers. The leaves are made up of 9 to 13 oblong leaflets. The highly scented mauve or deep lilac flowers are borne before the leaves in spring and are produced on racemes up to 30cm long. These are followed by velvety seed pods. A mature specimen is a wonder to see and smell. Prune twice a year, shortening the long tendrils in February and again in June.
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Corkbark Fir Seed
Abies lasiocarpa£5.00 – £12.50 inc. VATCork Bark Fir is a very ornamental conifer which is relatively rare in its native area. It has attractive densely arranged, blue-green needles. The bark on mature trees becomes deeply furrowed and corky. This tree is extremely hardy, growing near the tree-line in Arizona and New Mexico. It tolerates near alpine conditions, but is a real asset to a smaller garden since it is slow growing.
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Corsican Pine Seed
Pinus nigra corsicana£8.00 – £20.00 inc. VATCorsican Pine(Pinus nigra) is a species especially suited as windbreaks, preferring well drained soils and it can also tolerate coastal conditions. It is a two needle pine, the needles often being slightly twisted. Pinus nigra are found, in variations, round the Mediterranean. In the UK it is used in preference to Scots pine as a timber tree, for building and for pulp.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Dawn Redwood Seed
Metasequoia glyptostroboides£5.00 – £10.00 inc. VATThe Dawn Redwood, thought of as a ‘living fossil’, is a deciduous conifer, the leaves of which turn tawny pink and old gold in autumn. It is fast growing and makes quite a narrow conical tree with a shaggy bark that falls off in ribbons. The trunk itself tends to be broad at the bottom. It is widely planted as an ornamental tree but in the wild the population is decreasing. It is protected in China, but over-collection of seed from the wild has resulted in a lack of regeneration in its native areas. The first fossils of the tree were discovered in 1941, in China, and were aged at 150million years old!
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Deodar Cedar Seed
Cedrus deodara£5.50 inc. VATDeodar Cedar is a large conifer with a pendulous growth habit when young. It keeps a droopy leading shoot even on mature trees. Needle-like leaves, up to 5cm long, have a bluish bloom when young. Architectural, so makes a good specimen tree. The timber is rot resistant, close grained and aromatic and therefore historically used for storage rooms and boxes, having a certain amount of anti-fungal and insect repellent properties. Deodar forests were/are thought to be sacred to the God Shiva and used as places of meditation. It is the national tree of Pakistan.
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Dwarf Mountain Pine (Mughus) Seed
Pinus mugo mughus£5.00 – £17.00 inc. VATDwarf Mountain Pine is a shrubby conifer with dark green needles set in pairs. Mountain Pine succeeds on all well drained soils including chalk and limestone. A good evergreen addition to larger rock and scree gardens, adding form and winter interest.
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European Larch Seed
Larix decidua£5.00 – £24.50 inc. VATEuropean Larch, Larix decidua, is a fast growing deciduous conifer. It has a slender conical crown when young with drooping branches in older specimens. Fine needles turn yellow in autumn and the small brown cones stay on the tree through the winter. Great areas have been planted for timber and it is useful as a nurse tree for other trees since it grows so fast and is very hardy.
Not for forestry purposes.
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European Silver Fir Seed
Abies alba£6.50 inc. VATThe European Silver Fir is common in the mountains of France, Germany and Switzerland. When young it makes a symmetrical conical shape. In the wild it is found in areas of high rainfall and northern aspect, in mixed forests of Norway Spruce and Beech. Foliage and timber are highly pine scented and essential oils are extracted from them. The white wood is mainly used for construction, pulp, plywood and paper manufacture. It is quite often grown for Christmas tree production, more so in America than Europe.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Henry’s Maple Seed
Acer henryi£5.00 inc. VATHenry’s Maple is a rare, small deciduous tree, often multi-stemmed when mature. It grows a wide, flatish crown and striated bark. The trifoliate leaves have fine red stems, hairy veins and good autumn colours of red, yellow and orange. Native of China, it was introduced to UK in 1903, but is still rarely grown. It is an excellent tree for smaller gardens since it casts only light shade and doesn’t grow too tall.
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Hers’s Maple Seed
Acer grosser var hersii£7.50 inc. VATAcer davidii subsp. grosseri var hersii
Hers’s Maple is another Snakebark Maple, with olive green bark, striped with white and cream. It grows to be a small, round headed, graceful tree, sometimes multi-stemmed. The deciduous foliage is almost oval with 3 indistinct lobes. Autumn colour is orange and yellow. No pruning is needed. Useful for a smaller garden.
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Hibiscus or Tree Hollyhock Seed
Hibiscus syriacus£5.00 inc. VATHibiscus is a late flowering, large or medium sized deciduous shrub. The large blue/purple trumpet shaped flowers are most impressive as they open between midsummer and autumn. Twiggy growth that can become congested, but requires no regular pruning. It is very slow to come into leaf, only just appearing alive by mid May. The seeds look like small sea animals with fine cilia hairs round the edges for swimming!
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Japanese Black Pine Seed
Pinus thunbergii£5.00 – £10.00 inc. VATBlack Pine is a distinctive, splendid large tree with twisted branches. It has rigid twisted needles, arranged in pairs, up to 18cm long and is an important timber tree in its native Japan. As a young tree it makes a stiffly conical shape, but gets quirkier with age. Slow growing. In winter, buds at the branch end are silky and white. Female flowers are often extremely numerous and are an attractive red/pink/purple.
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Japanese Cedar Seed
Cryptomeria japonica£5.00 inc. VATJapanese Cedar is a fast growing, columnar conifer which is easily cultivated and thrives in most soils. Its feathery foliage is actually made of short needles spirally arranged and similar to Sequoiadendron. Both needles and timber are aromatic
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Japanese Flowering Quince Seed
Chaenomeles lagenaria£5.00 inc. VATJapanese Quince is a beautiful and early flowering (February to June) shrub. It is often used for Bonsai as its small bright orange flowers are shown off to marvellous effect. It is very similar to ‘Japonica’ (C. japonica,) but grows larger. In mild winters it retains some leaves. The stems are thorny and straggly but it can be pruned. It is probably best grown trained against a wall. There are a number of named varieties with flowers varying from red to pale pink and white.
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