Trees gallery - Newby Hall
Near Ripon, North Yorkshire
Newby Hall is a country house beside the River Ure, close to Ripon in North Yorkshire. It has extensive gardens and parklands, and also boasts a miniature railway, large children's playground, river cruises, cafe, doll's house exhibition and a bear house - a teddy museum.
There are many fine examples of native trees and some special specimen trees planted in the gardens, woodland and parkland, with many of them clearly labelled. It hosts the national collection of over 100 cornus varieties. A garden map may help with some descriptions. My thanks to Lawrence Wright, head gardener, for confirming some of the identifications.
Acer griseum
Paper bark maple
The paper bark maple is named for its peeling papery bark, and is also sometimes called the blood bark maple due to its colouring. It is a native of China, and has been extensively planted as an ornamental tree since 1901. A medium sized tree, often seen relatively small but it can grow to 9m.
Acer pseudoplatanus brilliantissimum
Japanese acer 'Brilliantissimum'
This is a popular acer cultivar, a relatively small, slow-growing tree well suited to gardens. This one is quite tall for its type. It has bright salmon-pink leaves in spring, which gradually turn through bright yellow-green to a darker green. Bright red samaras a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall in autumn .
Aralia chinensis
Chinese angelica tree
Native to NE Asia, where it grows on stream banks and slopes. This is a large deciduous, spiny-stemmed shrub, growing to 5m. The shoots are edible if cooked, and have a flavour of angelica.
Betula nigra
River birch
A tree native to the E USA. Betula nigra is a deciduous tree growing to 25–30 metres. The base of the tree is often divided into multiple slender trunks. It grows in wetland habitats - floodplains and swamps - hence its common name of 'river birch' . It is also called the black birch or water birch. The reddish brown bark later turns dark - hence nigra.
Betula utilis jacquemontii
Himalayan birch
A medium-size tree with an open habit and pyramidal shape. It bears almost shimmering white bark, which peels each year to reveal a fresh layer beneath. The oval, dark green leaves turn gold in autumn before falling.
Castanea sativa
Sweet chestnut
A neatly shaped pyramidal sweet chestnut tree. Chestnuts are an archaeophyte long established alien plant, ie found in the wild before 1500 in the UK, possiby introduced by the Romans. They can live for 700 years, grow to 35m, and develop very large trunks, with swirling, deeply furrowed bark.
Crataegus crus-galli
Cockspur hawthorn
Research suggested this is a cockspur hawthorn. It doesn't have the standard hawthorn's lobed leaves, which fits the description as does everything else. I asked Newby Hall for confirmation, and head gardener Lawrence Wright was kind enough to confirm my suspicions.
Cornus controversa variegata
Wedding cake tree
A small deciduous tree with strongly tiered branches, native to E Asia. This cultivar has narrowly ovate leaves, broadly margined with cream. Small white flowers are followed by blue-black berries.
