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Lawson Cypress Seed
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana£5.00 – £16.00 inc. VATA large conical tree which is a useful ornamental and makes an excellent evergreen hedge or screen even in exposed situations. Looks like Leylandii, but is slightly slower growing.
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Leatherleaf Viburnum Seed
Viburnum rhytidophyllum£5.00 inc. VATViburnum rhytidophyllum is a large handsome evergreen shrub with large elliptic corrugated and wrinkled leaves which are dark green above and grey felted beneath. The cream or pink flowers are borne in clusters in spring. The fruits are red, turning black and shiny as they ripen. A superb foliage plant especially on chalk soils. Maintenance-free, but a little light trimming can be done after flowering has finished, if the shrub is getting too big.
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Lemon Scented Gum Seed
Corymbia/Eucalyptus citriodora£5.00 – £15.00 inc. VATLemon Scented gum or Eucalyptus is grown as a shrub for its lemon scented, evergreen leaves, but in northern climes it is not hardy out of doors and is best used as a conservatory plant. In warm climates it is often planted outdoors. Can be coppiced successfully.
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Lilac Seed
Syringa vulgaris£5.00 – £10.00 inc. VATLilac makes a vigorous, deciduous, suckering shrub. Its scented light purple flowers are borne in dense panicles in late spring with the seeds ripening in August. It makes a pleasant informal hedge or a multi-stemmed tree. Moderately hard pruning after flowering can keep the plant in check.
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Ling Heather Seed
Calluna vulgaris£5.00 – £10.00 inc. VATLing Heather or Calluna vulgaris is a dwarf twiggy shrub that is often abundant on mountains and moorland. The petals are concealed by the familiar purple sepals from July into early autumn. Common in Europe and Asia Minor.
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Lingonberry Seed
Vaccinium vitis-idaea£5.00 – £10.00 inc. VATLingonberry is a small evergreen shrub which flowers pink in May and June and the tiny berries ripen from August through to October. The plant is well known for attracting wildlife. When not in berry, it can be mistaken for Bilberry because of the similar foliage. It is the berry made popular by IKEA in their cafes – served with their famous meatballs.
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Littleleaf Cotoneaster Seed
Cotoneaster microphyllus£1.99 inc. VATA dwarf evergreen shrub with elliptic leaves that are usually less than 1cm long. Tiny white flowers give way to small deep red berries in autumn. Its habit is to grow in a low mound.
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Lodgepole / Beach Pine Seed
Pinus contorta£5.00 – £14.00 inc. VATLodgepole Pine is a medium sized tree with short branches and paired yellowish green leaves. The cones appear in clusters and the tree is often grown in coastal areas. Pictures show cones, male flowers (cream coloured)and female flowers(pink/purple)
pic courtesy of MPF, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Not for forestry purposes.
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London Plane Seed
Platanus acerifolius£5.00 inc. VATThe London Plane is large tree with a patchwork flaking bark and large palmate leaves. The rounded fruit clusters hang like baubles from the branches from mid summer right through winter to spring. Famous for being extensively planted in London squares and streets, it’s tolerant of pollution and actually helps clean the city air.
Leaf pic courtesy of GPodkolzin, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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Macedonian Pine Seed
Pinus peuce£5.00 – £10.00 inc. VATMacedonian Pine is a particularly ornamental pine with horizontal branches at ground level which become vertical in the crown. It has a narrow pyramidal growth habit which suits it to confined spaces. The cones, occasionally produced, are very large, slightly bent and the long needles, in bundles of 5, give it a soft appearance – very stroke-able! Slow early growth and tolerant of semi shade and poorish soils.
pic courtesy of 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Magnolia Seed
Magnolia x soulangeana£5.00 – £14.00 inc. VATMagnolia soulangeana is probably one of the most popular Magnolias. Seen as a many stemmed shrub or small tree, it has chalice shaped, white, stained rose-purple flowers that appear before the foliage in spring. Underplanting with spring bulbs makes a perfect picture. Needs space to develop and no pruning is necessary. This is quite an ancient genus and is thought to be pollinated by beetles rather than bees but because it is a hybrid, the seedlings will be variable in flowering.
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Mahonia Seed
Mahonia japonica£2.50 inc. VATOne of the most ornamental of the evergreen shrubs. It has deep green leaves made up of 7 to 19 leaflets and spikes of highly scented yellow flowers.
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Maidenhair Tree Seed
Ginkgo biloba£8.00 inc. VATThe Maidenhair is an ancient species of tree easily recognised by its unusual fan shaped leaves which develop a striking yellow colour in autumn. It was around when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and, although it doesn’t look like it, is classed as a conifer. The male and female flowers occur on different trees, so both are needed to produce fruit. When produced, the berries are edible but smell dreadful! When young, the growing tip can be damaged by cold winds, so plant in a sheltered spot, in sun or semi-shade. Reported to have an effect on cognitive function if taken as a supplement (Chinese medicine), but there is no scientific evidence for this at present.
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Manna Tree Seed
Fraxinus ornus£5.00 inc. VATA pretty round topped tree which in late spring has a profusion of scented off white flowers. The leaves turn dark deep purple-red in autumn.
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Medlar Seed
Mespilus germanicus£7.50 inc. VATMedlar is a highly ornamental tree, grown since Roman times for it’s odd fruits. These were often given extremely licentious names, censored on this site! Large hairy leaves and large, elegant white flowers in late spring. Good autumn colour. Fruit needs to be ‘bletted’ before eating, i.e. left to go rotten! A superb addition to an orchard, even if you don’t eat the fruit! Quite low growing and wide-spreading. Can be left without pruning, but on young trees, prune in winter to promote an open, uncrowded shape.
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Meyer’s Spruce Seed
Picea meyeri£5.00 – £12.00 inc. VATMeyer’s Spruce is a decorative, medium-fast growing conifer with grey green needles, purple male catkins and copper brown cones. Rare in the wild, since subalpine forests are in decline. Where commercially planted it’s used for construction timber and pulp, but could be a good Xmas tree.
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Midland Hawthorn Seed
Crataegus laevigata£5.00 – £8.00 inc. VATMidland Hawthorn is a small dense, thorny, deciduous tree, flowering in spring and berrying in autumn. The pink or white flowers are pollinated by midges.
Related to Common Hawthorn but with less deeply lobed leaves.
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Milkflower Cotoneaster Seed
Cotoneaster lacteus£5.00 inc. VATA medium sized evergreen shrub with large oval leathery leaves which are grey-woolly beneath. The flowers in spring and early summer are milky white and followed by large clusters of small red berries which last well into mid winter.
Makes a good informal hedge, and when grown as a single stem, makes a useful evergreen tree for a small garden.
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Monkey Puzzle / Chile Pine Seed
Araucaria araucana£6.00 – £18.00 inc. VATThe Monkey Puzzle is unique in its appearance and is much sought after. It is protected in its native Chile. The open network of branches, arranged symmetrically are covered in the sharp, scale-like leaves. Quite slow growing but will reach a good height. The seed is huge and a lovely colour and can be eaten. This has now been christened ‘The Marmite tree’ – you either love it or….not
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Monterey Cypress Seed
Cupressus macrocarpa£6.50 inc. VATMonterey Cypress is often cultivated in gardens as a hedging plant, especially in North America, but makes a magnificent specimen tree too. It can tolerate poor soils and hot and dry conditions, being endemic to California. The last remaining trees there are puportedly over 2000 years old. the flattened bract-like leaves are citrus scented when crushed.
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Monterey Pine Seed
Pinus radiata£6.00 – £30.00 inc. VATMonterey Pine is the most widely planted pine in the world, although it is endangered in its natural habitat. It is extremely important for timber production Older trees make a good windbreak. In UK , grows best in areas with mild wet winters, in fertile sites. In the wild it grows on the Californian coastal fringe and is one of the trees in which Monarch butterflies overwinter. It’s huge cones open in heat, but tend to stay on the tree for years. They are an uneven shape at the base. The needles grow in groups of 3, fresh green close to and blackish from afar. On mature trees the bark develops very deep fissures.
Cone pic courtesy of S. Rae from Scotland, UK/CC BY 2.0
Not for forestry purposes.
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Mountain Ash / Rowan Seed
Sorbus aucuparia£5.00 – £10.00 inc. VATThe Rowan or Mountain Ash is a small deciduous tree with 11 to 19 sharp toothed leaflets per leaf. Creamy coloured plates of small flowers in early summer are followed by colourful bright red berries which form dense bunches in late summer. They are often eaten by blackbirds and thrushes. Foliage often colours well in the autumn. It is highly tolerant of extreme acidity and easy to grow, being tough and resiliant. Rowan-berry jelly is excellent with pheasant and other game. There is much folklore attached to this tree, including the ability to ward off witches! Excellent tree for a small garden, with 3 seasons of interest and insect friendly.
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Mountain Gum Seed
Eucalyptus dalrympleana£14.00 inc. VATMountain Gum is an attractive fast growing medium sized tree which is extremely hardy. Sometimes it is known as White Mountain Gum. It has a handsome patchwork bark that becomes white with age. In young specimens the evergreen leaves can be a bronzy colour, maturing to grey-green. Can be coppiced happily
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Mountain Pine (Pumilio) Seed
Pinus mugo pumilio£5.00 – £16.50 inc. VATA dwarf form of the Mountain Pine that often grows prostrate but can reach 2m in height, slowly. Great for adding substance and winter interest to alpine and scree gardens and works well in containers. Shortish dark green needles look fine in the frost
pic courtesy of UUSDA-NRCS PLANTS DATABASE/ Herman, D.E. et al. 1996. North Dakota tree handbook. USDA NRCS ND State Soil Conservation Committee; NDSU Extension and Western Area Power Admin., Bismarck, ND., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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