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Tree Trivia
Discover here some of the interesting facts about trees and their links to Plymouth. There are plenty more in the book 'Plymouth's Favourite Trees'.
Interesting things about trees
A tree trunk will expand its girth by approximately one inch for every year of its life providing a quick way of estimating a tree's age. If you know where the tree with the largest trunk is in Plymouth, please email us the details.Apple pips do not necessarily produce the same apples as the original tree. The Bramley apple is the most famous example of a new variety coming from planting pips. Why not try this with your family?Buying a real christmas tree grown in a pot makes good ecological sense. You can use it many times over and it looks and smells great!The Common Lime provides honey bees with nectar from its flowers in July. Sometimes a whole tree can be heard "buzzing" as bees do their work. The fruit of a Hawthorn is called a haw. Haws provide winter food for many birds.The London Plane is often used for inner city planting because its shiny leaves are easily washed clean by rain preventing damage by traffic fumes.
Local history
A milestone on Greenbank Road has carved into it: “The way to the old tree”. Plymouth’s oldest public park is Devonport Park which opened in 1858. Its newest park is Astor Park.Southway Wood is less than sixty years old and was open farmland until about 1950. When the new A38 was built, the cutting between Saltram House and Hardwick Wood lowered the water table so that several trees died from drought.
Names and places
Plympton was named from the Old English for ‘farmstead of the plum tree’. Opposite from Plympton is Crab Tree which shows how much the local economy once depended on fruit growing.The Fitzroya tree is named after Captain Fitzroy who was the captain of HMS Beagle during Darwin’s famous voyage of discovery. The Beagle sailed from Plymouth in 1831.The tree species ”Winter’s Bark” is named after one of Sir Francis Drake's captains on his circumnavigation. After terrible storms, Captain Winter had to turn back to England. In South America he discovered this tree whose beautiful flowers and bark have anti-scurvy properties.
Numbers
There are about 250 trees in Beaumont Park in an area of about 2 hectares.There are just 33 tree species that can be considered native to Britain but an estimated 1500 species grow here today as the result of many introductions since Roman times. Most of them could be grown in the favourable conditions around Plymouth. There are over 200 varieties of apple tree local to Devon, including the Plympton Pippin and Plymouth Cross.
Record breakers
The biggest tree in Britain is a sweet chestnut in Penshurst, Kent, with a girth of 52 feet or 16 metres. The Widey oak has a girth of 23 feet (7.2 metres) but are there other big trees in Plymouth you can tell us about?The tallest tree in Britain is a Douglas fir at Powis Castle, Wales which stands at 201 feet or just over 63 metres tall. Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square is 170 feet tall and the Devonport column is 124 feet tall. We are looking for trees in Plymouth that are taller than these. The title of the oldest tree in Britain goes to a yew tree at Fortingall in Scotland, which is estimated to be 5000 years old. Plymouth has some yew and oak trees that are over 500 years old but we are still looking for a truly old veteran. The world's oldest living tree is over 9,500 years old! The visible portion of the Norway spruce (the popular christmas tree used to decorate homes every year) discovered in Sweden in 2004 is 4 metres tall and is relatively recent but the root system has been growing continuously since the end of the last ice age. Do you know where Plymouth's oldest living tree is? If so email us and let us know.
Things worth knowing about trees
A dead tree stump is usually alive with insects. These attract birds and other wildlife and can add another dimension to your garden so consider leaving it in place.Some trees roots spread further underground than the branches spread above ground.To plant trees that support insect life choose Oak, Beech, Ash and Hornbeam. For planting in wet or boggy areas choose Alder, Poplar or Willow. If planting for autumn colour try Blue Cedar, Maple, Silver Birch and Rowan.Trees may not survive for long in a pot as their roots become restricted and cannot take up enough water for the growing tree.
Tree biology
No one really knows how water is able to travel to the top of a tall tree from its roots. It is thought to be a combination of osmosis, capillary action and the siphon effect. The sugars made in the leaves during photosynthesis are transported around a tree in conducting tissues that lie directly under the bark.
Tree care tips
A square hole is better than a round one when planting out a pot grown tree. A square hole encourages root growth into the corners and out into the soil whereas a round one encourages the roots to spiral back on themselves and slows growth.Plant a new tree as young as possible as it will establish more quickly than older nursery stock. When planting a new container grown tree, dig a hole at least twice the diameter and half as deep again as the container.When planting saplings, it's usually best to use a stake for support and protection.You should never use a strimmer around the base of a tree. It can damage the bark and kill the tree!
Tree management
In 1947, Britain became the first country in the developed world to introduce statutory protection for trees. Plymouth currently has over 450 Tree Preservation Orders in force.
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