Native trees
Natives refer to trees that originated in Britain and have grown here for thousands of years, as opposed to varieties which originally grew elsewhere. Native trees help to maintain the traditional structure and appearance of the British countryside and help insects and other animals to survive. The more technical definition of true native trees is trees that colonised Britain during the time between the end of the ice age (that’s about 10,000 years ago) and the formation of the English Channel caused by the gradual expansion of lakes and rivers several thousands of years later. Native trees are particularly useful in the gardens of new homes built close to long-standing groups of country houses to provide privacy in a way that’s in-keeping with the existing landscape. Native varieties include alder, ash, aspen, beach, birch trees, blackthorn, wild and bird cherry trees, crab apples, elder, elm, hawthorn, hazel, holly, hornbeam, lime, field maple, oak, sorbus, whitebeam, willow and yew. Trees that came after the English Channel had formed are referred to as ‘naturalised’ trees.