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Oregon Grape Seed
Mahonia aquifolium£5.00 inc. VATOregon Grape is a small evergreen shrub with spikey pinnate leaves with 5 to 13 leaflets which often turn red in winter. Its rich yellow flowers open in early spring borne on racemes which are in clusters. The autumn berries are a black-blue colour. Can be grown successfully as a low informal but protective hedge, prune after flowering
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Oregon Maple Seed
Acer macrophylla£8.00 inc. VATOregon Maple is a large, stately tree with domed head. The deciduous leaves are huge, up to 30cm across, incised and lobed, with gold autumn colour. Flowers are lime green in long hanging catkins mid spring. This tree pollards well and makes good smokeless firewood. The sap can be used as a sweetener.
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Pacific Madrona Seed
Arbutus menziesiiPrice range: £5.00 through £11.00 inc. VATPacific madrona is an evergreen tree. It is often multi-stemmed, with rich rust-coloured peeling bark which can be used to make a tea. Silvery green persistent leaves and cream ericaceous-type spring flowers followed by red berries. Grows on coastal sites in Northern California and towards Vancouver, but not far south.
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Paper Birch Seed
Betula papyriferaPrice range: £5.00 through £13.00 inc. VATPaper Birch is a striking medium to large tree with a mahogany papery bark when young, developing into white when the tree matures. Grows into an elegant pyramidal shape, given space. Attractive yellow foliage in the autumn. It was introduced from North America in 1750, the native Americans used the bark, which is very waterproof, for canoes and teepee covers and is sometimes called ‘Canoe Birch’
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Paperbark Maple Seed
Acer griseumPrice range: £6.00 through £20.00 inc. VATPaperbark Maple is a beautiful small tree with three lobed, dark green leaves in summer, turning crimson and scarlet in autumn. The bark peels to appear orange in the sunlight revealing the new cinnamon coloured bark beneath. A perfect tree for a small garden, slow growing and no pruning necessary.
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Peach Seed
Prunus persicaPrice range: £10.00 through £20.00 inc. VATThe peach is a small bushy tree with pale pink single flowers that appear before the leaves in spring. In good years, it gives a spectacular early show of blossom, and is good for very early insects. The flowers can, however be destroyed by late frosts so it is most often planted next to a warm, sheltered wall. The leaves are lanceolate up to 15cm long and 3cm wide. It may produce fruit in autumn but generally a warm long summer is required for them to ripen.
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Pear Seed
Pyrus communis£7.50 inc. VATPear grows into a medium sized tree with quite upright narrow form. It has oval glossy leaves which are often attractive in autumn. In early spring the tree is drowned in white blossom and in autumn it produces sweetish pears. The blossom is great for early insects. Pruning can be carried out if necessary in the winter, but an old unpruned pear tree has a lot of character in a hedgerow or garden.
Main pic courtesy of David Hawgood / Pear tree (Pyrus) in blossom, Kew Gardens CC BY-SA 2.0
Small pic courtesy of Opioła Jerzy (Poland) / CC BY-SA
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Pere David’s Maple Seed
Acer davidii£5.00 inc. VATPere David’s Maple is one of the Snakebark Maples. It grows to be a small deciduous tree or large shrub, often multi-stemmed. Leaves are pointed and have three barely noticeable lobes. Autumn colours can be spectacular orange and yellow. The bark is green with obvious cream and white stripes, better on younger trees. It looks a bit like snake-skin. This tree is a worthwhile addition to a small garden.
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Persian Silk Tree Seed
Albizia julibrissin£8.50 inc. VATPersian Silk Tree is a highly decorative deciduous tree with fine leaves made up of fern-like leaflets. It is often mistaken for Mimosa when not in flower. Exotic pink flowers late summer have long silky stamens, followed by flattened brown/yellow seed pods. Only just hardy outside in the UK, in the south west and on south coast, otherwise it grows best in a conservatory or greenhouse. In Oriental medicine it is used to alleviate depression and as a sedative.
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Pin Oak Seed
Quercus palustrisPrice range: £6.00 through £18.50 inc. VATPin Oak is a large dense headed deciduous tree with slender branches, not as long-lived as English Oak. The leaves are deeply and sharply lobed and turn a rich decorative scarlet in autumn though they are smaller than the Scarlet Oak. Usefully quick growing on poorer soils and clay. Wet soils in winter do not cause problems. The fibrous root system also means they are easy to transplant. Acorns take 2 seasons to form and trees need to be near other Red, Scarlet or Pin oaks for pollination.
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Pocket Handkerchief Tree Seed
Davidia involucrata£20.00 inc. VATThe Pocket Handkerchief or Davidia is a delightfully beautiful tree whose flower-like bracts look like doves or pocket handkerchiefs when flowering in late spring. A medium sized deciduous tree which prefers well drained loamy soils. The oval fruit hang on the tree well into winter, looking like green Christmas tree decorations.
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Portugese Laurel Seed
Prunus lusitanicaPrice range: £5.00 through £10.00 inc. VATA large evergreen shrub or small tree. Dark green leaves with reddish stalks are augmented by small white flowers borne on racemes in early summer. The fruits are small and red gradually turning dark purple. It is tolerant of chalk soils. Can be pruned into shape to make a formal or informal hedge.
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Privet Seed
Ligustrum vulgare£5.00 inc. VATThis Privet forms a medium sized semi evergreen shrub with dark green lance shaped leaves. The small off-white flowers appear in summer and are followed by long clusters of conspicuous round black fruits in the autumn. This should not be confused with the hedging Privet, (Ligustrum ovalifolium), although they can be used for the same purposes.
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Purple Cordyline Seed
Cordyline australis purpureaPrice range: £5.00 through £17.00 inc. VATPurple Cordyline is of great use in pots on patios or in borders to give substance and architectural presence. It is hardy and prefers sun. Keep in a sheltered spot, out of cold winds and keep on the dry side through winter.
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Purple Leaved Mimosa Seed
Acacia baileyana purpureaPrice range: £15.00 through £32.00 inc. VATPurple Leaved Mimosa is a small tree/medium shrub. A bronze leaved version of Golden Mimosa, new growth is grey-purple-pink, contrasting with the very early yellow flowers. Very fine foliage casts only light shade. Needs a sheltered site, or to be grown in a conservatory
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Red / Canadian Maple Seed
Acer rubrum£5.00 inc. VATRed or Canadian Maple is a large deciduous tree with dark green upper leaf surfaces, bluish underneath and red petioles (leaf stalks) It takes on autumn colour of scarlet red early in the season and can be quite outstanding. In spring the flowers appear before the leaves and are pinkish red giving this tree 2 seasons of interest. Needs space to grow and has quite a shallow root run so thrives in a moist soil
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Red / European Dogwood Seed
Cornus sanguinea£5.00 inc. VATThe European Dogwood is a deciduous shrub with red flushed stems that give colour in winter. The leaves give a rich purple autumn colour. Makes a thick, informal barrier, although it can be pruned – taking one third of the branches out at the base each year. This encourages new, red stems to grow from the stool. This is the European version of Cornus alba
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Red Alder Seed
Alnus rubraPrice range: £5.00 through £33.00 inc. VATRed Alder is an extremely fast growing medium sized, large leaved tree which carries male catkins up to 15cm long in the spring. It is a good choice for waterside and pioneer plantings, since it fixes nitrogen from the air into the soil. The bark was used as a source of red dye and of salicylic acid(aspirin)
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Red Barked Dogwood Seed
Cornus alba£6.00 inc. VATRed Barked Dogwood is a well known deciduous shrub growing a thicket of stems up to 3m high. In winter the rich red stems are impressive. The fruits are white or light blue after heads of tiny cream star flowers. Use as an informal hedge or barrier and in the wilder parts of the garden. Tolerant of most soils and very hardy.
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Red Berried Elder Seed
Sambucus racemosa£5.00 inc. VATRed Berried Elder is a large shrub with leaves made up of 5 to 7, toothed leaflets. It bears yellowish white flowers in flat heads in spring which give rise to dense heads of ripening scarlet red berries in summer. This species is often used as a cover plant for game. The flowers attract butterflies and although the fruit is poisonous when raw, it can be eaten when cooked. It can be used as a large informal barrier or hedge.
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Red Leafed Rose Seed
Rosa rubrifolia / glauca£7.00 inc. VATA medium sized deciduous shrub with reddish almost thornless stems. The attractive leaves have a greyish burgundy tinge. The single flowers are pink and give rise to the ovoid dark red hips. Remove some older stems down to soil level in the late autumn or spring to rejuvenate. This shrub makes a good backdrop to any border, especially herbaceous. It arches gracefully, if allowed to making an elegant shape. Carefree and easy
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Red Oak Seed
Quercus rubra (borealis)£9.00 inc. VATRed Oak is a large fast growing deciduous tree with large matt, oval, lobed leaves that turn red and then russet brown before leaf fall in the autumn. It requires a lime free rich soil and doesn’t do very well in shade. Makes a superb specimen tree. Pollution tolerant, but unsuitable for town planting because it needs sunshine.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Red Stemmed Dogwood (Sibirica) Seed
Cornus alba siberica£5.00 inc. VATRed Stemmed Dogwood(Sibirica) is not as robust as some forms but it is an outstanding medium sized deciduous shrub with coral crimson winter shoots and fresh green clean cut leaves appearing in spring. Heads of starry white flowers appear in May and June followed by insignificant fruit. It is often advised on established shrubs to chop about a third of branches down to ground level each year, since the younger stems thus encouraged have a better red colour.
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Rosa Laxa Seed
Rosa laxa£5.00 inc. VATA deciduous shrub growing to 2.5m which produces flowers in July with seed produced from August onwards. It is found in woodland and hedgerows. Commercially it is used as a rootstock onto which other roses are grafted.
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