Our Featured Trees

The Tree of Heaven is a deciduous, fast-growing tree, grown mainly for their striking, large, pinnate leaves that can range in length from 30-90 cm (1 to 4 feet) with anything from 10 to 40 leaflets.  The leaflets have entire (i.e. unserrated)  margins but with each has two to four teeth at its base.  It is very fast-growing, achieving 1 to 2 metres a year when young and can attain up to 30m in height. It is, however, not long lived with some authorities suggesting a life span of 50-75 years in UK conditions.

 Ailanthus trees are 'dioecious', with male and female flowers being borne on different individuals. The flowers appear in large clusters at the end of new shoots, yellowish green to reddish in colour.  The females go on to develop clusters of seeds, reminiscent of ash keys but orange-red in colour. The more prolific male flowers give off a foul smell but are nonetheless visited by bees; however, the honey produced from the trees’ pollen can be tainted, with one report saying that it is ‘greenish-brown’ in colour, with an ‘after-taste reminiscent of cats’!

 This, however, is not the reason that it has sometimes been referred not as a tree of heaven but as the 'Tree of hell'! For, while it is generally inoffensive in its native range of Korea and Japan, its invasive habits are such as to have led it to be designated as a Species of Special Concern and placed on the EU list of Invasive Alien Species. As such, it should not be planted or caused to grow in the wild in in the UK and is banned from sale. While its presence is not outlawed, gardeners who already have it “should take steps to control it"  It's invasive nature and ability to spread widely is particularly troublesome in Britain's hottest areas, notable in London where suckers and seedlings (which can be hard to distinguish) spring up beside pavements, in development sites and along railways.  Observations here in Herefordshire suggest that it is not too troublesome, but only as long as it is left largely undisturbed. On the other hand it will sucker profusely if attempts are made to limit its size by being cut back, coppiced or felled, in which case shoots are likely to spring up that may achieve 1 or 2 metres in a season, forming dense thickets around the base. In the case of a tree being felled, fast-growing suckers may spring up from roots at some distance from the tree.
While Trees of Heaven can be found quite frequently in our cities, market towns and private gardens, the invasive nature of the species has led to it not being represented at Queenswood arboretum.

The Caucasian wingnut (Pterocarya fraxinifolia,), is a magnificent, fast-growing deciduous tree belonging to the walnut family (Juglandaceae). Native to the moist, fertile valleys and riverbanks of the Caucasus region, northern Iran to Ukraine, the species is known for its vigorous growth, dramatic architecture and the striking catkins it produces in late spring. It is quite capable of reaching 20 to 30 metres in height with a broad, rounded canopy that can spread just as wide as the tree is tall. Its trunk is generally short and stout, covered in deeply fissured, dark grey bark. The tree is highly vigorous and frequently produces multiple stems; it also has a tendency to produce dense suckers around its base that can create a sprawling, jungle-like thicket if left unmanaged.

It has large, pinnate leaves, up to 45-60cm in overall length, consisting of 11 to 27 oblong, finely toothed leaflets. Dark green and lustrous in spring and summer, they turn a clear, buttery yellow before dropping in the autumn.

It is a wind-pollinated species, producing long, green catkins that can develop to become spectacular, pendulous chains measuring up to 50 cm long, bearing dozens of small, nut-like fruits, each flanked by two distinctive, circular green wings that give the tree its common name.

Wingnuts thrive in full sun, preferring damp environments with deep, rich, moisture-retentive soils; it can easily tolerate periodic flooding, making it a good choice for stabilizing riverbanks or areas subject to flooding. However, its large size and prolific suckering habit make it unsuitable for most urban gardens.

Closely related to the familiar the European horse chestnut or conker tree (which is in fact originally came from Turkey and the Balkan peninsula), the Indian Horse Chestnut is a native of the Himalayan lowlands, between Kashmir and Western Nepal. It was introduced to Britain in 1851 where it has proved to be quite winter-hardy, growing well in any good garden soil, including chalky ones. Yet despite its many attractions, it has not been as frequently planted as its European cousin.

While it can reach 30 metres in its native habitat, it is generally smaller in the UK, usually attaining about 10 to 15 metres, with a broadly rounded crown. Like the common horse chestnut, the leaves are ‘palmate’, being divided into several leaflets radiating out from a central point, each leaflet with a short stalk. They are bronze when they first emerge in the spring but soon turn to a dark, glossy green and are somewhat more slender and delicate than those of the common horse chestnut;.

The trees typically bloom in June, producing masses of masses of spikes of white and pink flowers. They  make a spectacular display and the flowers are, much appreciated by bees, which collect the brick-red pollen.

The fruits are ovoid and green, smaller than those of our familiar horse chestnuts and also lacking spines. Inside, the nuts are also smaller and so are unlikely to be of much value in a contest!

These are truly two of Herefordshire’s ‘Remarkable’ trees for their height and canopy spread, and their wonderful spring display.

 Like the  Flowering Dogwood, featured a couple of weeks ago, the white ‘petals’, are actually large, showy modified leaves or bracts, which protect and attract insects to the tiny flowers at their centre.

 Originating from SC & SE China where they grow in mountainous mixed forests, these  particular trees were planted at Queenswood in 1965, and many may know this species as a Dove or Ghost Tree because of the way the bracts hang and move in the wind.

 In the mid-1800s, the genus Davidia was named after Father Armand David, a French Vincentian missionary and keen naturalist based in China, who first discovered a single specimen growing 2,000m above sea level, and sent dried specimens to Paris where it was studied and described as a new genus and species.

 As well as cherished for their beauty, Handkerchief trees do also support UK wildlife by providing pollen-rich flowers which attract various bee species and other pollinators in May, whilst their green small fruits provide food for wildlife in the autumn