The press have had a field day talking about the reduction in the numbers of bees. It is a problem gardeners can do a bit about but bees are not the only pollinators that need a timely helping hand.

Habitat for Pollinators

• Health and safety are issues for insects just as they are for gardeners. Look after both.
• Often forgotten, but insects need a source of fresh water. A shallow sloping bowl will provide a landing place for safe drinking.
• Insects can be predatory but that is nature. Gardeners need to cater for all life and insects down the food chain to give beneficial insects the best chance of survival.
• Pollen and nectar are key food sources for insects. see below.
• Do not be obsessively tidy, leave places to hide, breed and sleep.
• A log pile, rough grass, bed of nettles, brambles, old plant stems and ivy are worth cultivation ( I mean having but not cultivating)

Health Issues for Pollinators

• Do not use insecticides!
• Do not use herbicides, they will kill off useful plants and chemical residues can alter the natural balance in a garden.
• The aim should be to have a balance with nature allowing all living things a space in the green garden.
• Pollination is less of an issue for the gardener who basically just wants healthy plants that are resistant to attack from all the environment can throw at them. In these cases optimum gardening can come from Integrated Pest Management or IPM.

Food Sources For Pollinators

• Flowers are key to feeding many insects.
• Single flowers where the centre is accessible are great. Asters, daisies, herbs, dahlias, sages and buddleia are known for attracting insects
• Native species of plant and wild flowers are likely to provide appropriate food sources rather than exotic imported or over bred or F1 plants.
• Grow flowers for July and August when nectar and pollen food sources are surprisingly scarce.
• Clover and lawn daisies can be encouraged in a lightly mown lawn.
• Pot plants can add to the food store via cosmos, marigolds, tagetes and toadflax.
• Grow plants that open sequentially up the stem like foxgloves so bees can feed without having to seek out new sources.

Pollinators Other than Bees

• Mites, Ants and creepy crawlies.
• Wind can blow pollen from one plant to another. Just look at the catkin pollen that gets blown around in spring or grass pollen on high pollen count days.
• Moths and butterflies, birds, bats and beetles can often be species specific pollinators. Plants attract the pollinators they need by scent, colour and a range of individual techniques.

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Credits
Pollination Makes The World Go Around
Sympathy Planting and Vegetable Pollination
Grow Seedheads for Wild Life
Pollination of Crocus by Insects
Sarah Raven and Daily Telegraph for some of the food plant ideas.

What is Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. Read more USA gov

Integrated Pest Management books from Amazon

If you want a quick wind break or tall hedge then Leylandii may be the tree for you. If you to annoy the neighbors then this is the tree most likely to cause friction.

Key Features of the Leyland Cypress

• Latin name – Leylandii x Cupressocyparis other common names; Leylandii is a cross between Nootka Cypress and Monterey Cypress
• Height – 130 foot
• Type of tree – Evergreen Conifer
• Leaves – sprays of green scale-like leaves
• Flowers – clusters at tips of leaves yellow male & green female
• Fruit – spherical; brown cones
• Bark – reddish grey with ridges
• Family – Cupressaceae

Origins and Distribution of the Leylandii

• Created in Wales by crossing Nootka Cypress and Monterey Cypress .
• Widely spread throughout the UK by plants grown from cuttings .

Uses and Attributes of the Leylandii

• Used in ornamental hedges and garden dividers.
• Useful as a bird sanctuary for nesting and cover.

Gardeners Tips for the Leylandii

• Rapidly out grows its welcome in many gardens.
• The cause of disputes over hedges and light for neighbors.
• Leyland Cypress needs light but is tolerant of high levels of pollution and salt spray.
• Trees do not transplant well. If the plant you are thinking of buying is pot bound leave it alone

Other types of Leyland Cypress and Cupressus species

• Most of the Cupressus genus have a conical or columnar habit
• There are over 30 forms of Leyland Cyprus arising from open pollination and breeding including Green Spire, Haggerston Grey and Naylor’s Blue.(one of the fast-growing, pyramidal, evergreen tree with scaly blue-green leaves held on flattened branchlet sprays. This vigorous conifer can grow over 100 feet tall, though it usually reaches around 80 feet tall and spreads 15 feet in a garden).
• Cupressus macrocarpa are golden leaved and Cupressus funebris is a weeping form

Leyland Cypress comments from elsewhere

• To avoid brown patches, hedge trimming should be carried out during the growing season and hedges should not be cut into older, leafless growth. Leyland cypress can cause skin irritations..
• Leyland cypress only lives for twenty to twenty-five years. I’ve found that trees left to grow large may have limited root support and are the first to blow down during high winds.

Credits

leyland cypress cones DSCF7563 by hedgerowmobile CC BY-NC 2.0
Leylandii Sky by steve_w, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Rowan or Mountain Ash is a member of the same family as the rose and is part of the large Sorbus genus.

Key Features of the Mountain Ash

• Latin name – Sorbus aucuparia other common names Rowan, Whitebeam trees or European Mountain Ash
• Height – up to 50 feet
• Type of tree – Deciduous
• Leaves – pinnate with terminal leaflet andtwo rows of long, green, serrated, oblong leaflets
• Flowers – large flat-headed clusters in creamy white. scented
• Fruit – orange to red berries half inch diameter
• Bark – smooth silver-grey
• Family – Rosaceae

Origins and Distribution of the Mountain Ash

• At home on high ground.
• Common in the UK and Europe.

Uses and Attributes of the Mountain Ash

• Valued for the Rowans ornamental qualities.
• Berries are great bird food.
• Revered by Druids, Norse and in Greek legend to ward off evil spirits
• Rowan jelly made from the berries is a traditional ‘tart’, accompaniment to game and venison.

Gardeners Tips for the Mountain Ash

• The berries and colourful autumn leaves make this a good and hardy specimen tree.
• Berries can vary in colour depending on the species from white, yellow, red or orange.
• Grows well even in very acid soil but may not live as long on thin chalky soil

Other types of Mountain Ash

• Sorbus is a large genus including hardy trees grown for ornamental qualities that include attractive flowers, ornamental foliage which colour richly in autumn and produce berry like fruit.
• There are 3 sections of Sorbus; Aucuparia sorbus have pinnate leaves with numerous leaflets. Aria section have simple toothed and lobed leaves while Micromeles group are similar to Aria but have deciduous calyces.
• Sorbus aucuparia has 5 sub species and a parent to numerous hybrids.
• Sorbus aucuparia ‘Beissneri’ and Sorbus aucuparia ‘Fastigiata’ have an AGM.

Mountain Ash comments from elsewhere

• ‘The rowan is also prominent in Norse mythology as the tree from which the first woman was made, (the first man being made from the ash tree). It was said to have saved the life of the god Thor by bending over a fast flowing river in the Underworld in which Thor was being swept away, and helping him back to the shore’. Trees for Life.
• In the UK the Rowan is known as a tree associated with witchcraft, protecting people and dwellings.

Credits
Rowan DSCF8583 by hedgerowmobile CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Mountain panorama with rowan by moonlightbulb CC BY 2.0
Lijsterbes by ednl CC BY 2.0

At the root of the Judas tree is an ornamental flowering tree with rich, pink to red, pea shaped flowers in May followed by long pods.

Key Features of the Judas Tree

• Latin name – Cercis siliquastrum aka Flowering Judas or Love Tree
• Height – Ornamental tree up to 35 feet
• Type of tree – Deciduous
• Leaves – Kidney shaped, untoothed, smooth grey-green
• Flowers – Sweet pea-like magenta-pink
• Fruit – Flat brown pods
• Bark – Dark grey with ridges when mature
• Family – Fabaceae

Origins and Distribution of the Judas Tree

• Native to southern Europe, western Asia and possibly originating in Judea hence the name.
• Just about hardy for UK gardens.

Uses and Attributes of the Judas Tree

• Eye catching spring flowering ornamental tree.
• Flowers are edible in salads, fried in batter or pickled as a caper substitute.
• The wood is hard and fine grained making it suitable for veneer work
• A popular tree in parks and ornamental gardens.

Gardeners Tips for the Judas Tree

• The flowers arrive in spring before the leaves and also bloom from old wood and stems.
• Requires full sun and good drainage.
• This leguminous tree has decorative, long, purple pods

Other types of Judas Tree and key species

• Varieties include ‘Afghan Deep Purple’ ‘Bodnant’ and ‘Alba’ – white flowers and Carnea’.
• Other Cercis include Cercis canadensis (Redbud), Cercis chinensis heart shaped leaves and Cercis racemosa drooping flowers.

Judas Tree comments from elsewhere

• Top ten UK garden trees.
• The Judas tree appreciates a warm spot and is a star in May when the leafless branches are adorned with lilac/pink flowers. Grow your own from seeds in February or March.
• According to legend this is the tree on which Judas hanged himself after betraying Jesus. After Judas died the white flowers are said to have turned red with his blood and shame.

Credits
Judas Tree by Vassilis Online CC BY-SA 2.0 ‘Cercis siliquastrum, commonly known as Judas Tree, is a small deciduous tree from Southern Europe and Western Asia which is noted for its prolific display of deep-pink flowers in spring.’
Leaf of Japanese judas tree by Amehare CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Cercis siliquastrum (I) -vainas- (Pods) by .Bambo CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Judas Tree by Ava Babili CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Scots pine is Britain’s only native pine tree and is one of Europe’s most widely spread conifers growing from Spain to Scandinavia. The branches are horizontal in older trees whilst the roots may be deep or spreading.

Key Features of the Scots Pine

• Latin name – Pinus sylvestris other common names Christmas tree
• Height – up to 150 feet over a long life of 250+ years
• Type of tree – Evergreen Conifer
• Leaves – Long blue-grey needle growing in pairs
• Flowers – male yellow in clusters at the base of shoots, female crimson at the end of shoots
• Fruit – slim egg shaped cones, green ripening to brown
• Bark – A tall tree with narrow trunk covered in orange-red to grey brown plates that are cracked and fissured
• Family – Pinaceae

Origins and Distribution of the Scots Pine

• Native to UK and Europe.
• Grows naturally in Scotland where it is a key species and the national tree of Scotland.

Uses and Attributes of the Scots Pine

• The timber is rich in resin and thus resistant to decay.
• Pine is used in building and the long straight trunks were used for mast and ships spars.
• The plant is rich in vitimin C and the berries and leaves were used to ward off scurvy.
• Scots Pine timber is often called ‘Deal’.

Gardeners Tips for the Scots Pine

• A long lived species that can thrive on poor soil.
• Varieties that are suitable for the garden include ‘Aurea’ a smaller slow grower and ‘Nana’ a dwarf bush Scots Pine.
• Scots pine will not reach their optimum size on shallow dry chalky or damp acid soils.
• For the rock garden try Pinus sylvestris Beuvronensis or ‘Watereri’ which may eventually out grow the allotted space.

Other types of Scots Pine

• There are numerous geographical variants some of which are more bushy than the tall single trunk we are familiar with. There are also several dwarf or pigmy species.

Scots Pine comments from elsewhere

• Traditionally used as a Christmas tree it has been usurped by other trees except in the USA where it is still popular.
• Roots of the Scots Pine can develop as deep taproots or as a shallow root system. This means it is very adaptable and can thrive in poor dry soils and at higher elevations.
• Wildlife Friendly Scots Pine The level branches make good nesting places for birds of prey. The bark fissure host lichen and various wood ants. Birds such as the Siskin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Crested tit and Crossbill can feed well around a Scots Pine. In Scotland Red Squirrels are particularly fond of the cones and seeds of this Pine

Credits
Scots Pine Forest by nz_willowherb CC BY-NC 2.0 “National Grid ref NN 328280 “An extensive southerly remnant of the ancient Caledonian Pinewood which once covered much of northern Scotland and is one of only two remaining ancient pinewoods in the Stirling District.”
Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) by anemoneprojectors (2) CC BY-SA 2.0
Scots Pines at the Linn of Dee 4 by spodzone CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Forestry Commission

Larch trees are common in forestry plantations and high ground in the UK. Larch are fast growing and loose there leaves in winter. The wood from Common Larch trees is still used for a range of purposes.

Key Features of the Common Larch

• Latin name – Larix decidua other common names European Larch
• Height – up to 120 feet
• Type of tree – Deciduous Conifer
• Leaves – flat soft needles growing in whorls on side shoots and stems
• Flowers – male yellow, female pink catkins
• Fruit – oval brown cones with straight scales and visible bracts
• Bark – Grey, smooth when young fissuring with age
• Family – Pinaceae

Origins and Distribution of the Common Larch

• Indigenous to hilly regions of Europe.
• Now widely planted in north America.

Uses and Attributes of the Larch

• Rot resistant timber and fast growing plantation tree.
• Railway sleepers, fencing, gates and mine props.
• Supplies turpentine by tapping fully grown trees

Gardeners Tips for Larch

• Used in gardens as an ornamental decidious conifer..
• Leaves/needles are bright green in spring and yellow in autumn.
• Larch will not grow well in shade.

Other types of Larch

• There are about 10 agree species of Larch including, Russian/Siberian Larch, Japanese and Chinese Larch.
• Tamarack Larch or American Larch and several other varieties are now grown in N Amercia.

Larch comments from elsewhere

• ‘In 1885 the Duke of Atholl planted eleven Japanese Larch together and then one with two European Larch nearby. This was near Dunkeld House on his estate. Seed was collected and planted and in 1904 it was noticed that young plants were exceptionally vigorous with paler shoots. The Hybrid Larch is a conifer which first grew in Scotland when two different parent trees, the Japanese Larch and the European Larch, were crossed. The resulting hybrid is a natural tree of the mountains with a straight, tapering conical trunk. Long lower branches spread with a downward tendency with the tips turning up again.’ The Forestry Commission.

Credits
Larch Tree by Duncan Brown (Cradlehall) CC BY-NC 2.0
Larch #1 by radziu CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Larch timber stack by The Heartwood CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Pretty, perfect, pink Dahlias are alliterative with the title of this post. What is more Dahlias are easy to grow and they produce prodigious posies of pickable flowers (enough with the P’s, Dahlias make a big vase-full not a posy.ed.)

Top Ten Dahlia Pointers

1. Plant good clean tubers in a large hole that has been well dug and improved with manure or garden compost.
2. Give each plant plenty of space. Dahlias do not appreciate over crowding.
3. Support your growing plants with a good stake and string frame work. Dahlias get heavy with all the flowering.
4. Water regularly and add soluable fertiliser. Dahlias are gross drinkers and feeders.
5. Pinch out the first early buds to keep the plant growing and not putting early energy into flowering.
6. To get big individual blooms pinch out any side buds and weak side shoots.
7. Pick the blooms regularly and new ones will follow. At worst deadhead promptly and regularly.
8. Plant a range of the many types and varieties – see below.
9. Flowers will continue until the first frost. Cut back when the leaves are frosted to black.
10. Save the best tubers for next year in a frost proof shed. In mild zones they can be left in the ground but I prefer replanting in fresh composted soil for the following year.

Top Dahlia Posts

• Bishop’s Dahlias and Bishop’s Children with Dark Foliage Dahlia library
• Big Brash Dahlias Dahlia library
• Quick Single and Collerette Dahlias Tips Dahlia library
• Red Hot Dahlias Dahlia library
• Cactus Dahlias Flower Until November Dahlia library
• Dahlia History and the Blue Dahlias Dahlia library
• Growing Cactus Dahlia from your Own Seed Dahlia library

Dahlia Propagation

• Dahlias from Tubers - propagating
• Dahlias From Seed – propagating
• Dahlias from Cuttings – propagating

Cactus Dahlia

Credit
Pink dahlias by robynejay mosaic CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The Quinine tree or large shrub has provided medical cures for malaria and fever for 400 years. The ground up bark is the key substance for this and as the additive in tonic water.

Key Features of Quinine Tree

• Latin name – Cinchona calisaya other common names Fever tree, Quina, Jesuits bark
• Height – up to 80 feet
• Type of tree – Evergreen
• Leaves – green shiny elliptic or oblong
• Flowers – Fragrant terminal tubular panicles in white to pink
• Fruit – Ovoid capsule containing winged seeds
• Bark – Grey-brown and special see below
• Family – Rubiaceae,

Origins and Distribution of the Quinine Tree

• Native to South America and Peru.
• Named after Countess of Chinchona who fell ill with malaria in 1638 but was saved by a treatment of bark administered by local indians.
• Peruvians tightly controlled the drug until the tree was established in Java by the British and Dutch.

Uses and Attributes of the Quinine Tree

• The bark contains several alkaloids with medicinal properties. It is used in the prevention and treatment of malaria and various fevers.
• Quinine extract is used to flavour tonic water and makes your gin and tonic something special.

Gardeners Tips for the Quinine Tree

• I wish I could grow my own plant to add to my gin in an evening.
• Cinchona require sub-tropical conditions and are nor suitable for UK gardens.

Other types of Cinchona

• There are a couple of dozen species in the genus varying from small trees to shrubs.

Quinine comments from elsewhere

• Quinine sulphate sounds like a miracle drug according to Henriette’s Herbal it has been used ‘As a stimulating antiseptic it has been used as a wash in very many conditions. In sluggish ulcers and old sores, where there is no activity to the capillary circulation, it may be applied with good results. It is useful in threatened gangrene and in chilblain. It was at one time extensively used as a throat wash in diphtheria, and to its antiseptic character is credited its beneficial influence upon whooping cough, having been much depended on for the cure of that disease.’ more


Quinine and Quarantine: Missouri Medicine Through the Years by Loren Humphrey paperback from Amazon

Credits
IMG_1999.JPG by TEBart CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Quinine tree by VSmithUK CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Gloxinia are showy house and greenhouse plants in a range of bright colours. I have just purchased 3 tubers and hope for different colours. They will brighten up my range of houseplants flowering in about 10 weeks. Until they flower I won’t know so I borrowed this photograph from a specialist nursery.

Tips on Growing Gloxinia

• Tubers or corms may be found under the name Sinningia speciosa or Gloxinia and are part of the Gesneriaceae family that includes African Violets.
• Plant shallowly in good compost with the buds facing upwards, this is usually the concave side like begonias.
• Water the compost with warm water from the bottom to stop the tuber rotting and keep the atmosphere humid without getting the leaves or flowers wet or they will be stained with brown blotches.
• Gloxinia like plenty of bright light without direct burning sun. If the furry leaves elongate it is a sign they need more light. Do not expose to direct mid-day sun as the leaves are liable to become scorched.
• Gloxinia also like a temperature above 60º when in growth but will give flowers for 6-8 weeks in return for your trouble
• Plastic pots are fine but I add some grit or perlite to help avoid water logging.
• Feed with half strength liquide fertiliser
• Use insecticide at the first hint of mealy bugs.

True Gloxinia

• Gloxinia perennis is the best known and true Gloxinia. It is a herb like plant with large, nodding, purple, mint-scented flowers.
• Gloxinia erinoides has tiny white and maroon flowers. This diminutive plant is notable for having tiny but distinctly coconut-scented flowers and is occasionally cultivated as a houseplant.
• Gloxinia xanthophylla The plant is a shrubby herb with small white flowers that is seldom cultivated.
• In future I will try to stick to Sinningia speciosa, as the name for the popular houseplant. It was originally described and introduced to cultivation as Gloxinia speciosa.

Credits
First photo Source.
Gloxinia by joseflickrsfe CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Spotted Gloxinia by EssjayNZ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Gesneriad Society link
“重辦大岩桐 by 澎湖小雲雀 CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Gloxinia from Seed
‘Gloxinia Brocade Double Mixed is a 100% fully double-flowering Gloxinia. Plants are extremely dwarf and compact with small dark green, velvety foliage covered with these lovely double blooms in a range of five colours including purple, red, pink, purple/white bicolour and red/white bicolour. Gloxinia Brocade Double Mixed is a colourful and early flowering houseplant that can be grown under glass or on a windowsill.’ Seed is very fine. Buy from Thompson & Morgan

Leaves are the food factories of trees converting light into food via photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by leaves and converted using chlorophyll and water into carbohydrates or tree food. Oxygen is a bi-product of photosynthesis.
Tree trunks and branches of trees are designed to get the canopy of leaves in a position to receive the optimum amount of light.

Common Leaf Shapes

You Can Tell a Tree By it’s Leaf

• Trees are classified by their leaf in that evergreen trees keep their leaves all year around whilst deciduous trees shed their leaves annually usually in autumn.
• Various leaves are described by their shape. The names created often have some reference to the shape Ovate leaves bear a resemblance to egg shaped and Lanceloate to a lance or spear.
• The bottom half of the leaf where it attaches to the tree twig or branch can also have distinguishing features as shown above.
• Leaf colour varies from yellow to coppery red but the majority of leaves are a form of green.

Leaf Texture and Margin

• This infographic looks at the edge of the leaf or ‘margin’.
• Serrations are known as toothed whilst smooth edges are known as ‘entire’.
• Ciliate leaves have hairs, eye lashes or short spines whilst pectinate has spiky edges
• Texture can be another distinguishing features when trying to identify a tree from its leaves. Rough, leathery, fine, smooth, hairy, glossy, spiky etc each tree leaf has its own characteristic.
• The underside of the leaf may have a different colouring

Other Leaf Issues

• The above infographic includes more leaf shapes but shows how leaves are arranged on a stem.
• Bipinnate has sets of pinnate leaves opposite each other.
• Petiole is the leaves mini stem that attaches a leaf to the node or axil.
• Trifoliate has three leaves at the end of a leaf stalk or petiole
• The size and shape of the leaf can be affected by the position and age of the tree and where the leaf is growing.
• Conifers often have needles which are flat or rounded individual or clustered. Alternatively they may have frondy fern like leaves

Notes
Composted and rotted tree leaves do not have much nutritional value. All the food has been given to the tree.
Composted leaves add humus and improve the texture of your soil.
‘Tree Root and Branch Reviews’ in our category section give some description of individual tree leaves

Credits
The Oxford book of Trees – B E Nicholson & A R Clapham
Hilliers Manual of Trees and Shrubs – H G Hillier
Ultimate Guide to Trees – Jenny Linford
Botany of leaves