There is nothing quite as uplifting as a branch of cherry blossom silhouetted against a blue spring sky. Japanese cherry blossom trees, known in Japan as sakura, are among the most beautiful of all of the blossom-bearing trees.

The Japanese celebrate the arrival of the cherry blossom every year with a blossom festival, known as sakura matsuri. Every year many make pilgrimages to see these iconic trees, planted in famous temple gardens or besides ancient castles, and picnic beneath them to view their blossom – a tradition known as hanami.

The idea of hanami is now catching on in the UK – this year, the National Trust’s #BlossomWatch day is on 23 April 2022, and the public will be asked to share pictures of beautiful blossoms on social media.

Jump to

• • Where to plant a cherry blossom tree
  • When to plant a cherry blossom tree
  • How to prune a cherry blossom tree
  • The best cherry blossom trees
  • Where to see cherry blossom trees

Cherry blossom trees: how to grow

Where to plant a cherry blossom tree

Plant your cherry blossom tree in a sheltered, sunny spot. Be sure to check the height and spread.

When to plant a cherry blossom tree

Container-grown cherry blossom trees can be planted all year round, although spring and autumn are best as the soil is warm and moist. You’re likely to find container-grown trees at garden centres in the spring. Bare root trees (which are often cheaper) need to be planted during the dormant season, from November to March. These are available from specialist tree nurseries and online.

How to prune a cherry blossom tree

Cherry blossom trees do not need pruning, but you can cut out crossing or dead branches in spring or summer, when the tree is less likely to suffer from silver leaf disease or canker.

The best cherry blossom trees

Plant expert Val Bourne selects some favourites from the collection at Batsford Arboretum, with details on how to buy cherry blossom trees.

Prunus ‘Pink Shell’

A small, elegant cherry blossom tree with spreading branches that dangle cup-shaped, pale pink, shell-shaped flowers. The blooms turn paler as they age, and as they are single, they are highly attractive to early pollinators. The attractive pale-green, serrated foliage appears at the same time as the flowers and turns beautiful shades of orange before falling in autumn.

From a seedling of uncertain origins, Prunus ‘Pink Shell’ is one of the loveliest cherries and is widely sold. It’s an ideal tree for a lawn or front garden. 4m. RHS H6, USDA 6a-9b.

Prunus ‘Tai-haku’

The blossom of this great white cherry looks fabulous when held erect against bronze-green, new leaves. It was reintroduced to Japan by British cherry tree expert Collingwood Ingram. 6m. AGM (Award of Garden Merit). RHS H6, USDA 6a-9b.

Buy Prunus ‘Tai-haku’ from Primrose

Buy Prunus ‘Tai-haku’ through the RHS

Buy Prunus ‘Tai-haku’ from Crocus

Prunus x yedoensis

Widely planted in Japan, this cherry blossom tree is short but wide spreading on poorer soil, but it can grow much larger if given better conditions. It has spectacular, almond-scented, blush-pink flowers. 8m. USDA 8a-9a.

Buy Prunus x yedoensis from Primrose

Buy Prunus x yedoensis from Crocus

Prunus ‘Shogetsu’

This spreading cherry blossom tree, which is wider than it is tall, flowers later than most. Its light-pink buds, which open to white flowers, are sometimes likened to little ballerinas. Also sometimes known as ‘Oky-Miyako’. 4m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 6a-9b.

Buy Prunus ‘Shogetsu’ from Primrose

Buy Prunus ‘Shogetsu’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Gyoiko’

Its name, which translates as the imperial yellow costume, refers to the delicate, creamy-white colour of its blossom, which resembles the greenish-yellow court robes worn in the emperor’s palace. The cherry tree flowers are also touched with cerise and green so it’s sometimes sold as ‘Tricolor’. Introduced in 1914, it’s similar to the larger-flowered ‘Ukon’. 6m.

Buy Prunus ‘Gyoiko’ through the RHS

Prunus sargentii

A large, early flowering cherry blossom tree with substantial, single pink flowers that appear in March as new foliage opens to bronze. Good autumn colour follows, when the leaves turn maroon-red. It’s named after the American botanist Charles Sprague Sargent.
12m. USDA 4a-7b.

Buy Prunus sargentii from Primrose

Buy Prunus sargentii from Crocus

Buy Prunus sargentii through the RHS

Prunus incisa ‘Fujimae’

A large, slow-growing shrub or very small cherry blossom tree that is smothered with pale-pink buds that open to white in early spring. Colours up to orange in autumn and could be grown in a container. 3m. AGM. RHS H6.

Buy Prunus incisa ‘Fujimae’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Fudan-zakura’

A small tree that, unlike most Japanese cherries, doesn’t blaze with lots of flowers at the same time. Instead between November and April, a succession of pink buds appear, which develop into blush-white flowers. 8m.

Buy Prunus ‘Fudan-zakura’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Umineko’

This stunning white cross between P. speciosa and P. incisa, was bred by the British cherry blossom tree expert Collingwood Ingram in 1928. The April flowers are pure-white on an upright tree, and its name translates as seagull. 8m.

Buy Prunus ‘Umineko’ from Primrose

Buy Prunus ‘Umineko’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Kiki-shidare-zakura’

Fully double, pink cherry blossom appears as the new leaves break on branches that cascade downwards to form an umbrella. The green foliage also has attractive bright-red stems. 3m. USDA 3a-8b.

Buy Prunus ‘Kiki-shidare-zakura’ from Primrose

Buy Prunus ‘Kiki-shidare-zakura’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Pink Perfection’

Raised in 1935 at Waterers nursery in Surrey, and thought to be a hybrid seedling of ‘Shogetsu’ and ‘Kwanzan’. Its rose-pink, very double flowers last longer than most, beginning in early May. 5m. AGM. RHS H6.

Buy Prunus ‘Pink Perfection’ from Primrose

Buy Prunus ‘Pink Perfection’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Hokusai’

This pink cherry blossom has a hint of apricot to its flowers. A vigorous, spreading tree, smothered in large, semi-double, pale-pink flowers that show up well against brownish-bronze leaves. 8m. AGM. RHS H6

Buy Prunus ‘Hokusai’ from Primrose

Buy Prunus ‘Hokusai’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Edo-zakura’

This April-flowering cherry blossom tree has been grown in Japan since the the 17th century; its name is the former name for Tokyo. It is the best known of the pink frilly cherries with an inner tier of petals that is almost white. 5-6m.

Prunus ‘Kiku-shidare-zakura’

Its flowers open slowly and peak in May, offering densely packed, soft-pink petals. The name means chrysanthemum cherry and is a tree the cherry expert Collingwood Ingram found to be ‘slow and stubborn’. 3m.

Buy Prunus ‘Kiku-shidare-zakura’ through the RHS

Buy Prunus ‘Kiku-shidare-zakura’ from Primrose

Prunus ‘Horinji’

Its name refers to an ancient Buddhist temple in Kyoto. The soft-pink, semi-double cherry blossom flowers are held in purplish buds so the neatly arranged flowers on this small, upright tree have a unique two-tone effect. 5m.

Buy Prunus ‘Horinji’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Shosar’

This strong fastigiate cherry blossom tree – a cross between a P. incisa x P. campanulata hybrid and P. sargentii – was bred by Collingwood ‘Cherry’ Ingram. It bears beautiful pink blossom in early March. 12m. AGM. RHS H6.

Buy Prunus ‘Shosar’ from Primrose

Buy Prunus ‘Shosar’ through the RHS

Prunus ‘Takasago’

‘Takasago’ refers to a song associated with an ancient Japanese card game. The abundant pink cherry blossom tree, held in clusters of three to six flowers, appears in April against young bronzed foliage on a slow-growing tree. 3m.

Buy Prunus ‘Takasago’ from the RHS

Prunus ‘Shirotae’

A vigorous, strong cherry blossom tree with an unmistakable flat-topped, spreading habit and pure-white, semi-double, fragrant flowers. It’s one of the earliest cherry trees to flower in spring.

As the blooms fade, the pale green, long-toothed leaves emerge. These become darker as they age over the summer, then produce a vivid orange and red display in the autumn before falling. Prunus ‘Shirotae’ is a good choice for a medium-sized garden or a Japanese-style garden. It looks good grown as a specimen tree in a lawn.

10m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 6a-9b.

Where to see cherry blossom trees

Batsford Arboretum, near Moreton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds, holds an extensive Plant Heritage collection of Japanese cherry blossom trees. These are planted in an oriental setting complete with an authentic Japanese rest house and a traditional bridge. Japanese cherry trees have been planted at Batsford since the 1960s, so the garden boasts a large collection displayed to perfection on the south-facing slope. Most cherry blossom trees flower in April, when many magnolias are out too, making for a stunning display.

Batsford Arboretum, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9QB.

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Pruning wisteria can be daunting prospect but it’s not as tricky as you might think. Pruning is essential for wisteria, not only to keep the plant’s growth in check but also to keep it flowering abundantly.

Wisteria is a vigorous plant that will produce lots of long, whippy shoots, which, if left uncontrolled, can dislodge roof tiles, clog gutters and creep into attics. Even worse, they won’t produce any flowers.

If you follow a strict regime for wisteria pruning twice a year, you will be rewarded with showy pendant racemes of fragrant flowers.

Read our in-depth guide to growing wisteria, including 20 stunning varieties to grow.

Jump to

• How to prune wisteria
• When to prune wisteria
• Pruning wisteria in summer
• Pruning wisteria in winter
• How to prune overgrown wisteria

Pruning wisteria

When to prune wisteria

Wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year, in winter (January or February) and summer (July or August). Pruning in winter keeps it tidy for the season ahead and means that the flowers will not be hidden by the leaves. Pruning wisteria in summer controls the plant’s size and ensures that it will produce plenty of flower buds.

How to prune wisteria

Pruning wisteria in summer

• Tie in any stems that are needed to fill in gaps against the wall, or to extend the plant over a pergola.
• Cut back all the rest of the stems to about 30cm from the point from which they have grown. This lets the sun into the plant to ripen the young stems – important for future flower-bud production.

Pruning wisteria in winter

• The following January or February, shorten the stems that you pruned in the summer to about 5cm from the old wood. Doing this will create short, stumpy shoots known as spurs.

How to prune overgrown wisteria

February is also the best time to prune an overgrown wisteria. You can remove branches that are growing away from the wall or over a window or remove old, woody branches from mature plants. Saw these off just above a young, vigorous branch or shoot. If the branch is very long, remove it in sections. Aim for a framework of well spaced branches; you may need to train in new growth during the summer to fill in any gaps.

The glow of a fire pit or wood burner is a welcome sight during the winter months. The flickering flames, the cracking and popping of burning bark and the delightful smell of woodsmoke all help to forget the gloomy darkness outside. To help you prepare for the months ahead, we’ve picked the best wood for burning and give tips for stacking your log pile and building the perfect fire. For more, head to our piece on the best tools to chop kindling. and don’t miss our round up of the best log stores.

Here’s our guide to the best wood for wood burners

The best wood for wood burners

Ash

Ash tree wood produces a steady flame in fires with a good heat and burns well even when green. It will burn successfully on its own, so does not need to be burned in a mix of different species. Perfect wood for a wood burning stove or wood burner too. Traditionally said to be the best wood for burning.

Oak

Oak is the slowest wood to season, at approximately 2.5cm a year and ideally should be seasoned for a minimum of two years. Because of its density, it is a wood that’s slow to burn as firewood and is best used in a mix of faster-burning logs. This wood can help to keep the fire burning at night if required.

Birch

Birch makes excellent firewood for burning on a wood burner, stove or in an open fire. This wood produces a good heat, although it burns relatively quickly, so in a fire, it’s best to use it in a mix of slower-burning woods, such as elm or oak. Birch will burn unseasoned although the sap can cause a build up of deposits in the flue. The bark can be peeled off and used as a natural firelighter for wood or log burners.

Beech

Beech is a superb wood for burning, although it has a high water content so needs to be dried well; ideally, it should be seasoned for three years before use. It does not need to be burned in a mix and can be burned in a wood burning stove too.

Cherry

Cherry wood burns slowly with a good heat output in a fire or wood burning stove and gives off a lovely aroma. The logs need to be well seasoned, although strips of the bark can also be used as natural firelighters for your log burner or fire.

Sycamore

Sycamore burns well in a fire when seasoned with a moderate heat output. It seasons very quickly, usually within just one year and is one of the best woods for burning. This tree can be burned on a wood burner, stove or open fire as necessary.

How to stack firewood

• Keep your wood and logs as dry as possible
  The trick here is to do everything you can to keep them from getting wet or damp. Wet or damp logs will either never burn or will produce excess smoke that will line and clog your flue or – worse – escape into your room. Covering your stack of logs outside with a simple hard cover – a panel of wood propped up at both ends – will keep the rain off and still allow air to circulate around them and dry them out.
• Never stack your logs on the ground
  Your firewood needs constant air circulation to stay dry and combustable. An old wooden pallet makes an ideal base – something with plenty of gaps to keep that air moving.
• Make sure your wood burning logs are under cover
  But open on at least one side. This is particularly important if you use polythene to cover your logs as they need to breathe to avoid sweating. If you’re keeping them indoors you may want to invest in a log holder or similar indoor storage.
• When building the wood stack
  Stacking wood is like dry stone walling – there’s a knack to it that you just get better at with practice! Start at the outer edge, with a supporting wall or structure, and work inwards. Work on keeping the logs level – ie of consistent size side by side, or at least filling in the gaps with smaller logs as you go – and avoid any sloping in or out. Corners can be created with one layer being laid at 90 degrees to the next, similar to the brickwork on the corner of a house.

How to make a fire in your wood burning stove, log burner or open fire

Make sure your logs are dry and fully seasoned before you bring them indoors and use a good mix of species, as they will burn at different rates. Having a plentiful supply of components to hand is essential, especially on a cold, wet night. Keep a basket full of kindling wood close to the fire so that it’s ready for use at a moment’s notice.

And we’ve all wanted a real fire but haven’t bothered building one as we’ve not the time or can’t bear the trouble. Why not build your fire when you have a spare moment then it’ll be ready to go in an instant whenever you need it?

Here are our tips for how to light a fire.

• Soft flammable foundations
  Start with a good layer of loosely rolled balls of newspaper. Don’t toss on sheets. Scrumple each individually. That way the air can get in around them. Go for as fibrous a paper as possible – i.e. uncoated non-glossy newspaper. Avoid weekend supplements as many seem to be almost fireproof…
• Add a generous handful of kindling
  It’s easy to skimp here. You need A LOT in order to be able to toss on a leisurely larger log later. Skimp on the kindling – dry small splinters of wood to get the fire going – and you’ll be doing more tending than enjoying. Start with small pieces first and larger pieces last. Don’t lay them horizontally. Try to stack the pieces vertically on end – like a tee-pee – and don’t pack them too tightly.
• Finish with the logs
  If your burner or fireplace is big enough go ahead and add the first of your logs too. The first to go on should be smaller in size, ending with the largest on top. Your goal is to create a bed of embers that’ll hot enough to ignite larger logs as you add them one by one. Time your tending right and you’ll keep a fire going all night without needing to fuss around it.
• Light the paper and enjoy!
  Place a match (or lighter etc) to the paper in as many places as you can for maximum chance that at least one ignition point will take a hold. If you’ve followed the instructions above then your fire roar into life after a minute or two. Don’t get impatient and disturb your pile or you’ll allow the built up heat to escape. Give it your stack a blow or two at the base if you’re seeing burning edges but no flames and it’ll soon burst into life. Good luck!

Crab apple trees have a lot to offer. The perfect trees for small gardens, crab apples are compact and inject colour and interest into the garden all year round. In spring, the trees produce clouds of blossom that can’t fail to lift the spirits, while the fruits and foliage provide rich autumnal colour.

Crab apple trees flower even when young, often blooming when two or three years old, so they’re a great choice if you want a tree that performs quickly. The blossom is also invaluable to pollinators. There are many cultivars that are suited to cooking – especially to make crab apple jelly – so in all, they are versatile little trees.

Jump to

• What is a crab apple?
• When to prune crab apple trees
• The best crab apple trees to buy for blossom, foliage and fruit
• Where to see crab apple trees

Here are the reasons to grow crab apple trees

Everything you need to know about crab apple tree

What is a crab apple?

Few of the crab apples we grow in gardens are descended from our native crab apple tree (Malus sylvestris); most are derived from one or more of the 40 other wild species that grow in the temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North America. They make large shrubs or small trees, flowering prolifically, colourfully and often fragrantly in white, pink or purple in spring or early summer. Those with red flower buds opening to white flowers are the most dramatic in flower.

The autumn crop of colourful crab apple fruits often lasts well into the winter, as birds seem to leave them until last. Crab apple fruits can be small, some little more than 10mm across, but a few are as large as 5cm and weigh down the branches impressively. They can be yellow, golden, orange, scarlet, crimson red or dark purple; the yellow and orange fruits may be overlaid with pink or red.

Don’t miss our crab apple jelly recipe

Crab apples are self fertile, which means they don’t need another tree nearby to pollinate them. In fact, one crab apple tree can serve as pollinator for a wide range of culinary apple varieties nearby. They have a longer flowering season than culinary apples – and produce up to ten times as much pollen – so if you have at least one crab apple tree, neither you nor your neighbours need worry about the pollination of culinary apples.

When to prune crab apple trees

Crab apple trees need little or no pruning but dead, diseased or crossing branches can be removed in winter.

The best crab apple trees to buy for blossom, foliage and fruit

Malus ‘John Downie’

Discovered in Staffordshire in 1875, Malus ‘John Downie’ is considered one of the finest of crab apples. In spring, pale pink buds open to white flowers, which are much loved by pollinators. These are followed by striking oval orange-red fruits. In autumn, the leaves turn fiery shades of yellow and orange before falling. Its upright narrow habit, which becomes more conical with age, makes it a useful tree for a small or urban garden.

Grow Malus ‘John Downie’ in a sunny, sheltered spot for the best results. Height 10m.

Malus Sugar Tyme (=‘Sutyzam’)

The pale-pink buds of Malus Sugar Tyme (=’Sutyzam’) open to white flowers. The glossy red crab apple fruits are small but make an impressive display among autumn leaves. Noted for its excellent resistance to scab, this crab apple tree copes well with other diseases too. Height 6m.

Buy Malus Sugar Tyme now from Ornamental Trees

Malus ‘Sun Rival’

Malus ‘Sun Rival’ is by far the best weeping crab apple – the branches sometimes sweep the ground. It has deep red buds that fade to pink then open to white, pink-tinted blossoms. It bears bright red fruits in autumn. Height 4m. AGM.

Malus x atrosanguinea ‘Gorgeous’

Malus x atrosanguinea ‘Gorgeous’ has lightly blushed white flowers, given a starry look by narrow petals. These are followed by deep-red, sometimes orange-tinted crab apple fruits that persist for months on the tree. They make unusually good crab apple jelly. Height 5m. AGM.

Buy Malus x atrosanguinea ‘Gorgeous’ crab apple tree from Primrose

Malus ‘Evereste’

Malus ‘Evereste’ is a great choice for any garden as it looks good almost all year round. In spring, the scarlet flower buds fade to pink before opening into a flurry of unusually large, white flowers. Once pollinated, these then turn into to yellowish-orange fruits with a red flush that last on the tree well into winter. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow and bronze before falling, giving an additional season of interest. Originally marketed as a patio crab apple thanks its upright, conical shape, Malus ‘Evereste’ is an excellent tree for a small garden. Height 7m. AGM.

Malus ‘Butterball’

Malus ‘Butterball’ is a spreading crab apple tree with an appealing, slightly pendulous habit, especially when in fruit. Pink buds open to blushed-white flowers. The golden-yellow fruits that follow develop reddish tints on the tops or sides wherever they are not shaded. Height 4m. AGM.

Malus ‘Comtesse de Paris’

The white flowers of Malus ‘Comtesse de Paris’ are followed by slightly pointed, golden-yellow fruits that last well into winter. This crab apple is more balanced in shape than the similar ‘Golden Hornet’ and more resistant to scab. Height 4m. AGM.

Buy Malus ‘Comtesse de Paris’ now from Crocus

Malus ‘Adirondack’

Often sold as ‘Admiration’, Malus ‘Arindonack’ is valuable in small spaces, thanks to its upright habit. Deep, carmine-pink buds open to clusters of pure white flowers followed by pinkish-red fruits. An excellent crab apple pollinator. Height 5.5m. AGM.

Buy Malus ‘Arindonack’ now from Crocus

Malus x zumi ‘Professor Sprenger’

The pink flower buds of Malus x zumi ‘Professor Sprenger’ fade to blush before opening white. The scented flowers on this crab apple are followed by amber fruits that deepen to orange. This crab apple also benefits from yellow autumn foliage and exceptional disease resistance. Height 6m.

Buy Malus x zumi ‘Professor Sprenger’ now from Pippin Trees

Malus ‘Wisley Crab’

The rich, purplish-pink flowers of Malus ‘Wisley Crab’, dark towards the centre of each petal, open against the purple-tinted green foliage. These are followed by purplish-red fruit, which are red inside and the size of a small eating apple. Height 3m.

Buy Malus ‘Wisley Crab’ now from Keepers Nursery

Malus ‘Indian Magic’

Malus ‘Indian Magic’ is a broadly spreading but upright crab apple tree with deep-pink flowers that open from even darker buds. Later small, rather elongated orange fruits become red and last well into winter. Disease resistance is good. Height 5m. AGM.

Buy Malus ‘Indian Magic’ now from Crocus

Malus x robusta ‘Red Sentinel’

Malus x robusta ‘Red Sentinel’ has fragrant white spring flowers that open from pale pink buds. Large, glossy, deep-red fruits follow and last almost until spring. It also has yellow autumn leaf colour and impressive disease resistance. Height 8m. AGM.

Buy Malus x robusta from Primrose

Malus ‘Harry Baker’

The huge purplish-pink flowers of Malus ‘Harry Baker’ open against purple foliage that fades to green, followed by ruby-red fruits. The tree was named for a fruit foreman at RHS Garden Wisley. It has good disease resistance and makes a superb crab apple jelly. Height 5m. AGM.

Buy Malus ‘Harry Baker’ now from Pippin Trees

Malus toringo ‘Scarlett’

As well as offering pink spring flowers and long-lasting purple fruits, Malus toringo ‘Scarlett’ also provides leaves that are purple as they unfurl then mature to fiery orange and yellow in autumn. This crab apple’s slightly weeping growth only adds to the appeal. Height 4m. AGM.

Buy Malus toringo ‘Scarlett’ now from Crocus

Where to see crab apple trees

National Collection holders:

Brogdale Collections
Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Road, Faversham, Kent ME13 8XZ.
Tel 01795 536250, brogdalecollections.co.uk

Christabella Charitable Trust
Barnards Farm, Brentwood Road, West Horndon, Essex CM13 3LX.
Tel 01277 811262, barnardsfarm.eu

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre
The University of Manchester, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 9DL.
Tel 01477 571766, jodrellbank.net

The trees growing in British hedgerows are often the most common. If you grew up in the countryside, you will no doubt be familiar with the old wives tales associated to the hawthorn bush and the joy of moulding hazel twigs into trusty, but harmless, weapons. Here, Lia Leendertz explains how you can identify the much-loved rowan, hawthorn and crab apple trees throughout the seasons and lists key features of each.

Sorbus aucuparia – Rowan

The rowan tree lives a double life. Due to its extreme hardiness and its tolerance of tough conditions, rowan is found higher up mountainsides than any other tree except the silver birch, and is often called the mountain ash because of this. But it is also one of the most domesticated of trees, often planted well away from its wilder habitat. It frequents gardens in towns and in the countryside, where it never gets too big for its bounds and its neat habit, pretty spring blossom and autumn display of lipstick-red berries can be appreciated up close. This association of homes and rowans is not purely ornamental, however, and harks back to a belief that the rowan has protective qualities. It has long been widely planted near doorways as protection against witches and other bad spirits.

1. Bark

   The bark is smooth, shiny and grey. Winter twigs are grey and young trees have hairy buds.
   

   © Jason Ingram

2. Leaves

   The leaves comprise between six and eight pairs of leaflets, and bear a similarity to ash leaves. Each individual leaflet has a serrated edge.
   

   © Jason Ingram

3. Flowers

   Creamy-white heads of five-petalled flowers appear in April and May. They have an unpleasant smell, but are attractive to insects.
   

4. Berries

   Heavy bunches of beautiful, bright-red, shiny berries are produced in September and October. Each individual berry bears a tiny star. Birds, especially waxwings, love to feast on the berries.
   

   © Jason Ingram

5. Silhouette

   A graceful and open-canopied tree, neat, round-headed and open in stature. It grows to a maximum of around 15m and can live for as long as 200 years.
   

Malus sylvestris – Crab apple

One of the prettiest small trees there is, the crab apple is more often seen in gardens than it is in the wild. Its compact size and two distinct seasons of interest make it suitable for small gardens: in spring it is covered in big white and pink blossom, and in autumn it bears beautiful miniature apples that can hang on the tree for months. However, it can still be found in relics of old oak woodlands and in sheltered spots on the edges of forests, as well as in hedgerows. It is an ancestor of the cultivated apple and can live for up to 100 years, becoming ever more gnarled and twisted as it ages. Lichens cover the branches of older trees and the crab apple is one of the few plants that plays host to mistletoe, so you may see evergreen bunches of this Christmas favourite in the branches once the leaves have fallen.

1. Bark

   The rough, flecked, grey-brown bark cracks as it ages, the trunk grows gnarled and twisted, and the twigs can develop spines.
   

2. Leaves

   Mid-green leaves are round to oval, with serrated edges and a pointed tip that leans to one side. They are borne alternately along the branch.
   

3. Flowers

   The beautiful, simple, open blossom appears around April. The pink buds open to pure-white, five-petalled flowers with pink backs to the petals. It has a sweet scent that is attractive to insects.
   

4. Crab apples

   Round, green, cherry-sized apples are produced in September and slowly ripen to yellow by around October. They are a good source of winter food for birds.
   

5. Silhouette

   The crab apple grows to around 10m in height and has a wide, rounded, spreading canopy that is often open and irregular. It grows craggy, twisted and characterful with age.
   

Crataegus monogyna – Hawthorn

Hawthorn is one of the most common plants in the English countryside, and is most often seen as a hedge around permanent pasture. This is because it has been the principal plant of field enclosure since Tudor times, its dense, spiny growth making a perfect stock-proof hedge. It has several common names – hawthorn, quickthorn, whitethorn and May – the latter after the month in which it produces frothy white flowers, one of the spectacles of the natural year. It is also seen as a gnarled and characterful small tree, particularly in more remote areas. Leaves and flowers are sometimes added to salads, and the berries are used in jam making and to create syrup rich in vitamin C. There are many superstitions around hawthorn, and bringing branches into the house is associated with illness and death.

1. Bark

   Very young stems have a reddish colour turning red-brown, with thorns protruding below the leaf joints and sometimes at the tips of the shoots. Older bark is brown, fissured and cracked.
   

2. Leaves

   The small, bright-green leaves are as broad as they are long and deeply lobed, cut at least halfway to the central leaf rib. They turn buttery yellow in autumn.
   

3. Flowers 

   Small, white, five-petalled flowers appear after the leaves in May (an easy way to distinguish hawthorn from blackthorn). They have a strong and not particularly pleasant scent.
   

4. Berries

   Around October, the dark-red haws mature in clusters. They are loved by birds, particularly in the later part of winter.
   

5. Silhouette

   Most often grown as a thick hedge, but in remote spots it can be seen as a gnarled and twisted small tree with a spreading, uneven canopy.
   

Don’t miss The best wood for burning

The mysteries of pruning can seem so daunting that nothing ever gets pruned. This, though, is not necessarily a bad thing: more damage can be done to shrubs and trees by pruning them badly than by leaving well alone. But pruning correctly can have a dramatic impact on the beauty and health of a plant. Fearful gardeners often take refuge in stories one hears about there being no difference between randomly pruning with the brute force of hedge trimmers and pruning slowly and carefully in the correct way. This may be true for a few plants, but in order for the vast majority to thrive they must be pruned correctly.

For more on pruning

• How to prune roses
• How to prune climbing plants
• How to prune apple and pear trees
• How to prune buddleja
• How to prune hedges

The first step in overcoming our fear of pruning is to understand why a particular tree or shrub needs to be pruned. The most obvious reason might appear to be simply to control the size and shape of a plant: after all, both simple hedges and extravagant topiary need regular tidying, or they become leggy and misshapen. Another reason is to remove damage caused by weather or disease. If you’re looking for advice on pruning tools, here’s our pruning tools round up. 

What is pruning?

Why do we prune?

Understanding how plants grow and develop, and the effects on plants of cutting into a stem, is important for successful pruning. Many gardeners have an aversion to the science of plant growth, but, when it comes to where and how to prune, a little bit of botany goes a long way. The buds at the tip of tree and shrub stems – the apical buds – produce growth-restricting hormones (known as auxins) that are sent back through the stem to buds lower down. Auxins inhibit the development of these buds into further stems that would overcrowd and compete with the dominant apical bud. Removing this stem allows the lower set of buds to form into stems. These new stems will, in turn, produce auxins to inhibit the lower buds.

It is easy to understand this process when you consider a yew hedge. Anyone who has planted a yew, or any other hedge, knows that, until the hedge reaches the height you want, it is thin and straggly. The moment you cut the leading stems the rest of the hedge begins to sprout new shoots and will quickly thicken out. The yew is trying to grow into a large tree, but the constant clipping prevents it from forming a trunk, and encourages shoots to form lower down the hedge. These principles are the same for all trees and shrubs that are pruned.

Make the pruning cut correctly

For all shrubs that have individual stems pruned the cut is the same.

Make a clean cut just above a bud, at an angle sloping away from it. Do not leave too long a stem above the bud (far right – 1) as this will rot and allow disease to get into the rest of the healthy stem. Making a flat cut (2) means that moisture does not run off the cut, again causing rot. Cutting too low (3) robs the bud of part of its food source. A snag from blunt secateurs (4) provides a home for pests and diseases. Cutting towards the bud (5) channels rainwater into it. The best cut is a sharp angle with a clean edge just above the bud (6).

The best pruning tools

• The best tools for pruning
• The 12 best secateurs to buy for 2022
• Best pruning saws for cutting in the garden
• Best telescopic pruners: 8 options for those hard to reach spots
• Best loppers for garden pruning jobs

Pruning old wood or new growth

The most common reason to prune is to increase the flower and fruit production of trees, shrubs and even perennials. It is this aspect of pruning that seems complicated and leads to most anxiety: some plants flower on this year’s growth, others on old wood; some plants flower early in the year, others much later. All need different pruning regimes. But don’t be put off. Begin by learning about the plants you grow. You don’t need to know how to prune, say, Edgeworthia if the only shrubs in your garden are buddleias. Remember, though, that not all species of the same genus are pruned in the same way.

When to prune

The correct time of year to prune varies from plant to plant. Pruning at the wrong time will not kill a plant, although continually doing so might weaken or damage it. In general, the worst time to prune is immediately after new shoots appear in early spring. Removing new shoots limits the amount of energy a plant can generate to produce more growth. Also avoid removing shoots in early autumn, as this may encourage late growth, which will be unable to withstand winter weather. These are principles, not rules. Sometimes pruning at the ‘wrong’ time is unavoidable. If a shrub becomes damaged by wind,  by the dogs chasing pigeons, or by an inattentive builder, it is best to prune out the damaged stems immediately.

Don’t rush pruning

It is easy to get carried away when pruning and to end up cutting more than necessary. Cutting back a plant often has a dramatic effect and this can generate an enthusiasm that is hard to control. Pruning isn’t piece work: take it slowly. Savour the moment and contemplate how much good you’re doing to the plant and how much better the garden will be for it. If you begin to feel an adrenalin-rush it is probably time to stand back and reflect on whether what you are doing is really necessary.

Leave some jobs to the professionals

Dealing with large trees, or anything that involves a chainsaw, is a skilled and dangerous job. For tree work it’s better to call in the big boys.

Read our features on coppicing

Dogwood

Foxglove tree

Hazel

In this extract of her book The Joyful Environmentalist; How to Practise Without Preaching Isabel Losada suggests that, as well as feeding bird with bird feeders, we could be choosing trees and shrubs with the birds in mind. Here Isabel provides a list of which berry bearing plants are loved by which birds.

The best trees and shrubs to plant for birds

Berberis vulgaris (Barberry)

• Buy seeds now from Agroforestry Research Trust (£2.50).

If you plant barberry (Berberis vulgaris), which is a deciduous shrub with amazing bright-red berries, then in winter you will have food for many birds including thrushes, fieldfares and redwings.

Cotoneaster frigidus (Cotoneaster)

• Buy now from Primrose (£84.99).

Put cotoneaster (Cotoneaster frigidus) in your garden somewhere and its flowers will attract bees. It is used as a larval food plant for five different types of moth (and moths, of course, feed bats) and the bright-red winter berries are food for thrushes and waxwings. You could even make a hedge from this wonderful plant. Why put up a fence when you could have a cotoneaster hedge?

Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn)

• Buy now from Suttons (£3.99).

The common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is one of the favourites of Proust.  For Marcel the sight of a hawthorn in flower in May was so unbearably beautiful that he was sometimes forced to look away. Hawthorn also has an amazing perfume which Proust describes as having the ‘bitter-sweet fragrance of almonds’. Hawthorn grows slowly in glorious white bushes and can also grow up into trees with wonderful gnarled trunks.

As well as having all these wonders, the red berries in winter provide food for starlings, finches, crows, blue tits, thrushes and waxwings. And it’s cheap too. I bought four small Hawthorn plants yesterday for £6.95. I hope you’re as excited as I am. I mean really – for joyfully looking after the planet by planting hawthorn may be something small, but if you’re a hungry thrush in the snow it could be life or death.

More on shrubs

• Hebe: how to grow, when to prune and which to plant
• Shrubs with colourful winter stems
• Evergreen shrubs for sun, shade and how to prune them
• 26 of the best flowering shrubs

Hedera helix (Ivy)

• Buy now from Crocus (£5.99).

There are many different kinds of ivy. One that is called Hede-ra helix or sometimes European ivy (if you’re that way inclined polit-ically) or English ivy (if you’re more politically inclined that way) or – if you want to avoid politics altogether – you can just call it ivy. Hedera helix is the posh name for the common variety that many gar-deners pull down because it can be difficult to eradicate and it crowds out other plants where it is established. However, it has black berries in autumn and winter that are food for wood pigeons, collared doves, waxwings, thrushes, jays, starlings and finches.

Ilex aquifolium (Common holly)

Mistle thrushes love the holly berries and you can save money at Christmas by just bringing a branch or two into the house. I had a holly tree at my old house and even though the leaves were prickly, I still miss it. Strange how you can miss a tree. It is important to remember, that if you want your holly to produce berries, then you need a female plant in your garden and also a male plant in your garden or nearby.

Lonicera (Honeysuckle)

• Buy now from Crocus (£24.99).

Honeysuckle (Lonicera) seems to have all sorts of benefits for a garden. There are many different types and they are all glorious with highly perfumed flowers. They are easy to grow, pretty much indestructible, and not prone to pests or diseases. If anything, the only problem with them is that you have to keep an eye on them and cut them back occasionally. Otherwise if you turn your back they will have doubled in size.

Of the many different types, Lonicera periclymenum has red autumn berries that are food for (how’s this for a list?) robins, blackbirds, song thrushes, garden warblers, tits, crows, finches and waxwings.

Pyracantha coccinea (Pyracantha)

If you live in an area where you have security concerns to the point where you or someone else has had to put up barbed wire to keep out intruders, you could consider getting rid of it and planting pyracantha. This plant has thorns that are so lethal that the old gardeners where I currently live (my garden is communal) refused to cut it back or go anywhere near it, as they said that they were not insured. If someone were to fall on this plant it would do just as much or more damage than it would if someone fell onto barbed wire.

In many ways it’s not what you’d call a ‘nice’ plant. But it produces abundant vivid-orange fruit in autumn and winter and the wood pigeons and thrushes just love it. I often watch the wood pigeons eating the berries and wonder how it is that they don’t spear themselves on the thorns. But they never do.

This plant should be so well known that any self-respecting burglar would take one look at it and say, ‘Forget it – they have pyracantha.’

Sambucus racemosa (Red-berried elder)

• Buy now from Jacksons Nurseries (£11.99).

Also known as red elderberry, this plant is good if your ground is very wet because it thrives in those conditions. The stems, roots and leaves are poisonous for humans but butterflies love the flowers while waxwings and thrushes eat the autumn fruits.

Sorbus aria (Whitebeam)

• Buy now from Ashridge Trees (from £3.54).

Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) is native to southern England, so if you live in southern England this is a good choice as we’re all supposed to be planting native plants. According to the Woodland Trust, it’s also widely planted in the north of England.

In the north-west they call the berries ‘chess apples’ and humans can eat them when they are nearly rotten. The flowers are food for pollinators, the leaves home to at least four species of moth, and the scarlet berries, which ripen in late summer and early autumn, are food for wood pigeons, fieldfares, redwings, blackbirds and mistle thrushes.

Rowan  (Sorbus acuparia)

And finally – if you live at high altitude or up a mountain, there’s the beloved rowan. (Sorbus family) It’s native in the Highlands of Scotland but is so much loved that it’s also planted just because it’s beautiful. The leaves are eaten by caterpillars of moths and the cater-pillars of the apple fruit moth feed on the berries. The blossoms pro-duce food for the pollinators and the berries feed blackbirds, mistle thrushes, redstarts, redwings, song thrushes, fieldfare and waxwing. Rowan is also good for keeping out witches and evil spirits, which, you never know, is a quality that you may welcome.

This is an extract from The Joyful Environmentalist by Isabel Losada, which is out now priced £12.99. Buy it here from Waterstones

In a field in Nottinghamshire, Chris and Sarah Pike have done something surprisingly rare: turned old, local, British cultivars of apples and pears into espaliers, U-cordons, palmette verriers and croisillons. “There isn’t a great tradition of fruit training for fancy forms in Britain,” says Chris. “People have always grown step-overs, fans and espaliers, but that is about the limit. This tradition comes from eastern France and Belgium and trained fruit is still most popular there.”

It was in France that he bought an old French book on the subject, Encyclopédie Des Formes Fruitières by Jacques Beccaletto. “The Versailles gardeners had made every shape imaginable; they were writing ‘Napoleon’ in pear trees.” For pruning, he follows the advice in another classic book, The Lorette System of Pruning.

There is a reason only apple and pear trees are trained in these extravagant ways. “They fruit on old wood,” says Chris, “producing clusters of spurs that are a little like coral: they just build up over the years.”

On elaborately trained espalier fruit trees, the angles need to be sharp and the attention to detail precise, and not just for aesthetic reasons. “You lower the limbs to the horizontal to slow the sap and the plant’s growth. If one limb is slightly more angled towards the vertical than its opposite, or a curve is different, one side can grow more strongly and the plant will become lopsided over time.” For this reason it’s Sarah – a trained florist – who takes care of the actual training. “She’s just better at it,” says Chris.

An espalier fruit tree takes a minimum three years to train. “The central stem and top level will naturally be stronger and often take over. Many older trees are left as a T-shape.”

How to espalier fruit trees

Step 1

Chris bud-grafts his chosen variety on to a dwarfing rootstock in winter, and then the growth is tied into a cane as it grows.

Step 2

In August it is cut back to the required height: 35cm from the ground for a step-over, 50cm for most other shapes. After 15cm of re-growth, Chris cuts the tree back to the exact same point again. This creates a cluster of buds on one point of the stem which will then all grow at the same level, and makes it easy to select two branches to train horizontally, or at 45 degrees for a Belgian fence. Once these buds turn into shoots, Chris or Sarah selects the best-placed ones and starts tying down. A central stem can be selected from the cluster to carry the  shape on upwards. The double cutting back helps to keep this central point in balance with the rest of the limbs, and prevent it from drawing too much energy.

Step 3

Growth is tied into the frame every 10cm during the crucial early stages of training, and is only ever left to grow free for 15cm before tying in.

Step 4

When to prune espalier fruit trees

The Lorette System of Pruning book advises pruning in the second week of August. At this time, shortening days send a signal to the plant not to put on further growth, and all energy goes into making fruit buds instead. Cut earlier than this and you risk encouraging new shoots in places you don’t want them; later and the buds have less time to swell.

“We also cut back new shoots twice, as Lorette advocates, which adds another year on to the process but helps create a cluster of shoots in one small area,” says Chris. “This allows you to select two shoots to train from almost exactly the same point of the stem.”

Got a freestanding apple or pear tree? Read our expert advice on pruning apple and pear trees.

How to prune espalier fruit trees

• The horizontal stems will produce side shoots that should be cut back to about the third or fourth leaf above the main stem. It is these short stems that will become the spurs where fruit is produced.
• During the winter, when the plant is dormant, reduce to about 5cm any shoots that have grown since the summer pruning. After a few years the spurs will become congested, so thin them during the winter, starting with any shoots that are growing into the wall, facing downwards or pushing against another shoot. 

Other trained fruit tree shapes

Double U-cordon

This shape takes a minimum of three years to form. “This is a good shape because you are breaking the vertical plane twice, each time halving the sap and slowing the whole tree down,” says Chris. “There is less chance of one limb taking over, or of the whole thing going out of control.”

U-cordon

Two or three years for this espalier. “A brilliant, simple shape. Great planted either side of a path and grown over to make a free-standing arch.”

Palmette verrier

Minimum three years. “Here again the central stem is broken so it’s a lovely, easily managed espalier shape once it is set.”

Belgian fence or croisillon

Minimum two years. “Plant a series of these in different cultivars to make a living fence. Where they cross they often form a natural graft.”

Paulownias or foxglove trees – including Paulownia tomentosa, Paulownia fortunei and Paulownia kawakamii – are impressive, beautiful trees with purple, scented, foxglove-like flowers in late spring. In their native China they are prized for their wood.

Foxglove trees are fast growers that can reach up to 26m tall if left unpruned, so are only suitable for very large gardens and estates. They are often coppiced to keep them at a manageable size, and to encourage the giant leaves that go with the post-pruning growth spurt, although this will sacrifice flowers.

How to grow a foxglove tree

Where to grow a foxglove tree

Paulownia makes an exotic impact in a border, as a backdrop to delicate summer perennials or if coppiced, combined with other bold foliage plants for a dramatic or jungle effect. Grow it in full sun or dappled shade in a sheltered spot. It will grow in most moist, well drained soils. Protect young trees from frost.

Coppicing a foxglove tree

Coppicing a foxglove tree will mean that it produces leaves that are 60cm across, on shoots that are 2.5m tall. Bear in mind that forcing the tree to continually produce new fruits will sacrifice the flowers, which only grow on mature trees.

Paulownias can be coppiced late in the spring. If you plan to coppice a mature tree, check it doesn’t have a tree preservation order, and ask an approved arboriculturist to do the initial pruning.

Tackle the pruning in stages.

• First remove the outer branches with a small pruning saw to get access to the main stems. Cut larger stems using a jump cut to remove cleanly. A jump cut is actually three cuts. With the first two – upwards halfway from beneath, then downwards – remove the bulk of the stem, except for a short stub; the third cut removes this remaining stub.
• Work your way down to the base of the plant, leaving a clean, smooth stool no more than 10cm above the ground.
• Mulch straight after coppicing and use a liquid foliar feed through the first growing season.

By the season’s end it will have produced a lush set of new leaves. A coppiced Paulownia grows as broad as it is tall, so allow 3-4m for it to grow.

Read our piece on why you should coppice.

Before cutting, this Paulownia kawakamii is 3m wide and 4m high. Previous coppicing has increased the size of the leaves, encouraging the branches to grow outwards, in search of light.

An apple or pear tree is a beautiful addition to a garden – not only does it give beautiful blossom in spring, but it gives a wonderful harvest of apples and pears, many varieties of which are never available in the shops. There is an apple tree to suit every garden, as they are grown on varying rootstocks which control their ultimate size. You can even choose a variety that is local to your area.

To get tasty, easy-to-harvest fruits, established apple and pear trees need to be pruned properly. The principle behind pruning established apple and pear trees is to encourage the replacement of old growth with new, healthy shoots.

Use a lopper or pruning saw to prune your trees; for smaller branches you could use a folding pruning saw.

More on growing apples 

Tips on growing apples from Gravetye Manor

Raymond Blanc’s favourite apples

Training apple trees

The best crab apples

When to prune apple trees and pear trees

Apple and pear trees should be pruned during the winter, when they are leafless and dormant. In general, pears grow from older wood than apples and so should be pruned much more lightly. Trained apple trees such as cordons, fans, espaliers and stepovers should be pruned in summer.

Pruning apple trees and pear trees

How to prune apple trees and pear trees

Looking at where flowers on apple and pear trees appear along a stem will tell you whether your tree is a tip or spur-bearing cultivar.

On most apple and pear trees, the fruit grows from short woody shoots known as spurs.

A few apple tree cultivars are ‘tip bearers’, that is to say the fruit grows from the tips of two or three-year-old shoots.

Occasionally, as with the apple ‘Discovery’ fruit grows on the apple tree from both spurs and tips.

Pruning apple trees and pear trees that are spur-bearers

• Shorten each leader branch (the main branches that are growing outwards and upwards) on the apple tree by about a third of the previous year’s growth.
• Cut just above a bud that is pointing in the direction you want the stem to grow in.
• Leaf and stem buds are smaller and thinner than fruiting buds. Cut back any young side shoots to three or four buds and, finally, completely remove any vigorous shoots that are growing vertically.

Pruning tip-bearing apple trees and pear trees

• Cut each leader and side shoot back to the first bud to encourage more shoots for the following year.
• Do not prune back shoots that are shorter than 40cm.

Pruning overgrown apple trees and pear trees

Apple and pear trees that have been ignored and not pruned can be rescued and will quickly start producing fruit again. Wait until the end of winter – late January or early February.

• Begin by removing any branches that are dead, split, cracked or in any way damaged.
• Then remove any branches that are crossing towards the centre of the tree.
• If the tree is congested in the centre, remove enough of the branches to let light and air into the middle of the tree.
• Finally, thin out groups of spurs by cutting them right back to the branch, leaving about 25cm between spurs.

All of this will be a shock to the tree, so do not prune it at all the following year.

Removing large branches from apple and pear trees

• The weight of large apple and pear branches will make them tear into the trunk, damaging the tree, if you try to remove them in a single cut. Do the job in two stages.
• Make a cut about a third of the way through the underside of the branch you are removing, about 25cm from the apple tree trunk.
• Follow this with a second cut from the top of the branch, adjacent to the first cut, but further away from the trunk.
• Be careful when the branch falls away – they are always far heavier than they appear.
• You can then saw off the remaining stump.
• If there is a swollen ‘collar’ where the stump joins the apple or pear tree trunk, saw close to the outer edge of this collar.
• If there is no collar, cut parallel to the trunk, following the line of the trunk.
• In both cases you should make a single, clean cut. Within a few months the wound made by the cut will callous over.

In the past ‘wound dressings’ were painted on to the wood exposed by cutting to stop it drying out and protect it from insects and diseases. You can still buy these products but they are unnecessary – in fact, they could even seal in any disease that is on the cut. A healthy apple or pear tree should be able to heal wounds itself. I have never used any wound paints and have never had a problem with diseased wounds.