Native Trees and Shrubs for Light Soils

Common Beech (Fagus sylvatica)The Beech tree has been here since before we were an island - pollen in Hampshire has been dated back to 6000 BC. It is antisocial, growing best among its own - hilltop beech groves are one of the most beautiful landscape features of Southern chalk downlands. It is adaptable, growing in moist soils and tolerant of shade, but it is vulnerable to dry conditions and grey squirrel damage.

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Downy Birch (Betula pubescens)Downy Birch is a valuable tree, although short lived. It looks similar to Silver Birch, but has a darker trunk and its shoots are covered in soft white hairs. It does well in the cold and wet, rather than the Silver Birch's prefernce for dry conditions, but both like light soils. They both support over a hundred insect species and its seeds attract birds, especially redpolls.

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Silver Birch (Betula pendula)Silver Birch is a pretty and valuable fast growing tree, although only living for up to 80 years. Like Downy Birch it likes light soils and supports over a hundred insect species and its massive numbers of seeds attract birds, especially redpolls. It also prefers full sun, typically of a pioneer species. Its graceful silver limbs hold small leaves, which give dappled shade and yellow in the autumn.

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Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)Blackthorn is an excellent hedge plant, slow growing but suckering freely and having needle like spines. Its habit makes it an ideal refuge for small birds and mammals, who also eat its sloes, and a raft of moth and butterfly caterpillars feed on its foliage. It is very tough, and as a hedging plant lays well and forms a good stockproof - and people proof - barrier. Its prolific white flowers are an important nectar source in spring.

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Box (Buxus sempervirens)Box only grows slowly to be a small tree. It's also poisonous to livestock, which two characterstics mean it is not widely planted other than for formal gardens. It does best on lighter soils, and with some shade.

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Bird Cherry (Prunus padus)Bird Cherry is a pretty small tree mostly found in the north, with attractive white flowers and bittersweet edible cherries which the birds eat. It's a hardy tree that unlike the Wild Cherry does not sucker, so is often found on its own.

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Wild Cherry (Prunus avium)Wild Cherries are fast growing short lived trees with high biodiversity value and all year round interest. Prolific white blossom attracts bees and insects in the spring, and birds and small mammals feed on its bitter fruit in autumn, when its leaves turn orange-red.

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Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris)The Crab Apple is a small tree of woods and hedges found throughout Britain, although it's relatively scarce; mostly you will now find "wilding" apple trees in hedgerows. The Crab's extended flowering period (pretty pale pink blossom) is helpful for bees as much as it is for cross pollinating other apple trees, and its fruit makes delicious jelly for us and good winter eating for the birds.

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Common Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)Dogwood is a large, colourful and versatile shrub. It does well in most conditions and suckers freely, making it a good hedging plant. It has red twigs and autumn foliage, delicate white flowers in the spring, and black berries that attract birds.

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Common Elder (Sambucus nigra)Elder is a very fast growing, short lived small tree. Its many plates of fragrant white flowers are helpful for insects and cordial makers alike, and birds and winemakers can split the berries between them. The stems of a coppiced tree are very useful around the garden - hollow and light, but surprisingly strong.

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Common Gorse (Ulex europaeus)Gorse is a spiny, fast growing evergreen shrub that bears masses of intense Broom-like yellow flowers for months from midwinter . It is happiest on sunny dry sandy soils. Its habit makes it a great refuge for small birds and mammals, and its flowers are a good source of nectar for bees and butterflies. It is also a food plant for several moth and butterfly larvae.

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Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)The Hawthorn or Quickthorn is an easygoing fast growing small tree, beautiful in flower. Its habit makes it an ideal refuge for small birds, who feast on its red fruit. It is tolerant of most conditions, and as a hedging plant lays well and forms a good stockproof - and people proof - barrier.

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Common Holly (Ilex aquifolium)Holly is slow growing but tremendously useful, not only as an impenetrable evergreen screen, but also as it is very hardy; it grows in deep shade and on a wide range of well drained soil types. It provides a good protective habitat for birds and small mammals, which eat the female plant's berries.

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Juniper (Juniperus communis)Juniper is a small, slow growing, and short lived evergreen. It is a pioneer species disliking the shade, and grows well on light siols. Its habit varies hugely; in exposed conidtions it is a low scraggy bush, but can grow to a neat column. Its dense spiky habit provides a winter roost for birds and cover for small mammals, which also feed on its berries.

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Myrobalan (Prunus cerasifera)Myrobalan, or Cherry Plum, was introduced to Britain from Asia, but so long ago we have included it here. It is a useful fast growing small tree; it lays well, and looks good in a hedge. We have a couple on our orchard, however, as they are among the first trees into blossom (from February). They will occasionally also bear fruit, which is red or yellow and rather sharp, but good for jam.

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Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea)Sessile oaks are as long lived as Pedunculate oaks, regularly living over 500 years, but because of their less useful timber (and possibly lower acorn yields) are much rarer.

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Wild Pear (Pyrus pyraster)Like the Crab Apple, the Wild Pear is distinct from feral pears from pips. It is a slow growing small tree, tolerant of most well drained soils. Pretty white blossom followed by rather hard fruit !

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Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris)Scots Pines will grow almost anywhere. They are particularly tolerant of poor and dry soils and exposed sites, although do not like sea spray. As a conifer, it provides a helpful screen and cover for birds in the Winter; Coal Tits, Goldcrests, and Crossbills are associated with the tree in particular.

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Wild Privet (Ligustrum vulgare)Wild Privet is only semi-evergreen, and larger and less compact than the Garden Privet of suburban gardens. It is a fabulous wildlife shrub, however. Its small flowers attract insects, and birds (especially Thrushes) enjoy the cover it affords and its black berries. Furthermore, it is a foodplant for a number of butterfly and moth larvae.

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Dog Rose (Rosa canina)Of the 14 native species of rose, the Dog Rose is the most common. It carries pretty sweet-scented pink or white flowers and red hips in the autumn. It's a good plant for wildlife, offering a protective habitat and food supply for birds and small mammals, nectar for insects and bees, and a foodplant for several moths and butterflies.

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Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)The Rowan, or Mountain Ash, prefers cool conditions and any soil other than heavy clay and lime. It has pretty white flowers in June and large bunches of red berries later in the year, which are eaten by birds and small mammals.

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Sea-Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)This spiny shrub isn't really a Buckthorn, but it is a useful native species, originally found on the east coast - it is extremely hardy and salt tolerant. Its bright orange berries are eaten by birds.

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Spindle (Euonymus europaeus)Spindle, or Spindleberry, is a very pretty shrub, with tiny flowers in Spring followed by bizarrely pink berries enclosing orange seeds in the autumn, when it also has striking foliage. It is found in ancient woods in hedgerows in the South.

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Whitebeam (Sorbus aria)Slow growing and short lived, but a really beautiful medium sized tree, particularly in the spring when its white leaves emerge. Bears small red fruit in the autumn, which the birds like. Whitebeam is particularly hardy and tolerant, and will thrive in exposed, cold, and coastal sites.

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