Trees gallery - Garth End Cottage, Thornton le Dale

Garth End Cottage

We moved to Thornton le Dale in 1986, and have developed the garden from mainly tarmac and lawn to its current state over 35 years. There are a number of trees in the garden, some dating back before our arrival, others planted by us. There are slides from a talk about the garden's development on the site.

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Acer griseum

Paper bark maple

This acer griseum was tucked into a relatively small space with a beech and a birch for company. It seems to be thriving, about 10 years since planting, and the exfoliating bark is a never-ending delight.

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Acer palmatum dissectum purpureum

Japanese maple

This slow growing maple is about 27 years old in this photo. It is beginning to grow into space created by cutting back other shrubs and plants around it, but it is unlikely to ever be a tall tree. At least not in my lifetime.

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Betula utilis jacquemontii

Himalayan birch

Striking white bark earns this tree its place in the garden. This peels off in wide bands, making it suitable for use as paper, at least for special messages. Tucked in beside a privet hedge, a pergola and a clipped beech tree.

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Corylus avellana contorta

Corkscrew hazel

Delightfully twisting stems and crumpled leaves on this corkscrew hazel. Discovered as a mutation in a hedgerow by Henry Ellacombe in Gloucestershire in the 1860s. Often called "Harry Lauder's walking stick" after the Scottish singer who had a stick made from it for his stage act. Plentiful with nuts, which grow into ordinary straight hazels.

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Euonymous fortunei

Spindle

A.k.a. Fortune's spindle, or winter creeper, an evergreen shrub growing as a climbing vine up to 20m. The flowers are inconspicuous, 5 mm in diameter, with four small greenish-yellow petals. The fruit is a smooth, dehiscent opening at maturity capsule with reddish arils.

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Fagus sylvatica

Beech topiary

Another tree present in the garden as a fairly young sapling when we moved in back in 1986. Here it is 27 years on in 2023, having been gradually clipped into a spiral.

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Malus Sun Rival

Weeping crab apple

A crab apple which is perhaps a little short of space to show off its form to best effect, tucked in a shrub border with box, spirea, aucuba and euonymous surrounding it. However, it does have lovely spring blossom and autumn fruits. Planted in 2013, there is a description on the site of the project to clear and plant this shrub border.

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Prunus lusitanica

Portuguese laurel

A native of Spain, France, Portugal and Morocco, increasingly found in the wild in Britain as an escape (a neophyte a plant not native to a region, introduced and escaped into the wild in recent history (after 1500). First recorded 1929. ) Popular as a hedge, and as a topiary specimen as here. Capabe of growing into a medium sized tree - up to 20m.

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Pyrus communis 'Conference'

Conference pear

A popular variety of dessert pear. This was planted in 1996, and has borne fruit irregularly over the years, often dependent on whether late frosts have occured. The pears are delicious when they do appear, providing we can harvest them before blackbirds peck holes which ants then invade..

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Salix caprea 'Kilmarnock'

Kilmarnock willow

A weeping miniature form of the goat willow. A male clone, grafted onto another willow stem, which determines its height. This one has grown outwards from a spindly looking specimen planted in 2014, but not increased its height. The hanging branches are stiff, and many die off each year as a new branch shoots out. This tree was felled in 2025, having become so wide and top heavy with its twisted branches it was keeling over.

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Tilia x europaea?

Lime

Lime trees are not the best small-garden specimens given their mature height, but this one was in place when we moved in back in 1986, though quite young. It was pollarded in 2014, and the new branches which emerge are cut back every 3 to 4 years to keep it in shape. I am not sure what type of lime it is. The leaves have become much larger since pollarding, some measuring 15 cm across.

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Wisteria

Wisteria

We have had one flower in the 10 years this wisteria has been with us in the garden. It is quite vigorous, growing high in to the neighbouring apple tree, but just doesn't like to flower - until 2025, when we had a number of promising buds in spring.

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