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New Zealand Purple Flax Seed
Phormium tenax atropurpureum£6.50 – £28.00 inc. VATPurple New Zealand Flax is a very striking evergreen shrub with purple – bronze foliage that forms clumps of rigid sword like leaves between 1 and 3m long. It has bronze red flowers on panicles up to 4m long in summer. It is highly resistant to sea winds and forms an excellent windbreak.
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Nichol’s Eucalyptus Seed
Eucalyptus nicholii£20.00 inc. VATNichol’s Eucalyptus or Nichol’s Peppermint Leaved Eucalyptus has attractive fine blue-green, willow-like, weeping evergreen foliage, which can be quite dense. The bark is deeply fissured on mature trees but red and shaggy on younger branches. It forms a small tree but can be pruned and even coppiced successfully. Like most Eucalyptus, it has white flowers in late summer and aromatic leaves. It prefers a sheltered position and is suitable for Bonsai.
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Northern Japanese Magnolia Seed
Magnolia kobus£5.00 – £18.00 inc. VATThe Northern Japanese Magnolia is a hardy deciduous shrub or small tree that produces its star like white flowers from about 12 years old. They are produced just before leaf break in the spring and are a welcome addition to the spring garden. Late frosts may damage the flowers, so it needs to be planted in a sheltered spot and given space to develop. No pruning should be required.
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Norway Maple Seed
Acer platanoides£5.00 inc. VATNorway Maple is a large fast growing tree with large 5 lobed leaves which turn bright yellow and occasionally red in autumn. Yellow flowers are borne on the bare stems in spring.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Oak-leaved Hydrangea Seed
Hydrangea quercifolia£16.00 inc. VATOak Leaved Hydrangea is medium sized deciduous shrub that should be planted more often! Large, fresh green, oak-shaped leaves turn spectacular colour in autumn. Conical panicles of cream flowers appear in mid to late summer. Not a tidy grower, but can be trimmed. Best at the back of borders or in wilder areas of the garden, in light shade.
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Oleaster or Russian Olive Seed
Elaeagnus angustifolia£5.00 inc. VATA large spiny deciduous shrub or small tree. It has silvery grey willow-like leaves with sweetly fragrant flowers in the summer which are attractive to bees. The fruits are silvery amber 12mm ovals. Attractive, useful and tough.
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Oregon Grape Seed
Mahonia aquifolium£5.00 inc. VATOregon Grape is a small evergreen shrub with spikey pinnate leaves with 5 to 13 leaflets which often turn red in winter. Its rich yellow flowers open in early spring borne on racemes which are in clusters. The autumn berries are a black-blue colour. Can be grown successfully as a low informal but protective hedge, prune after flowering
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Oregon Maple Seed
Acer macrophylla£5.00 inc. VATOregon Maple is a large, stately tree with domed head. The deciduous leaves are huge, up to 30cm across, incised and lobed, with gold autumn colour. Flowers are lime green in long hanging catkins mid spring. This tree pollards well and makes good smokeless firewood. The sap can be used as a sweetener.
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Oriental Plane Seed
Platanus orientalis£3.50 inc. VATThe Oriental Plane is a large deciduous tree with peeling bark. Young leaves are hairy, but smooth when older, deeply lobed and casts quite a deep shade. The autumn colour is pale bronze-purple. Round finely spined fruit that hang on into winter, look like mini hedgehogs. It is one of the parents of the London Plane. In southern Europe it is a common street tree.
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Pacific Madrona Seed
Arbutus menziesii£6.00 inc. VATPacific madrona is an evergreen tree. It is often multi-stemmed, with rich rust-coloured peeling bark which can be used to make a tea. Silvery green persistent leaves and cream ericaceous-type spring flowers followed by red berries. Grows on coastal sites in Northern California and towards Vancouver, but not far south.
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Paper Birch Seed
Betula papyrifera£5.00 – £11.00 inc. VATPaper Birch is a striking medium to large tree with a mahogany papery bark when young, developing into white when the tree matures. Grows into an elegant pyramidal shape, given space. Attractive yellow foliage in the autumn. It was introduced from North America in 1750, the native Americans used the bark, which is very waterproof, for canoes and teepee covers and is sometimes called ‘Canoe Birch’
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Paperbark Maple Seed
Acer griseum£5.00 – £20.00 inc. VATPaperbark Maple is a beautiful small tree with three lobed, dark green leaves in summer, turning crimson and scarlet in autumn. The bark peels to appear orange in the sunlight revealing the new cinnamon coloured bark beneath. A perfect tree for a small garden, slow growing and no pruning necessary.
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Peach Seed
Prunus persica£8.00 – £18.00 inc. VATThe peach is a small bushy tree with pale pink single flowers that appear before the leaves in spring. In good years, it gives a spectacular early show of blossom, and is good for very early insects. The flowers can, however be destroyed by late frosts so it is most often planted next to a warm, sheltered wall. The leaves are lanceolate up to 15cm long and 3cm wide. It may produce fruit in autumn but generally a warm long summer is required for them to ripen.
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Pear Seed
Pyrus communis£7.00 inc. VATPear grows into a medium sized tree with quite upright narrow form. It has oval glossy leaves which are often attractive in autumn. In early spring the tree is drowned in white blossom and in autumn it produces sweetish pears. The blossom is great for early insects. Pruning can be carried out if necessary in the winter, but an old unpruned pear tree has a lot of character in a hedgerow or garden.
Main pic courtesy of David Hawgood / Pear tree (Pyrus) in blossom, Kew Gardens CC BY-SA 2.0
Small pic courtesy of Opioła Jerzy (Poland) / CC BY-SA
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Pere David’s Maple Seed
Acer davidii£5.00 inc. VATPere David’s Maple is one of the Snakebark Maples. It grows to be a small deciduous tree or large shrub, often multi-stemmed. Leaves are pointed and have three barely noticeable lobes. Autumn colours can be spectacular orange and yellow. The bark is green with obvious cream and white stripes, better on younger trees. It looks a bit like snake-skin. This tree is a worthwhile addition to a small garden.
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Persian Silk Tree Seed
Albizia julibrissin£8.00 inc. VATPersian Silk Tree is a highly decorative deciduous tree with fine leaves made up of fern-like leaflets. It is often mistaken for Mimosa when not in flower. Exotic pink flowers late summer have long silky stamens, followed by flattened brown/yellow seed pods. Only just hardy outside in the UK, in the south west and on south coast, otherwise it grows best in a conservatory or greenhouse. In Oriental medicine it is used to alleviate depression and as a sedative.
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Pin Oak Seed
Quercus palustris£6.00 – £45.00 inc. VATPin Oak is a large dense headed deciduous tree with slender branches, not as long-lived as English Oak. The leaves are deeply and sharply lobed and turn a rich decorative scarlet in autumn though they are smaller than the Scarlet Oak. Usefully quick growing on poorer soils and clay. Wet soils in winter do not cause problems. The fibrous root system also means they are easy to transplant. Acorns take 2 seasons to form and trees need to be near other Red, Scarlet or Pin oaks for pollination.
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Pocket Handkerchief Tree Seed
Davidia involucrata£18.00 inc. VATThe Pocket Handkerchief or Davidia is a delightfully beautiful tree whose flower-like bracts look like doves or pocket handkerchiefs when flowering in late spring. A medium sized deciduous tree which prefers well drained loamy soils. The oval fruit hang on the tree well into winter, looking like green Christmas tree decorations.
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Portugese Laurel Seed
Prunus lusitanica£5.00 – £10.00 inc. VATA large evergreen shrub or small tree. Dark green leaves with reddish stalks are augmented by small white flowers borne on racemes in early summer. The fruits are small and red gradually turning dark purple. It is tolerant of chalk soils. Can be pruned into shape to make a formal or informal hedge.
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Privet Seed
Ligustrum vulgare£5.00 inc. VATThis Privet forms a medium sized semi evergreen shrub with dark green lance shaped leaves. The small off-white flowers appear in summer and are followed by long clusters of conspicuous round black fruits in the autumn. This should not be confused with the hedging Privet, (Ligustrum ovalifolium), although they can be used for the same purposes.
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Purple Cordyline Seed
Cordyline australis purpurea£5.00 – £15.00 inc. VATPurple Cordyline is of great use in pots on patios or in borders to give substance and architectural presence. It is hardy and prefers sun. Keep in a sheltered spot, out of cold winds and keep on the dry side through winter.
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Purple Leaved Mimosa Seed
Acacia baileyana purpurea£8.00 inc. VATPurple Leaved Mimosa is a small tree/medium shrub. A bronze leaved version of Golden Mimosa, new growth is grey-purple-pink, contrasting with the very early yellow flowers. Very fine foliage casts only light shade. Needs a sheltered site, or to be grown in a conservatory
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Red / Canadian Maple Seed
Acer rubrum£5.00 inc. VATRed or Canadian Maple is a large deciduous tree with dark green upper leaf surfaces, bluish underneath and red petioles (leaf stalks) It takes on autumn colour of scarlet red early in the season and can be quite outstanding. In spring the flowers appear before the leaves and are pinkish red giving this tree 2 seasons of interest. Needs space to grow and has quite a shallow root run so thrives in a moist soil
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Red / European Dogwood Seed
Cornus sanguinea£5.00 inc. VATThe European Dogwood is a deciduous shrub with red flushed stems that give colour in winter. The leaves give a rich purple autumn colour. Makes a thick, informal barrier, although it can be pruned – taking one third of the branches out at the base each year. This encourages new, red stems to grow from the stool. This is the European version of Cornus alba
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