Identifying Trees

pmartin86

Good day all

I've realtivly recently (6 months or so) bought a house which has come with a reasonably large and overgrown garden, i've only now started to make a dent in it and having never had a "real" garden before, I've got very little idea what I'm doing! I've got several trees that need to be cut back, but I don't know what they are to research how best to do this, paying someone is out of the question as all funding is going on the house for the next few years at least, but I can afford a few quid here or there for some shears/saws/general tools etc. I love the idea of gardening and am keen to learn, so if anyone can help me identify these trees, or point me somewhere to help, that would be appreciated. I've taken pictures of them and linked below.

Tree 1:




Tree 2:




Tree 3:



Tree 4:




Regards
Paul

Yorkshirelass_2

Paul ,


Hi there, I'm certainly no expert, but think
1 is a laurel and 2 is a spotted laurel
3 a yew
4 a hazel


I would suggest you perhaps Google these images to double check.


I use the BBC gardeners website or gardeners world or there is the RHS.


I'm certainly no expert in gardening but it's fun to find out!

pmartin86

Thanks for that, I now have an area to work on! It's hard to Google with just an image! heh

I'll also go find the bbc gardeners website, thanks

Yorkshirelass_2

Sorry Paul!!


What I should have said was Google these names and try and match the pictures!!


(Don't think I'm properly awake yet!)

pmartin86

Sorry, I know what you meant, I was referring to my prior zero knowledge, now that I have names I can google the names..not sure my brain is fuly functional today thinking about it!

I_have_spoken

Laurel and aucuba japonica (spotted laurel) will both take hard pruning, the laurel you can cut down to virtually nothing; I've just done mine.

Yew, most people aim to clip to a shape, such as a cone or pyramid. I tidy up mine in late summer. It can take pruning, it's one of the few fir trees that will green up.

Hazel, reckon that's one where you take a 3rd of the branches out every year so you renew it and doesn't get too big

pmartin86

Thanks for the advice, with regards to what has been identified as the laurel, what are those little buds? are they flowering trees?

Regards
Paul

Ectophile

pmartin86 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, with regards to what has been identified as the laurel, what are those little buds? are they flowering trees?

Regards
Paul

They produce "candles" of little white flowers. Mine's just coming into flower now. If you leave them, the flowers produce blackish berries.

Don't be tempted to eat them - pretty much everything about the plant is poisonous.

pmartin86

Would the berries be poisonous to dogs? we have a Border Collie who likes to eat lots...

I_have_spoken

Laurel berries in large quantities would be toxic. Yew leaves are extremely toxic to dogs if chewed.