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.

---

Acer pseudoplatanus acer - maple; pseudoplatanus - false plane, referring to a superficial similarity of leaves and bark to those of plane trees (genus platanus); brilliantissimum - Latin meaning most brilliant or most shiny, describing the tree's striking spring foliage, which emerges salmon-pink or bright shrimp-pink in colourbrilliantissimum

Shrimp leaved sycamore

A popular cultivar of the common sycamore, grown for its modest size (to 4m in 20 years), and its salmon pink spring leaves. It displays greenish yellow flowers in spring and winged red fruit in the autumn. This one was planted in my garden in 2025. It looks like a graft onto a rootstock.

---

Acer griseum acer - maple; griseum from L. griseus - grey, referring to the undersides of the leaves

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.

---

Acer palmatum acer - from the Latin for maple; palmatum, palm-like, referring to the 5 lobed hand shaped leaves dissectum - referring to the deeply cut leaves atropurpurpeum - very dark purple.

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.

---

Berberis darwinii berberis - Latinised from the Arabic for the plant; darwinii - after Charles Darwin, who found the plant in South America

Darwin's barberry

An evergreen thorny shrub, native to S Chile and Argentina, growing to 3–4 m. It has dense branches from ground level. The flowers are orange, 4–5 mm long, produced in dense racemes a flower cluster with the separate flowers attached by short equal stalks at equal distances along a central stem. The flowers at the base of the central stem develop first 2–7 cm long in spring. The fruit is a small purple-black berry 4–7 mm diameter, ripening in summer. The berries are edible but are very acidic. It is regarded as invasive in New Zealand, and is naturalised in S Australia, and in California.

---

Betula utilis jacquemontii betula - birch, derived from the Gaulish betu- meaning bitumen or asphalt, referring to the tar extracted from birches; utilis - useful, referring to the many uses of the tree; jacquemontii - honouring the French naturalist Victor Jacquemont

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.

---

Corylus corylus - from Greek korylos 'helmet', referring to the nut husk's shape; avellana - from the Italian city Avella, where hazelnuts were cultivated; contorta - twisted 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.

---

Euonymous Euonymous: from Greek words eu, meaning good or lucky, and onoma (or nymus), meaning name. Possibly ironic, as all parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested. fortunei: after Robert Fortune (1812 - 1880), Scottish botanist and plant collectorFortunei

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.

---

Fagus sylvatica Fagus - Latin for beech; sylvatica -from Latin silvanus, of the forest

Beech topiary

Another tree present in the garden as a fairly young sapling when we moved in back in 1986. Here it is nearly 30 years on, having been gradually clipped into a spiral.

---

Malus domesticamalus - Latin for apple tree; domestica - from Latin domesticus, belonging to the house, highlighting its long history of cultivation near human dwellings; Egremont - linked to the estate of Lord Egremont (George Wyndham) at Petworth House in Sussex, England, where it was thought to have been first raised; russet - refers to the brownish, rough-skinned, and often firm-fleshed nature of the apple. Egremont russet

Egremont russet apple

This is a russet apple, which has been growing in our garden since we arrived - so it is over 40 years old. The apples need to be given a week or two having fallen or been picked, to allow them to sweeten.

---

Malus Sun Rivalmalus - from Latin word mālus,in turn from Greek μῆλον (mēlon) or μᾶλον (mâlon), which referred to apples or fruit in general; Sun Rival is a proprietary name for this cultivar, chosen for marketing and identification purposes

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.

---

Malus domesticamalus - Latin for apple tree; domestica - from Latin domesticus, belonging to the house, highlighting its long history of cultivation near human dwellings; Worcester - reflecting its birthplace, the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England; Pearmain - this term, which dates back to the 13th century, is derived from Middle English pearmain and Old French permain (or parmain). While its exact origin is debated, it likely relates to the old-fashioned pear-shaped form of these apples.

Worcester pearmain apple

An early-season English dessert apple (dating to the 1870s) known for its bright red skin, crisp cream-coloured flesh, and distinct sweet, strawberry-like flavour.

---

Prunus lusitanica Prunus classical Latin name for plum tree. Lusitanica: Derived from Lusitania, the Roman province covering modern-day Portugal and part of western Spain.

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.

---

Prunus serrula Prunus classical Latin name for plum tree. Serrula - from Latin serra (saw) + ula (small), translating to little saw, which describes the serrated margins of the leaves.Tibetica: referring to its native range in Tibet.

Tibetan cherry

A.k.a. p. tibetica, birch bark cherry, birchbark cherry, or paperbark cherry. A small deciduous tree, often with multiple stems, reaching a height of 6–9 m. The leaves are arranged alternately, simple, 5–10 cm long with a serrate margin. The flowers are produced in clusters of one to three. The fruit is a small oval bright red drupea fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed

---

Pyrus communispyrus - Latin for the pear tree; Communis - Latin meaning common, public, or shared, emphasizing the widespread, everyday nature of this specific fruit tree; Conference - refers to th British Pear Conference of 1885, where it first appeared. 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..

---

Salix caprea Salix - Latin for willow; caprea - Latin for goat; possibly connected to historical use of the plant as goat fodder; - the cultivar was discovered in the mid-1850s growing on the banks of the River Ayr in Scotland 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 that it was keeling over.

---

Tilia europaea? tilia - Latin name for the lime tree europaea, - European.

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.

---

Viburnum tinus Viburnum - from the Latin name for the wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana). It may stem from the Latin viere, meaning to plait, weave, or braid, referring to the flexible, pliable branches; Tinus Latin from Laurustinus or Laurestine, a combination of the laurus, laurel, and tinus, referencing the shrub's leathery, evergreen leaves that resemble those of the bay laurel.

Laurustine

A shrub reaching 2 – 7 m, with a dense, rounded crown. The leaves are evergreen, persisting 2–3 years, ovate to elliptic, borne in opposite pairs, fine hairs persisting on the underside, with an entire margin. The fruit is a dark blue-black drupea fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone containing the seed

---

WisteriaWisteria - named after Dr. Caspar Wistar (1761–1818), an American anatomist and physician from Philadelphia.

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.

---