So, here’s my list of ten things for July.
10 Trees in My Garden:
- Apple (an old tree, which we think is James Grieve; it may be as much as 80 years old but still gives us some fruit every year!); also two ornamental crab apples
- Silver Birch; and the closely related Downey Birch
- Spruce (not sure the exact species as they were potted Christmas trees)
- Rowan
- Hawthorn (self-set)
- Liquidamber (grown from seed by me)
- Cherry — an edible cherry as well as a couple of ornamentals
- Pedunculate Oak (that’s Quercus robur, our native English Oak; self-set probably from an acorn cached by a bird; now 20 years old and growing slowly; hopefully a lasting legacy when all the others are gone)
- Pittosporum
- Holm Oak, Quercus ilex
Cones on one of our Spruce trees
Yes we really do have that many different species of tree — and a few more — in our (not over large) suburban garden. And we’ve planted/encouraged them all except the old apple tree which was here when we came 30+ years ago. They’re all a bit crammed in and many quite young (under 20) so not all are yet huge trees but the birches, the English Oak and the Liquidamber are as tall as the house. In the past we’re also had a pear tree, ash tree and an elder tree.
The neighbours don’t understand why we like trees. They don’t like anything that grows over 3 feet high. They must like looking at the backs of the houses in the next road.
But we do like trees. They add shade, make dividers between “rooms” in the garden and they encourage wildlife. Because we have a woodland glade we get lots of birds and squirrels as well as woodland edge butterflies like Speckled Wood which wouldn’t be here otherwise.
We need more trees, and suburban gardens are actually a good place for them (just not too close to the foundations). If more people planted a couple of trees it would help clean the air and encourage wildlife by providing small green corridors for them to move along.
Something else we can all do is to encourage our local councils to plant trees in the streets and on verges. Most councils are open to people suggesting a site for a tree. And if you want one outside you house, and are prepared to fund it (our council charges £250 for the tree and planting), the council is more likely to plant that tree.
We need trees. We need to encourage wildlife diversity. We need to keep England green. And you feel good for giving something back to the environment.