Tree of the Month - August
The National Pinetum at Bedgebury in Kent is now home to more than 200 Champion Trees for Britain and Ireland; the great majority of these are youthful examples of rare species and cultivars which weren't big enough to measure even a decade ago.
Among the many conifers which still get sold as suitable for planting in small suburban gardens, one that performs particularly well in the conditions at Bedgebury is the common Leylandii (X Cuprocyparis or X Hesperotropsis leylandii 'Haggerston Grey'). The tallest, planted in the 1930's in the shelter of Cypress Valley, has now notched up a remarkable 39.3 m, the height of a 15 storey tower block, and is still growing taller. Maybe not the best choice for your front garden hedge after all.
Owen Johnson MBE VMM
(Photo: Owen Johnson)