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European Larch Seed
Larix decidua£4.00 – £24.50 inc. VATEuropean Larch, Larix decidua, is a fast growing deciduous conifer. It has a slender conical crown when young with drooping branches in older specimens. Fine needles turn yellow in autumn and the small brown cones stay on the tree through the winter. Great areas have been planted for timber and it is useful as a nurse tree for other trees since it grows so fast and is very hardy.
Not for forestry purposes.
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European Silver Fir Seed
Abies alba£6.50 inc. VATThe European Silver Fir is common in the mountains of France, Germany and Switzerland. When young it makes a symmetrical conical shape. In the wild it is found in areas of high rainfall and northern aspect, in mixed forests of Norway Spruce and Beech. Foliage and timber are highly pine scented and essential oils are extracted from them. The white wood is mainly used for construction, pulp, plywood and paper manufacture. It is quite often grown for Christmas tree production, more so in America than Europe.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Fraser Fir Seed
Abies fraseri£2.00 – £15.00 inc. VATFraser Fir is often cultivated as a Christmas tree in the USA since it is scented and has non-drop, blue grey needles; it is slow growing when young taking 10 years to reach 2.5 to 3m. As a young tree the branches are quite dense, but growth becomes more open as the tree ages. It never grows really huge. The small upright cones fall to pieces to shed the seeds when they are about 6mths old. In the wild it is rare. Enjoys short cool summers and survives cold and snowy winters.
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Grand Fir Seed
Abies grandis£6.00 – £20.00 inc. VATGrand Fir is an extremely fast growing conifer, although for the first few years is slow. Needles are very aromatic(grapefruit) when crushed, buds deep purple often covered with resin. The top branches fan out, it does not grow to a flat head. It loves high rainfall areas like its native habitat in north-west America.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Incense Cedar Seed
Libocedrus decurrens£2.00 – £9.00 inc. VATThe Incense Cedar is a large evergreen tree that is resistant to honey fungus and can add height to a group of trees or shrubs. The dark green aromatic leaves are in dense fan like sprays and smell, apparently, like shoe polish(?). Bark is in plates that curl outwards on the top and bottom sides, even on young trees. It is a very low maintenance tree. In it’s native California it spreads well after wildfires and is drought tolerant. The soft even grained wood has been used to make pencils.
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Jack Pine Seed
Pinus banksiana£4.00 – £10.00 inc. VATThe Jack Pine is a 2 needle pine that is extremely hardy and greatly undervalued as a landscape tree. It is sometimes used for Christmas tree production in the USA and is widespread in Canada.
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Japanese Black Pine Seed
Pinus thunbergii£2.00 – £8.50 inc. VATBlack Pine is a distinctive, splendid large tree with twisted branches. It has rigid twisted needles, arranged in pairs, up to 18cm long and is an important timber tree in its native Japan. As a young tree it makes a stiffly conical shape, but gets quirkier with age. Slow growing. In winter, buds at the branch end are silky and white. Female flowers are often extremely numerous and are an attractive red/pink/purple.
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Japanese Cedar Seed
Cryptomeria japonica£4.00 inc. VATJapanese Cedar is a fast growing, columnar conifer which is easily cultivated and thrives in most soils. Its feathery foliage is actually made of short needles spirally arranged and similar to Sequoiadendron. Both needles and timber are aromatic
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Japanese Larch Seed
Larix kaempferi£3.00 – £8.00 inc. VATJapanese Larch is a vigorous, large conifer with red shoots and sea green leaves which are longer and broader than those of European Larch. It is fast growing and used as a timber crop, supplying the building trade. The needle-like leaves turn good autumn colour of yellow and orange. Sometimes the needles sprout directly out of the trunk or larger branches. The small attractive cones are copper-brown when ripe and often age on the tree to grey.
Not for forestry purposes.
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Japanese Red Pine Seed
Pinus densiflora£2.00 – £8.00 inc. VATJapenese Red Pine is a large tree with paired needles that are up to 12cm long and twisted. It makes an architectural shape, eventually, and is often used in Japanese gardens. In Korea it is held in special esteem for it’s connections with Confucius, and is mentioned in the S. Korea National Anthem! Commercially it was historically used for timber and resin production.
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Japanese Stone Pine Seed
Pinus pumila£3.50 inc. VATJapanese Stone Pine is a beautiful low growing, sometimes prostrate, hardy shrub-like tree native to north-east Asia including Japan. The female cones are purplish when young turning to a red-brown at maturity. Needles are dense and in bundles of 5. In the wild it grows at high elevations, above the forest line and often with willow and alder scrub. Very tolerant of extreme climates – a tough specimen!
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Japanese White Pine Seed
Pinus parviflora£12.50 – £58.00 inc. VATJapanese White Pine is a small to medium sized conifer, conical when young, becoming flat topped when mature. The curved and twisted 5cm long leaves are blue-green with blue-white inner surfaces, growing in bunches of 5. Most often seen in the semi-dwarf form used in Japanese style gardens.
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Jeffrey Pine Seed
Pinus jeffreyi£3.00 – £7.50 inc. VATJeffrey pine is an imposing tree with a conical crown and matt bluish green needles, in bunches of three, that are up to 20cm long and spiny. Related and similar to Pinus ponderosa but with less prickley cones. The resin is scented allegedly of vanilla/lemon/apple or honeysuckle. Tolerates cold and dry and high altitudes.
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Juniper Seed
Juniperus communis£2.50 – £12.00 inc. VATJuniper produces the berry to flavour gin and is used to make a beer in Scandinavian countries! Dried berries are used sparingly in cooking to flavour meat and game. A medium to large sized evergreen shrub with silver backed leaves/needles and black berries. It can grow tall or low and spreading, and anything in-between! It is being used increasingly to plant the sides of northern motorways. Very prickly.
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Korean Fir Seed
Abies koreana£3.00 – £6.00 inc. VATThe Korean Fir is a small, very neat tree with needles that are 1 to 2 cm long, dark glossy green on top, white underneath. It produces prominent, decorative violet or purple cones about 5 to 8 cm long, which disintegrate when about 6mths old.
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Korean Pine Seed
|Pinus koraiensis£8.50Korean Pine is an ornamental Pine with long blue needles arranged in groups of 5. When young it grows in a pyramidal shape, but branches become more horizontal with age. Large cones are produced towards the end of branches, ripening to 11cm long. The seeds contained in the cones are large and used in cooking, like Pinus pinea.
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Lodgepole / Beach Pine Seed
Pinus contorta£2.50 – £14.00 inc. VATLodgepole Pine is a medium sized tree with short branches and paired yellowish green leaves. The cones appear in clusters and the tree is often grown in coastal areas. Pictures show cones, male flowers (cream coloured)and female flowers(pink/purple)
pic courtesy of MPF, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Not for forestry purposes.
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Macedonian Pine Seed
Pinus peuce£2.50 – £8.00 inc. VATMacedonian Pine is a particularly ornamental pine with horizontal branches at ground level which become vertical in the crown. It has a narrow pyramidal growth habit which suits it to confined spaces. The cones, occasionally produced, are very large, slightly bent and the long needles, in bundles of 5, give it a soft appearance – very stroke-able! Slow early growth and tolerant of semi shade and poorish soils.
pic courtesy of 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Maidenhair Tree Seed
Ginkgo biloba£8.00 inc. VATThe Maidenhair is an ancient species of tree easily recognised by its unusual fan shaped leaves which develop a striking yellow colour in autumn. It was around when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and, although it doesn’t look like it, is classed as a conifer. The male and female flowers occur on different trees, so both are needed to produce fruit. When produced, the berries are edible but smell dreadful! When young, the growing tip can be damaged by cold winds, so plant in a sheltered spot, in sun or semi-shade. Reported to have an effect on cognitive function if taken as a supplement (Chinese medicine), but there is no scientific evidence for this at present.
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Meyer’s Spruce Seed
Picea meyeri£4.00 – £12.00 inc. VATMeyer’s Spruce is a decorative, medium-fast growing conifer with grey green needles, purple male catkins and copper brown cones. Rare in the wild, since subalpine forests are in decline. Where commercially planted it’s used for construction timber and pulp, but could be a good Xmas tree.
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Monkey Puzzle / Chile Pine
Araucaria araucana£6.00 – £18.00 inc. VATThe Monkey Puzzle is unique in its appearance and is much sought after. It is protected in its native Chile. The open network of branches, arranged symmetrically are covered in the sharp, scale-like leaves. Quite slow growing but will reach a good height. The seed is huge and a lovely colour and can be eaten. This has now been christened ‘The Marmite tree’ – you either love it or….not
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Monterey Cypress Seed
Cupressus macrocarpa£6.50 inc. VATMonterey Cypress is often cultivated in gardens as a hedging plant, especially in North America, but makes a magnificent specimen tree too. It can tolerate poor soils and hot and dry conditions, being endemic to California. The last remaining trees there are puportedly over 2000 years old. the flattened bract-like leaves are citrus scented when crushed.
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Monterey Pine Seed
Pinus radiata£6.00 – £30.00 inc. VATMonterey Pine is the most widely planted pine in the world, although it is endangered in its natural habitat. It is extremely important for timber production Older trees make a good windbreak. In UK , grows best in areas with mild wet winters, in fertile sites. In the wild it grows on the Californian coastal fringe and is one of the trees in which Monarch butterflies overwinter. It’s huge cones open in heat, but tend to stay on the tree for years. They are an uneven shape at the base. The needles grow in groups of 3, fresh green close to and blackish from afar. On mature trees the bark develops very deep fissures.
Cone pic courtesy of S. Rae from Scotland, UK/CC BY 2.0
Not for forestry purposes.
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Mountain Pine (Pumilio) Seed
Pinus mugo pumilio£3.00 – £16.50 inc. VATA dwarf form of the Mountain Pine that often grows prostrate but can reach 2m in height, slowly. Great for adding substance and winter interest to alpine and scree gardens and works well in containers. Shortish dark green needles look fine in the frost
pic courtesy of UUSDA-NRCS PLANTS DATABASE/ Herman, D.E. et al. 1996. North Dakota tree handbook. USDA NRCS ND State Soil Conservation Committee; NDSU Extension and Western Area Power Admin., Bismarck, ND., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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