Many trees have wonderful foliage, and this little collection represents those I felt were looking their best this May and is by no means everything.
I feel a tree or a shrub with wonderful vibrant contrasting foliage is so much more valuable to the long-term interest to your garden than something that flowers for only a few weeks and then remains fairly under whelming. It is the contrast of different foliage that creates a joyful effect. Something remarkable may stand alone making no comparison or contrast and not looks remarkable at all, lost with nothing to be compared against but a white sky.
One or two extraordinarily gorgeous trees are still to come into leaf and that includes one of my favourites a stunning acid yellow tree with fern like foliage that dominates my garden Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst.
Below are a few stars I found on the nursery.
Acer Drummundii A Norway maple. Final height is about 15m tall. It grows in
most soils. |
Acer platanoides Crimson King |
Acer pseudoplatanus Simon-louis Freres Grows slightly Higher than 12 metres also known as variegated sycamore. |
Fagus sylvatica Dawyck gold |
Fagus sylvatica Rivers Purple 12m plus. Considered to be the best darkest foliage though I
find it hard to distinguish from Dawyck Purple. Beech are hardy but like well drained soil. |
Cercidiphyllum japonica |
Fagus sylvatica Blackswan |
Salix integra Hakuro-nishiki |
Acer platanoides Crimson King
Acer pseudoplatanus Simon-louis
Freres
Cercidiphyllum japonica
Fagus sylvatica Rivers Purple
Fagus sylvatica Blackswan
Fagus sylvatica Dawyck gold
Malus xmoerlandsii Profusion
Salix integra Hakuro-nishiki