How to pick the perfect tree for your garden

Did you know that some trees (such as alder, poplar, willow, ash and the dawn redwood) can “hold their breath” when the ground in which they grow is flooded? Or that others, such as the silver lime (Tilia tomentosa), have evolved ingenious ways of conserving their water supply when confronted with extreme heat and drought, including covering their leaves with a layer of fine hairs to keep them cool in sunny weather?

Similarly, would it surprise you to learn that some trees, including evergreen species such as yew, holly and box, are far more shade-tolerant than others? This useful characteristic allows them to grow in the shady understorey beneath taller deciduous species by concentrating their growth during times of year when those deciduous trees aren’t in leaf. Other species can modify their growth according to how much light their branches receive, thus maximising their ability to harvest solar energy wherever they can. The thickness of the waxy cuticle on a beech tree’s leaves, for example, will vary greatly depending on whether those leaves are growing in deep shade (thin) or full sun (thick), while the branches growing in shade will also be elongated, and with a much more sparse leaf canopy.

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Did you also know that some pioneering tree species have a magical ability to convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a more accessible form, allowing them to grow in very harsh terrain? Examples include the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia); sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides); and Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolia). Tree species also vary in their ability to tolerate air, soil and light pollution, all of which can increasingly