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Large Trees and Shrubs
Over the last 15 years, I have spent a great deal of time curating a group of plants that are high impact and low intervention. Of course, they do require a tidy up from time to time, but give a great deal of 'bang' for their 'buck'. Once your design is built by a trusted landscaper, I like to return and provide you with a Planting Quotation for the final stage of your garden creation. Below you will find photographs and details of some of the favourite plants that I like to use to help you to navigate and complement your Planting Quotation.
A-Z
Acacia dealbata
An evergreen tree, with finely divided grey-green leaves and fragrant yellow flowerheads, borne in terminal clusters.
Acer palmatum 'Jordan'
A small, slow-growing, upright tree.. The fan-like foliage has 11 short lobes, opens pale orange in spring, turns lime green for summer and orange-red in autumn. Tiny, purple-red flowers in spring are followed by conspicuous, red, winged fruit held above the foliage in late summer
Acer palmatum 'Burgundy Lace'
A medium-sized deciduous shrub of spreading growth. Leaves light red-purple in spring, later deeper, divided to base into seven narrow, strongly toothed lobes.
Acer palmatum 'Dissectum'
A slow-growing shrub of broadly arching habit, with deep purple, lobed and finely toothed leaves turning orange in autumn.
Acer palmatum 'Enkan'
A small, upright, slow-growing tree ultimately to about 2m tall and 1.5m across. The wine-red leaves have five long, narrow, smooth-edged leaflets, and turn bright red in autumn. Inconspicuous green flowers in spring are followed by red and green, winged fruit in autumn.
Acer palmatum 'Ko To No Ito'
A lovely slow growing Japanese Maple. The trailing, bright green leaves comprise 5 to 7 long, narrow lobes that taper to a point and turn orange-yellow in the autumn.
Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'
Incredible coral-red young branches that bear 5-lobed leaves which open pinkish-yellow, becoming green in summer and yellow in autumn.
Acer palmatum 'Seiryu'
A medium-sized deciduous shrub of broadly columnar growth, with light green leaves, the lobes deeply incised; autumn colour orange, yellow and red.
Acer palmatum 'Starfish'
Small, upright, deciduous shrubby tree about 2m tall, with palmate, reddish-purple leaves deeply divided into narrow, slightly curved, toothed lobes, resembling the shape of a starfish, the leaves turning bright red in autumn. Inconspicuous, purple-red flowers in spring are followed by winged, red-flushed fruits.
Amelanchier canadensis
A large deciduous shrub or small tree of open habit, with oval, green-bronze leaves when young which turn shades of orange and red in autumn. Clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers are produced in spring followed by dark purple to black berries.
Aralia elata
A large deciduous shrub or small open tree with very large bipinnate leaves at the tips of stout, spiny stems. Flowers tiny, cream, in large billowy panicles.
Betula utilis 'Jacquemontii'
A lovely deciduous tree with brilliant white bark on the trunk and larger branches; ovate leaves turn yellow in autumn; yellow-brown male catkins to 12cm long open in early spring.
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
An elegant medium-sized deciduous tree, with paired, broadly heart-shaped leaves to 10cm in length, bronze-tinted when young, and turning yellow, orange and pink in autumn, when they smell of burnt sugar.
Cercis 'Forest Pansy'
A large deciduous shrub or small, often multi-stemmed, tree. Leaves to 12cm in width, broadly heart-shaped, deep red-purple turning shades of orange, bronze and red-purple in autumn. Small, bright-pink flowers appear in clusters on bare stems before the leaves in spring.
Cornus kousa 'China Girl'
A large shrub or small tree, vigorous and very free-flowering from a young age. Dark green, oval leaves turn red and orange in autumn. Small clusters of tiny, greenish flowers appear in summer surrounded by large, showy, white bracts and are followed by fleshy, deep pink fruit.
Cotinus coggygria 'Grace'
A vigorous shrub with rounded, rich purple leaves to 10cm long, turning reddish in autumn, and large feathery deep pink plumes. Can be cut back to base to encourage greater foliage size and to reduce legginess.
Cotinus 'Royal Purple'
A bushy large deciduous shrub to 5m, with rounded, deep purple leaves becoming redder in autumn. Large feathery, pink inflorescences in summer. Can be cut back to base to encourage greater foliage size and to reduce legginess.
Elaeagnus 'Quicksilver'
A large, deciduous shrub with silvery shoots, silvery ovate leaves and small, fragrant creamy-yellow flowers from silvery buds in summer.
Eucalyptus 'French Blue'
A new variety of dwarf Eucalyptus with evergreen foliage which is silvery blue, with younger foliage being rounder in shape. The leaves have the classic aroma of Eucalyptus.
Hoheria sexstylosa
An evergreen upright tree or shrub, with glossy green, narrowly-ovate and sharply-toothed leaves. From mid to late summer, fragrant, star-shaped, five-petalled white flowers are borne in dense clusters.
Liquidambar styraciflua
A broad-crowned medium-sized deciduous tree with five-lobed, maple-like leaves which turn to dramatic deep red in the autumn.
Magnolia grandiflora
A large, rounded evergreen shrub or tree with glossy dark green, leathery, oblong-elliptic leaves, often rusty-brown beneath, and highly fragrant, cup-shaped, cream flowers to 25cm across in late summer and autumn.
Magnolia stellata
A slow-growing medium-sized deciduous shrub of broadly rounded habit. Leaves narrowly obovate. Flowers white, to 10cm in width, with up to 18 narrowly oblong, spreading white tepals, in early spring.
Malus 'Red Sentinel'
A medium-sized deciduous tree with single white flowers 3cm in width, followed by clusters of cherry-like, glossy, deep red fruits 2.5cm in width, which persist well into winter.
Olea europaea
A rugged, much-branched habit and slow growth. Leaves are narrowly obovate or oval, to 7.5cm long, leathery, silvery beneath. Very small white flowers are borne in racemes to 5cm long. Fruit rarely produced in Britain!
Osmanthus burkwoodii
A dense, slow-growing, large evergreen shrub of rounded habit, to 3m, with dark green, ovate leaves 2.5-5cm in length and clusters of small, highly-scented white flowers, occasionally followed by a few black fruits.
Phyllostachys aureocaulis
An evergreen bamboo with pale, golden-yellow canes to 5m or more, reddish when young, sometimes striped with green near the base, bearing lance-shaped mid-green leaves.
Pittosporum 'Silver Queen'
A large evergreen shrub with rounded greyish-green leaves narrowly margined with creamy-white. Can be lightly clipped over to form a denser shape if required.
Prunus cerasifera 'Nigra'
A medium-sized, round-headed deciduous tree with deep blackish-purple leaves and twigs. Single, pale pink flowers open from deep pink buds before the leaves.
Pyrus 'Chanticleer'
A narrowly conical medium-sized deciduous tree with glossy dark green ovate leaves, usually colouring well in autumn. Abundant clusters of white flowers followed by small inedible brown fruits.
Rhamnus alaternus 'Argenteovariegata
A large, bushy evergreen shrub, with small, leathery, ovate leaves greyish-green with creamy-white margins. Inconspicuous yellow flowers followed by small berries, red turning black.
Sambucus 'Black Lace'
A deciduous shrub with very deeply dissected purplish-black foliage from spring to autumn, giving a distinctive lacy effect. Flat umbels of tiny pinkish flowers are borne abundantly in summer and have the characteristic grape scent of elder flowers. Purple-black berries may follow.
Sorbus commixta 'Embley'
An erect medium-sized deciduous tree with pinnate leaves composed of up to 17 lance-shaped, finely pointed leaflets turning bright red and orange in autumn. Flowers creamy-white; fruits glossy scarlet.
Sorbus 'Kirsten Pink'
A medium-sized deciduous tree with pinnate leaves composed of up to 17 lance-shaped, finely pointed leaflets turning bright red and orange in autumn. Flowers creamy-white; fruits pale pink borne in large clusters.
Syringa 'Katherine Havemeyer'
An upright medium-sized deciduous shrub becoming spreading with age, with mid-green, heart-shaped leaves and compact panicles of fragrant, double, lavender-purple flowers which fade to lilac-pink.
Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'
A strong-growing large deciduous shrub of upright growth, with dark green, ovate leaves and clusters of scented, light pink and white trumpet shaped flowers opening from autumn to spring, from red buds.
Viburnum 'Kilimanjaro'
A pyramidal shrub with spreading, layered branches clothed in tapered, deeply-veined dark green leaves which turn red-purple in autumn. Dense spherical white flowerheads, produced in abundance during late spring, age to pale pink and are followed by masses of deep red berries maturing to black. Additional flowers are borne in late summer. Winner of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year in 2015.
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