September 2015 – Gardeners Tips

Common Larch – Root and Branch Review

September 30, 2015 hortoris

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.

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Hawthorn – Root and Branch Review

September 29, 2015 hortoris

The Hawthorn flowers in May hence one of its common names. Gnarled old trunks give testimony to the Hawthorn’s ability to survive in exposed windy conditions. The thorns help make the tree a good hedging subject.

Key Features of the Hawthorn

Latin name – Crataegus Monogyna other common names May, Quickthorn, Whitethorn or Thornapple
Height – 33 feet-
Type of tree – deciduous
Leaves – deeply lobed glossy green leaves
Flowers – Dense clusters of creamy white borne on shoots
Fruit – Oval red pome (Berry)half inch wide
Bark – Brown with shallow ridges
Family – Rosaceae,

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Veg as Cheap as Chips

September 29, 2015 hortoris

The last of my root vegetables and Leeks are now consumed and a distant gastronomic memory. New baby salad leaves have been available but I do not take enough care to be able to binge on them until later in the season. Rhubarb once again is prolific and abundant so that I and the neighbours are enjoying the fruit of my labours literally.

The early potatoes that I tried in the cold greenhouse are full of growth, above the soil at least, so I look forward to my own new spuds fairly shortly. The majority of the Earlies or Second earlies have been grown in pots or tubs rather than the ground and I am interested to see how they crop. I have heard good reports of growing Carrots in large pots to avoid pests and get long straight roots but I have just put my new seed in a new bed so that idea will have to wait for next year.

My Tomato plants are starting to go out into the greenhouse now they are six inches high but I need to watch for frost with my fleece at the ready. If you want more information on Vegetable Growing month by month the book will cost less than a fiver from Amazon.

Quinine Tree- Root and Branch Review

September 28, 2015 hortoris

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.

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Hazel – Root and Branch Review

September 27, 2015 hortoris

waiting for photo – if you have a suitable image let us know

Corylus are large shrubs or trees that produce nuts. The common ‘hazel’ is native to the UK and is often found in old hedge rows.

Key Features of the Hazel

Latin name – Corylus avellana
Height – up to 40 feet
Type of tree – Deciduous
Leaves – Green, round and double toothed
Flowers – Male long catkins female small bud like with red stigma on same tree.
Fruit – Nut surrounded by husk
Bark – Silver-grey to pale brown
Family – Corylaceae related to beech

Origins and Distribution of the Hazel

Found throughout Europe and North Africa.
Thrives in woodland and hedges.

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Indian Bean Tree – Root and Branch Review

September 25, 2015 hortoris

Some trees are named to confuse. The Indian Bean Tree is not from India and it doesn’t grow beans. As a native of north America it is named for a North American native Indian tribe. The seeds are produced in long bean like pods.

Key Features of the Indian Bean Tree

Latin name – Catalpa bignonioides other common names Catalpa, Cigar tree or Catawba
Height – up to 60 feet
Type of tree – Deciduous
Leaves – Bright green heart-shaped leaves taper to a sharp point.
Flowers – Trumpet shaped 2″ long white and yellow flowers in panicles
Fruit – Pendulous and numerous seed pods
Bark – Orange to pink-brown and scaly
Family – Bignoniaceae

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Linden Tree Common Lime -Root and Branch

September 24, 2015 hortoris

The Lime is a tall growing well shaped tree which is often grown along avenues and public places in the UK. The flowers have an exquisite fragrance.

Key Features of the Common Lime

Latin name – Tilia Europaea, other common names Linden tree or Basswood
Height – Can grow over 150 feet tall one of the UK’s tallest trees
Type of tree – deciduous – dictoyledons
Leaves – Thin, green and heart shaped with a tapering tip and fine teeth. Lighter green underneath
Flowers – Highly scented pale yellow-green with green bracts at the base. Flower in clusters
Fruit – Woody round drupe covered with grey-brown hairs dispersed on the wind by wings.
Bark – Grey with shallow fissures when mature
Family -Tiliaceae

Origins and Distribution of the Common Lime

The tree is widely cultivated throughout Europe.
Linden trees are now popular in North America.

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Papaya – Root and Branch Review

September 19, 2015 hortoris

The Papaya is a widely grown fruit tree of the tropics. It’s large fleshy fruit contains many seeds but can weigh from 1 pound up to 20 pound on some varieties.

Key Features of the Papaya

Latin name – Carica Papaya – other common names Papaw, or Pawpaw or Mugua
Height – up to 33 feet
Type of tree – evergreen
Leaves – Long deeply lobed dark green and alternate
Flowers – Males and females on separate trees with yellow or pink petals
Fruit – Large, ovoid, fleshy fruit up to 12″ long. Orange or pink flesh surrounding multiple soft black seeds
Bark – Light brown with leaf scars
Family – The only member of the Carica genus

Origins and Distribution of the Papaya

Widely grown throughout the tropics.
Originally native to Mexico and central America.

Uses and Attributes of the Papaya

The fruit contains many vitimins and trace chemicals. The latex and leaves can be made into drinks and there are many medical uses for the Papaya.
Ripe fruit with sweet, yellow or pink flesh make a traditional tropical breakfast.
The raw fruit and the leaves contain an enzyme, papain, that is used to tenderise meat.
Green unripe Papaya are used in several folk remedies and for both contraception and abortion.
The bark can be used to make rope.

Gardeners Tips for the Papaya

Another tree to leave for the hotter (and wetter) climates.

Other Types of Papaya

There are many varieties available. Some have small pear shaped fruit others have large round heavy pawpaws.
One type has sweet, red and the other has yellow flesh not surprisingly called “red papaya” and “yellow papaw”, respectively. Either kind, picked green, is called a “green papaya.”
Large-fruited, red-fleshed varieties include ‘Maradol’, ‘Sunrise’, and ‘Caribbean Red’.
There are a growing number of genetically modified species including ‘SunUp’ and ‘Rainbow’,
Generally Hawaiian variety are smaller and pear-shaped, while Caribbean and Asian papayas are long and large.
Confusion exists with the Custard Apple family of Asimina triloba and Asimina tetramera, commonly known as the four-petal pawpaw in some countries.

Papaya comments from elsewhere

‘Deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like consistency, it is no wonder the papaya was reputably called the “fruit of the angels” by Christopher Columbus. Once considered quite exotic, they can now be found in markets throughout the year. Although there is a slight seasonal peak in early summer and fall, papaya trees produce fruit year round’. for more on health benefits .

Credits
Papaya by enbodenumer CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
papaya by mars! CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Papaya by mwanasimba CC BY-SA 2.0

Hornbeam – Root and Branch Review

September 18, 2015 hortoris

The name Hornbeam derives from ‘hard tree’ a reference to the property of the extremely tough wood.

Key Features of the Hornbeam

Latin name Carpinus Betulus other common names Ironwood, American hornbeam, blue-beech, or musclewood
Height up to 80 feet spread useful for hedges
Type of tree – Deciduous – dictoyledons
Leaves – Dark green, oval, double toothed with ridges.
Flowers Male and female catkins on the same tree
Fruit Ribbed nut held in a three leaved bract
Bark Silver grey and smooth
Family Corylaceae related to Birch and Hazels

Origins and Distribution of the Hornbeam

Found in Europe and China.
Other species are also found in America.

Uses and Commercial Attributes of Hornbeam

Traditionally the hard white wood was used for Ox yokes, tools, butchers blocks and mill cogs.
Can be coppiced for charcoal production.
Chess peices and piano actions can be made from Hornbeam

Gardeners Tips for the Hornbeam

Makes a good stout hedge and retains leaves through autumn.
Hornbeam tolerate quite deep shade.
Make good bonsai subjects

Other types of Hornbeam and Species

The Oriental Hornbeam Carpinus orientalis occurs in southeast Europe and southwest Asia
The Japanese Hornbeam Carpinus japonica is similar to Carpinus orientalis
The North American species, American Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana is similar to Carpinus betulus in leaf size and shape.

Hornbeam comments from elsewhere

Hornbeams were once coppiced and pollarded (cut back to promote new growth) on a regular basis in its native woodlands of south and south-east Britain. Epping Forest in Essex, where this practice took place, is now protected and is home to thousands of hornbeams that live alongside oak, beech, birch and holly trees.

One of the reasons Carpinus betulus can live in such close proximity to these large trees is that it is extremely tolerant to shade. However, it prefers a warm climate and does not live above 600 metres, restricting its natural habitat to the more southerly parts of Britain. Kew Gardens

Read about our series on British tree reviews with a bakers dozen fact sheets

Credits
Beneath the hornbeam on a summer afternoon by pcgn7 CC BY-NC 2.0
“Hornbeam with mushrooms by OpenEye CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Hornbeam leaf the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

Quiver Tree – Root and Branch Review

September 17, 2015 hortoris

Key Features of the Quiver Tree

Latin name Aloe Doichotoma other common names Kokerboom
Height up to 30 feet
Type of tree – monocotyledon
Leaves – sharp toothed, narrow pioned blue-green leaves formed in rosettes
Flowers – tiny, bright yellow, nectar filled flowers on 12″ spikes
Fruit – smooth, shiny capsules flowers are edible
Bark – Sharp edged brown scales
Family – Aloaceae

Origins and Distribution of the Quiver Tree

South West Africa and Namibia.
Grows in arid areas of southern Africa.

Uses and Commercial Attributes of the Quiver Tree

The hollowed out branches were used by the San tribe as quivers.
The sharp-edged trunk and leaves make it a favoured tree for weaver birds to nest because it protects from snakes and jackals.

Gardeners Tips for the Quiver Tree

Dichotoma means forked .
The slow growing Quiver Tree with its thick trunk and rounded crown is a distinctive sight.
A position in a hot and dry South African rock garden is best if you want to grow this aloe in a garden.
Like other Aloe the quiver tree is easy to grow from seed given the right conditions.

Other types of Quiver Tree Species

Aloe pillansii, the giant quiver tree, is becoming endangered by over zealous collecting .
Aloe ramosissima, the maiden quiver tree is only found near the Orange river.

Quiver Tree comments from elsewhere

The young flower buds can be eaten and have a similar appearance and taste to asparagus. Sugar birds are drawn to these flowers in winter where they feed on the nectar produced by the flowers. Aloe dichotoma is an extremely tough tree that may reach an age of over 80 years and a height of approximately 7 metres. more from plants Africa
Dr Richard Pearson of the American Museum of Natural History told a conference on global warming that a species had three choices when confronted with climate change: die, adapt or migrate.For the quiver tree, any migration it made would have to come about as a result of seed dispersal via the wind or from droppings from birds or other animals that digested them. read more

Credits
Quiver Tree by hibbijibbies CC BY-ND 2.0
“Midas tree by Paul WatsonCC BY-NC-SA 2.0