Trees gallery - Garth End Cottage, Thornton le Dale

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.

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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.

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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

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Pyrus communispyrus - Latin for the pear tree; Communis - Latin meaning common, public, or shared, emphasising 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..

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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.

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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.

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Viburnum plicatum Viburnum - Latin for the wayfaring tree (V. lantana), meaning to plait, bend, or wicker; plicatum - Latin for pleated or folded, referring to the texture of the leaves, which have prominent, deeply impressed, and parallel veins that make them appear pleated.

Japanese snowball

A.k.a. doublefile viburnum, a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub known for its distinct, horizontal, layered branching, growing to 3 m tall and wide. It features deeply veined, dark green pleated leaves, producing showy white flowers - either spherical snowballs or flat lacecap clusters - in spring. The shrub often offers red-purple autumn colour and red berries that turn black.

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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

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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.

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