A full standard tree, known as a standard, with the unfortunate industry abbreviation std, has a clear stem at least 1.8 tall before it branches. It is typically at least 2.5 metres tall, however, unlike younger trees listed in the Hedging & Saplings section, full standard trees are not graded by their height, but by their girth in centimetres at… Continue reading Standard Tree Definition
Category: Trees
Nik Mitchell’s Problem With Pollarding
Following on from David Cracknell’s observation that “Britain’s love of trees is real, but it needs to grow up”, we have the story of Nik Mitchell’s response to the routine pollarding of some local poplar trees near Sandwich in Kent. Yes, that is a harsh cut to make in Spring, early Winter is best for… Continue reading Nik Mitchell’s Problem With Pollarding
Backseat Driving: Do I Need To Stake A Tree?
Picking on Huw Richards Inspires Us to Make Better Tree Planting Videos At Ashridge, we feel a bit responsible for how well people plant trees. We are not the the Huw Richards police; we would never pick on him because he is YouTube famous and we want some of that. We totally agree with his… Continue reading Backseat Driving: Do I Need To Stake A Tree?
Can I Slit Plant Bareroot Hedge & Tree Whips into Grass?
Establishing trees & hedges should be kept clear of grass & weeds
How to Say Coppice and Coppicing
The managed woodland is a copse (coppice), the pruning action is to coppice
Opening Packs of Spiral Guards
Open rabbit spirals quickly like a pro, smoothly separating rolls out into 5 individual guards Hedge spirals, rabbit guards, are manufactured in rolls of 5, coiled up like springs: the harder you try to pull them apart, the more they grip one another. Unwinding them from the outside takes too long. To pull them apart… Continue reading Opening Packs of Spiral Guards
What do Bareroot Trees Look Like?
Bareroot trees look like sticks! Compare standard & sapling sizes
Prepare Soil For Planting Trees, Shrubs & Hedges
This article is primarily about preparing soil before planting trees (ornamental or fruiting), hedging, roses, and other shrubs. It won’t consider vegetable beds, where more work might be justified, or perhaps No-Dig methods. Soil preparation is important because it helps strong roots to establish quickly. If the roots struggle to settle in, the whole plant will struggle. Like so many things in gardening,… Continue reading Prepare Soil For Planting Trees, Shrubs & Hedges
Transplanting Evergreen Trees & Shrubs
Moving Evergreens Without Killing Them This article is all about moving evergreens like box, yew or pyracantha. Moving plants is not complicated, but by minimising the stress they endure, your success rate will be much higher. Preparation before digging up your plants You need a plan. Are you going to replant immediately? If so then make sure the new… Continue reading Transplanting Evergreen Trees & Shrubs
Best Time To Plant Hedges & Trees In the UK
“Which month is best for planting?” is an age-old debate! You can plant trees or hedges at any time of year. There are pros & cons to each season. Watering new plants well in dry weather until they are established is the most important thing. Bareroot Season Starts In Autumn – November With woody plants like trees, hedge plants, or rose bushes, it’s always better to… Continue reading Best Time To Plant Hedges & Trees In the UK
How To Pleach A Flat-Head Lime Tree
How to pleach a flat-headed Lime tree Pleaching trees creates a “hedge on stilts”. Many trees are suitable, and limes are ideal pleached subjects: VIDEO TRANSCRIPT So, I'm going to show you how to pleach a lime tree, which are useful for aerial hedges to fill in a gap above a wall or to screen… Continue reading How To Pleach A Flat-Head Lime Tree
How to Plant a Tree With a Stake
Planting with a stake is optional but highly recommended.
Walnut Tree Tolerant Plants
Do Black Walnut Trees Kill Other Trees? The allelopathic (harmful to other plants) nature of Juglans nigra, Black Walnut, is widely thought to pose challenges for nearby plant life due to the secretion of juglone, a substance harmful to many other plants. This effect, stronger in wet soils low in organic matter like sand or clay, appears… Continue reading Walnut Tree Tolerant Plants
Poplar & Willow Short Rotation Biomass
Planting Willow & Poplar for Biomass Wood Fuel Details on many biomass related subjects. Biomass fuel is living or recently dead organic matter, such as wood, used to power generators and often to heat homes.It is the past, present, and future of renewable energy. Coppicing trees for a renewable source of wood is an ancient practice.… Continue reading Poplar & Willow Short Rotation Biomass
Native British Trees List
You can find all the native British trees listed here, and we grow and sell most of them. Definition of native VS naturalised trees True natives trees are often defined as:Trees that colonised Britain during the time between the end of the ice age about 10,000 years ago and the formation of the Channel by the… Continue reading Native British Trees List
Dutch Elm Disease
Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by Ophiostoma novo-ulmi and Ophiostoma ulmi fungi, which primarily attack members of the Ulmus family (Elm trees). The disease probably arose in the far East and was introduced to Europe in about 1910, arriving in the USA a few years later; it was just identified in the Netherlands first. European and American elms trees which… Continue reading Dutch Elm Disease
Pruning A Crab apple Tree
When to Prune Crab Apple Trees This video demonstrates a crab apple tree, and the same principles apply to a lot of other deciduous trees. But do not worry if you have to prune at some other time of year! Crab apples, like most garden trees, are extremely tough, and nothing bad will happen if you prune… Continue reading Pruning A Crab apple Tree
Looking After a Bay Tree Care Guide
Laurus nobilis, Sweet Bay or Bay Laurel, is a smart evergreen tree, easy to clip as a hedge, ideal for training into topiary shapes. The richly aromatic leaves are used in cooking to flavour stews and soups. Our bay tree care guide has all the instructions you’ll need to care for your bay tree and get… Continue reading Looking After a Bay Tree Care Guide
Slit Planting Vs Planting In A Trench Or Hole
Compare Slit Planting VS Trench Planting Slit Planting Used for bareroot hedging & trees under 80cm Mainly for country hedges & forestry planting of sapling trees Does not allow you to improve soil Roots must be small enough to sweep down into a slit Quick and easy See our Country Hedge Planting Film Trench /… Continue reading Slit Planting Vs Planting In A Trench Or Hole
Will Tree Roots Grow Through Concrete?
Tree roots will not grow through anything that is solid enough, including the concrete foundations of a modern building. Consider that tree roots won’t grow through a cheap plastic pot: they can only push against the sides of the holes that are already at the bottom. However, tree roots can do two things over time: Drain Pipes and Septic… Continue reading Will Tree Roots Grow Through Concrete?
Buying Mature Trees
What Size Mature Tree Are You Looking For? When people want to buy a mature tree, they are usually thinking of the largest tree sizes that we deliver, known as Standard Trees. Once a tree is over about 250cm tall, it’s big enough to grade as a Standard, measured by its girth in centimetres at 1m above ground… Continue reading Buying Mature Trees
The Best Trees Suitable for Heavy Clay Soils
Most trees are happy growing in heavy clay soil, as long as it does not get waterlogged in Winter Clay soil is fertile soil, the problem is that low-lying sites tend to trap water in winter, and exposed clay bakes hard in Summer. Most trees grown in the UK will thrive in clay where: So… Continue reading The Best Trees Suitable for Heavy Clay Soils
Game of Thrones Trees Take Their Final Bow
Winter has come for four of the famous Dark Hedges beech trees, and there was no King’s Landing for them Game of Thrones was a TV show that ran between 2011–2019, famous for its strong starting season, ending with the death of main character Ned Stark, played by Sean Bean, England’s greatest living Sheffield United… Continue reading Game of Thrones Trees Take Their Final Bow
Darnley Sycamore Gets a Storm Eowyn Haircut
It’s been a wee bit of a trying day for Glasgow’s famous Darnley Sycamore, which got pollarded by 100mph winds The sycamore tree, thought to be at least 450 years old, is a historic landmark connected to Mary Queen of Scots and her ill-fated cousin-husband, Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. 450 plus years is a decent… Continue reading Darnley Sycamore Gets a Storm Eowyn Haircut
Hereford Times Orchard Lane Leylandii Song
Orleton locals got a laugh from the Hereford Times “AI Assisted” article that used a stock image of an Oak Tree for an article about cutting down a tall Leylandii hedge, inspiring a satirical folk song Church Lane residents in Orleton, Herefordshire, were treated to a masterpiece of robot writing in this Hereford Times article… Continue reading Hereford Times Orchard Lane Leylandii Song
Which Tree is Yggdrasil?
The question “what species of tree is Yggdrasil?” is not one I ever get asked, but when the day comes I will say “ha, finally! A species is a group of things of the same kind, and Yggdrasil is unique. Gotcha!”This could be why I don’t get invited to parties. According to science, Yggdrasil, honoured… Continue reading Which Tree is Yggdrasil?
Making Bonsai from Your Bareroot Trees
Somerset Bonsai Society is our absolute favourite Bonsai Society in Somerset. We love them so much that whenever they visit us, we treat them to a bin bag of damaged reject plants covered in mud And local bonsai enthusiasts ingeniously turn these trees, which had been destined for the compost heap, into beautiful bonsai. Young… Continue reading Making Bonsai from Your Bareroot Trees
Tree Hugging Ineffective, Studies Show
Despite organising Britain’s largest tree hug, Coventrians are unable to prevent 26 big old trees getting the final chop-chop In the largest scientific study of its kind, Coventry demonstrated that when the council is out to build you some roads, a tree hug isn’t going to change that, even a really big one. Coventry Council are… Continue reading Tree Hugging Ineffective, Studies Show
Surrey Schoolkids Publish Tree Book
“The Thousand Year Tree,” a book featuring children’s artwork from Surrey, was published after a year-long project by Lucy Reynolds and Katie Hickey. Funded by Defra’s Access for All fund, it aims to raise awareness about the conservation of mature trees. Educational Outreach The Surrey Hills Society took Weyfield Primary Academy students to Newlands Corner… Continue reading Surrey Schoolkids Publish Tree Book
Forestry Commission Agroforestry Tree Species Guide
Agroforestry is primarily practised by farmers, but elements are increasingly applied to homesteads and large gardens If agroforestry is new to you, one really should start with ART – Agroforestry Research Trust. Agro-forestry means cultivating trees with other agricultural crops and/or livestock, in the same field. The trees are grown in lanes an appropriate distance… Continue reading Forestry Commission Agroforestry Tree Species Guide