Garden design, garden planning, garden layout, planting plants and planting schemes

Trees to please

Posted on October 17th, 2009

After earlier planting of Olive and Acers, our tree planting of rear garden resumed today, this stage the emphasis was on our ‘native’ trees including Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumn Spire’ and Sorbus acu. ‘Joseph Rock’ (Mountain Ash), Betula utilis Jaquemontii (Himalayan Birch), Malus Evereste (Ornamental Crab) and Prunus Amanogawa (Flagpole Cherry). We chose these particular varieties essentially for interesting form and colour, e.g., the stunning bright white paperlike peeling bark of the Himalayan Birch, the fantastic seasonal colours of the  Mountain Ash with the added bonus of providing much needed berries for wildlife, the Flagpole Cherry and also the Malus which both have very attractive seasonal flowers in late Spring/early Summer.

Most of these varieties would be ideal for urban gardens as the growth height is 5m (which is pretty small for a tree) and apart from the Himalayan Birch (which boasts a broad crown) all others have more or less a columnar  form.

Deciduous trees which also bear flowers and fruit are excellent barometers for the variance and seasonality of the gardening calendar. Most people enjoy and many admire the changes in colour and hues as the season progresses. Despite losing leaf during the dormant season, the scale and form of these trees are also attractive and Autumn Spires and/or Birches when planted closer provide an eyecatching columnar network of upward reaching branches. 

All in all trees which are easy to grow, requiring little maintenance and therefore guaranteed to please.

Attractive yellow berried fruit of Sorbus acu. 'Autumn Spire'

Some interesting facts about the Autumn Spire which may not be familiar to many. Sorbus Autumn Spire was a new variety produced originally in Ireland (Flannery’s Nurseries, Staplestown, Co Kildare) an dgrown under licence throughout Europe. Autumn Spire features include: Upright compact tree 5m x 2m (height & spread), ideal for small gardens, orange/yellow berries and excellent autumn colours. Suitable for formal planting and also roadside planting, tolerates wet or dry sites. An easy care, low maintenance tree which produces berries a useful source of food for wildlife.

The beauty of Autumn Spire's upright and compact form