Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’ – purple beeches are used to steel the show. They are planted as solitary trees in big parks or stately gardens.
Most trees are green, but many also have purple red variants. Examples are plum, maple, beech and the very popular red Japanese maple. Most of these genetic variations are quite rare in nature, but people love rare things and so we started propagating these trees. A single purple beech tree that was found in Germany over 300 years ago is believed to be the ancestor of the majority of trees now planted in parks and gardens.
Carpinus betulus – hornbeam stands out with its abundance of winged fruit. The bright green color contrasts with the darker green of the sharply detailed leaves.
Tilia cordata – an elegant species of linden tree, with much smaller leaves. With only one third the size of a regular linden leaf, it gives this tree a very fine appearance, in contrast to the bold character of common linden.
Fraxinus angustifolia – narrow-leaved ash is closely related to olive. The feathery appearance makes it an airy tree that feels distinctly Mediterranean, and this is where it mostly grows naturally.
Fagus sylvatica – a majestic forest tree. Impressive branches fluently branch into broad fans of leaves. Beech trees are often used as ornamental trees in parks and large gardens. They form extremely lush, impressive crowns.
Nyssa sylvatica – black tupelo found its home in wet areas across Eastern North America. Tupelos are deciduous, and before dropping their leaves, the leaves turn to attractive orange-red autumn colors.
Robinia – a cascading waterfall of tiny leaflets, this tree from the pea family is something else completely, and adds to the diversity of trees in temperate climates.
Aesculus flava – a North American relative to the horse chestnut, with large palmately compound leaves. A bold tree with bold leaves and bold fruit.
Ginkgo biloba – a living fossil and the only remaining species in a ancient family of trees dating back hundreds of millions of years.
Alnus X spaethii ‘Spaeth’ – a strong and fast growing tree. Its main feature are the long, dark green leaves that have a nice shine to them. Even better, these leaves stay green for a long time in fall.
Castanea sativa – a proud member of the beech family. It produces the well-known chestnuts, an edible fruit. Sweet chestnut trees have attractive dark green foliage clustered into pointy fans.
Pinus sylvestris – Scots pine is a tree that you can find all over Europe and all the way to the colder parts of Eastern Asia. Given its name, it comes as no surprise that this is the national tree of Scotland.
Betula papyrifera – Paper birches have an attractive white bark, with flaky white sheets resembling sheets of paper. Their leaves are quite large when compared to the silver birch, and its bark even whiter. Its fall color is an intense yellow.
Alnus glutinosa – Alder trees are often found on waterfronts. Its woody, pine cone like catkins adorn the tree all year round. When growing at the right place, an Alder can grow into a beautiful conical shape.
Ulmus minor – Field elm trees once roamed free in many cities, until they were decimated by the Dutch elm disease. These beautiful trees grow in many shapes and characters.
Fraxinus excelsior – True to its name, the ash is an all-conquering spear. It grows large twigs, but many of these are lost in winter, resulting in an airy tree. The most eye-catching part of ash trees are their leaves, each of which consists of 11 small leaflets.
Salix alba – Willows love water and when they get it, they literally shoot out. Twigs easily grow more than 20 leaves long. Its leaves are covered with tiny hairs, shading the tree a whitish, pale green color.
Tilia ✕ europaea – Common linden. Linden trees are popular street trees. They are also a favorite with bees, who love their abundant flowers.
Platanus ✕ acerifolia – Londen plane trees line city streets all around the world. Its striking camouflage bark and deep green foliage make this tree stand out.
Quercus palustris – Pin oaks are fast growing, majestic trees often used in parks.
Quercus robur – Oaks are close relatives of beech trees, and both are strong forest trees that can grow very old and impressive in size. Willows, alders and many others don’t stand a chance against this king of the forest.
Populus ✕ canescens – A cross of white poplar and quaking aspen. Its oddly shaped leaf stalks make its leaves clapper in the wind, producing an ambient sound like the lapping of waves on the beach. This is a big king of a tree with its thick, brightly colored main branches.
Quercus phellos – Although this is actually an oak tree, its leaves are almost identical to those of willow trees. It prefers the water rich environments of the South Eastern US.
Gleditsia triacanthos – An attractive, airy tree with distinctive fruit pods dangling from their branches. Part of the pea family, these trees are basically enormous pea plants.
Acer campestre – Field maples grow a sea of small and shiny leaves. Because of their dense growth, they are often used to create hedges. A full grown tree can have a beautifully dense character.
Populus tremula – The leaf stalks of aspen are strangely flat, allowing them to twist freely in the wind. The clappering of its many leaves produces a sound very much like the sea.
Juglans regia – Walnut trees originated in the Kyrgystan region, where you can still find large walnut forests. The tree has since spread across Europe where it is loved for its delicious nuts.
Fraxinus excelsior ‘Diversifolia’ – One-leaved ash is a quite rare, beautiful and airy tree.
Liriodendron tulipifera – Tulip tree. Despite its tropical appearance, this close relative of the magnolia endures harsh winters and prefers the climate of the Northeastern United States, from where it originates.
Lophostemon confertus – Brush box is a lush green tree with its roots in Australia. There and in other parts of the world, it is often used as a street tree.
Eucalyptus viminalis – Manna gum. A koala favorite, with dark green leaves full of yummy sugar. The sturdy leaves are accompanied by attractive clusters of seed pods, typical of eucalyptus species.
Callistemon – Bottlebrushes owe their name to their resemblance to the long brushes used to clean bottles, especially when they flower with long cylindrical clusters.
Eucalyptus globulus – Blue gum. A large, fast-growing tree. Originally from Australia, the tree is highly popular and has spread to California, Southern Europe and other areas with a similar climate.