| Plant |
Pros |
Cons |
Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aurea’
Golden Ash
 |
Beautiful clear
yellow colour; shapely tree (to 15m); good for summer shade; bare branches
an attractive yellow; clean leaf drop; leaves good for mulch/compost;
tolerant of compacted, deoxygenated soils.
|
Leaves are among
the first to turn and display is short-lived; graft union may become
unsightly.
|
Fraxinus
augustifolia ssp.oxycarpa
Claret
Ash
|
Good clear claret
red colour; leaves good for mulch/compost; fairly clean leaf drop; drought
& compaction tolerant.
|
Can reach 20m and
may be too big for many gardens; sometimes the graft union breaks down
after 20 years or so and the tree goes into decline. |
| Liquidambar styraciflua Liquidambar
|
Handsome pyramidal
tree; attractive maple-like leaves; superb autumn colour of yellow, gold,
red and purple. |
Spiky fruits do
not break down readily and are unpleasant underfoot; aggressive
roots. |
Quercus
palustrus
Pin Oak
|
Orange/red/ brown colour;
leaves excellent for mulch/ compost; spreading summer shade tree; forms
fine avenues; very tough in compacted, water-logged
conditions
|
At 25m too big for most
gardens; leaf drop is not clean & some leaves remain throughout
winter; small round acorns may become missiles when mowing; self-seeds
everywhere. |
Quercus
robur
English Oak
|
Handsome dark
green summer shade tree; decorative acorns; long-lived; leaves good for
mulch/compost.
|
Autumn colour
boring brown; leaf drop does not occur until late in winter and then not a
clean drop; new leaves appear almost immediately; large acorns may be a
problem when mowing; self seeds easily.
|
Platanus
x hybrida
London Plane Tree
|
Regal street/shade
tree; beautiful spotted bark; handsome large lobed leaves; tough and
pollution tolerant.
|
At 25m too big for
most domestic gardens; leaves do not break down readily; causes allergic
reactions in some people; "conkers" may be messy.
|
Acer
palmatum
Japanese Maple
|
Excellent size for
most domestic gardens; non-aggressive root system; excellent leaf colour
from golden orange to shades of red; leaves excellent for mulch/compost;
pretty summer shade tree; some cultivars e.g. ‘Sango Kaku’ have bright red
stems. |
If exposed to hot
afternoon sun the leaves tend to scorch; does not like exposure to strong
wind; needs rich, acid soil and ample moisture.
|
Pistacia
chinensis
Pistachio
|
At 10m a good size
for most gardens; good summer shade; attractive pinnate leaves;
outstanding red/purple autumn colour; drought tolerant. |
May be difficult
to obtain.
|
Betula
pendula
Silver Birch
|
Very attractive
tree; beautiful silvery white bark; clear yellow autumn colour; clean leaf
drop, leaves good for mulch/compost; looks very handsome when bare.
|
Does best planted
in groups but this has become something of a design cliche; too erect to
be an excellent shade tree; very tall; needs ample water; resents root
disturbance and soil being heaped on its root run.
|
Lagerstroemia
indica
Crepe Myrtle
|
Perfect size (to 5m) for
average and small gardens; left unpruned it forms an elegant vase shaped
tree; good orange to red autumn colour; clean leaf drop; wonderful
pinkish-brown smooth muscled bark; looks great bare; profuse summer
flowers.
|
Can sucker.
|
Melia azaderach
White
Cedar
|
One of the few native
deciduous trees; attractive glossy bipinnate leaves; good summer shade
(15m tall); clear yellow autumn colour; clean leaf drop; decorative yellow
berries remain on bare branches; masses of scented pale lavender flowers
in spring; drought tolerant. |
Highly poisonous in all its
parts; may grow much larger in ideal conditions.
|
