TREE LIST 2024

One of several large Oaks growing on the ancient bank that marks Byes Lane although not as old as the much larger Oak on the bank beside Gilchrist’s Field, that tree is probably 400 years old.

Persian Ironwoods do come from Persia and their wood is very hard.  They make excellent ornamental trees for a garden, they grow to a small dome and have attractive red flowers in February and good autumn colour before the leaves drop.

Visible from the road, a narrow columnar form of Lawson Cypress.

Decorative shrub with lovely white star-shaped flowers in March and sweet, edible berries in the autumn.

A large specimen of this member of the Maple genus.  Distinguished from its cousin the Sycamore by the pointed lobes of the leaves rather like the leaf on the Canadian flag and the upturned flowers, Sycamore has rounded leaf lobes and flowers that hang down.

A large specimen of this member of the Maple genus.  Distinguished from its cousin the Sycamore by the pointed lobes of the leaves rather like the leaf on the Canadian flag and the upturned flowers, Sycamore has rounded leaf lobes and flowers that hang down.

Eucryphia trees are from the southern hemisphere, from Chile across to Australia.  The beautiful flowers are nectar rich and produces excellent honey.

In the 18th Century England was running out of mature oaks because so many were being felled to build warships.  Foreign oaks were imported in the hope of finding quicker growing trees.  An accidental cross between a Turkey and a Cork Oak was spotted in William Lucombe’s Exeter nursery in 1762 which was non-deciduous.  It was propagated and many sold around the area.

Rather hemmed in by the Sycamore, it will be interesting to see if this tree affects the young trees planted nearby because Walnuts exude a chemical that suppresses competing plants underneath.  Although called English Walnut sometimes, it is not a native tree but it has been here since Roman times and is naturalised.

Planted with plenty of room to spread its rounded canopy, Walnuts are not native but an introduction of the Romans.  They have been with us so long, they are now naturalised.  Walnut was the fashionable wood for furniture in the 17th and 18th century but newly imported species such as Mahogany and Rosewood took over.  As foreign hardwoods are now under threat, Walnut is making a comeback and new plantations are being started across the country, although some of them use new hybrids of the Common and the Black Walnut.

One of several Limes planted along the river 90-100 years ago.  An avenue of Limes has been planted along the path ready to succeed the old trees when their time is up.  Common Limes are nothing to do with citrus fruits, the name is a corruption of the old English name of Linden tree.

One of several Limes planted along the river 90-100 years ago.  An avenue of Limes has been planted along the path ready to succeed the old trees when their time is up.  Common Limes are nothing to do with citrus fruits, the name is a corruption of the old English name of Linden tree.

Native across the Mediterranean and all the way to India.  Grown for its fragrant flowers and fragrant oil.

Visible from the road but access is limited because it is in the garden of the Dower House, near the church.  The Cork Oak is an evergreen native of Spain.  Its thick bark has been harvested for centuries to be used in a variety of ways because of its properties.  It is soft, waterproof and it floats and has been used to cushion shoes, plug wine bottles and hold fishing nets afloat.

A large tree for such a restricted site, this native of the eastern USA can suffer from water stress because of the surrounding tarmac and this distorts the leaves.  Other Red Oaks, such as the large one by the car park in Knowle, show the usual large leaves up to 20cm (8ins) long with pointed lobes.  Red Oaks are planted for their autumn colour, as the name suggests, the leaves turn red.  In their native range the red can be brilliant, but our climate brings about a more muted copper colour.

Dating back before the dinosaurs, its common name refers to the leaves which are similar to the Adiantum, Maidenhair Fern.  Surrounded by lots of health mythology, it is actually poisonous.  This tree is claimed to be the second largest Ginkgo in the UK and the wonderfully gnarled trunk indicates the tree is well over 100 years old.  To get the scale, note the man standing by the tree in the picture.

Considered a very significant marker tree for the village that must be replaced if it dies.

There is a short video about the history at

Salcombe Regis Thorn Tree, Great Trees Project, East Devon District Council

The current tree was planted recently to replace the tree featured in the video which, if you look closely, shows serious fungal attack.

An ancient giant supposed to be 600 years old, but this is difficult to verify, its girth of about 8m could equate to that age if it is not a double trunk. The stag’s horn top is one of the characteristics of ancient trees and it is certainly very old.

Elegant trees famous for their white bark.  The two commonest weeping forms are Youngii or Tristis but we do not know which one this is.

From one side this looks a fine, open grown specimen, but it is fighting for space with the large Red Oak planted too close.  With a girth of about 2.5m, this tree is between 70 and 100 years old.  Sadly, some other Horse Chestnuts in the Lawns area have been lost to a combination of Bleeding Canker and Leaf Miner, but this tree seems to be in robust health and should be able to fight off infection.

A young tree about 30 years old, rather swamped by the adjacent Red Oak and Limes and so growing tall quite quickly as it fights for light.

One of a line of Common Limes planted along the boundary wall about 100 years ago.  Common Limes have nothing to do with citrus fruits.  They are a hybrid between the two native Lime or Linden trees, Small Leaved and Large Leaved Limes, with heart shaped leaves intermediate in size.  Rather than being juicy, the fruits are small hard pods that hang in clusters under bracts that help them disperse with the wind.

One of a line of Common Limes planted along the boundary wall about 100 years ago.  Common Limes have nothing to do with citrus fruits.  They are a hybrid between the two native Lime or Linden trees, Small Leaved and Large Leaved Limes, with heart shaped leaves intermediate in size.  Rather than being juicy, the fruits are small hard pods that hang in clusters under bracts that help them disperse with the wind.

A large tree fighting for space with the adjacent Horse Chestnut.  The girth of 277cm makes this tree about 200 years old.  Introduced from North America as a fast growing ornamental tree, its large leaves put on a good show of autumn colour.  The acorns are flatter than those from the English Oak, but squirrels like them just as much.

Sadly brought down by a mini tornado in 2021.

About 100 years old, this was once in the garden of Woodlands, now a beautiful street tree with a spreading crown.

A grand specimen probably as old as the Belmont in whose garden it stands.  You can tell it is an English Oak by looking closely at the leaves,  They have a very short stem or petiole and there are two small tabs at the base of the leaf.  Also the acorns appear on a long stalk called a peduncle.  When the acorn has gone, the cupule looks like a small pipe that an elf might use.

A gnarled old tree donated to Sidmouth in Bloom by the local garden centre when it was owned by Ian Barlow.

A young tree that is growing strongly just inside the community orchard.

A hybrid between the White Poplar and Aspen, the leaves are similar to aspen but covered in a grey down, and the petiole is stronger and so the leaves do not tremble like Aspen leaves.  The bark has characteristic lines of diamond shaped lenticels.

A hybrid between the White Poplar and Aspen, the leaves are similar to aspen but covered in a grey down, and the petiole is stronger and so the leaves do not tremble like Aspen leaves.  The bark has characteristic lines of diamond shaped lenticels.

A hybrid between the White Poplar and Aspen, the leaves are similar to aspen but covered in a grey down, and the petiole is stronger and so the leaves do not tremble like Aspen leaves.  The bark has characteristic lines of diamond shaped lenticels.

A young tree about 30 years old that should outlast the Poplars that surround it, almost like a forest nurse crop.

Rather thin growth because of the surrounding trees, this member of the Maple genus Acer has leaves similar to the Maple leaf on the Canadian flag with its pointed lobes.  It differs from its cousin the Sycamore because its flower sprays turn up while the Sycamore flowers hang down.

The curious trunk of this tree was caused by damage to the main apical bud when the tree, probably self sown, was very young, possibly the mower clipped the top.  The next two buds, which occur in opposite pairs on most members of the Acer species, took over and produced the twin trunk.  Distinguished from its cousin the Norway Maple by the flower panicles that hang down.

One of several Zelkovas planted along this hedge as replacements for the Horse Chestnuts that used to stand here but have succumbed one by one to disease.  Zelkovas are in the Elm family, unfortunately that makes them slightly susceptible to Dutch Elm Disease.

The picture shows two of a line of Horse Chestnuts planted alongside the hedge dividing the Byes and Hunter’s Moon garden about 80 years ago, possibly to mark Annie Leigh Browne’s death and her bequest of 20 acres of the Byes to the National Trust.  Several have had to be removed because of disease and the left hand one was felled a few months after this picture was taken.

One of a line of Horse Chestnuts planted alongside the hedge dividing the Byes and Hunter’s Moon garden about 80 years ago, possibly to mark Annie Leigh Browne’s death and her bequest of 20 acres of the Byes to the National Trust.  Several have had to be removed because of disease but this tree looks healthy, for now.

One of a line of Horse Chestnuts planted alongside the hedge dividing the Byes and Hunter’s Moon garden about 80 years ago, possibly to mark Annie Leigh Browne’s death and her bequest of 20 acres of the Byes to the National Trust.  Several have had to be removed because of disease but this tree looks healthy, for now.

Smaller than the one in the opposite corner of the Lawns area about 40-50 years old.  An American import, as the name suggests, the large leaves of this tree put on a good display of autumn colour.  In its native range it is a brilliant red in September, but our climate doesn’t allow the chemical changes to run so well and we get a muted display of orange red turning to copper.

A young tree, 35-40 years old, but it is in a good site and should flourish for several hundred years.

Standing alone, you can fully appreciate this tree which is about the same age as the line of Limes across the road in The Byes.

Dwarfed by the Foxglove Tree, this young Rowan has a slightly weeping habit.

One of the many Sycamores that have self sown and been allowed to grow in this part of the Byes.  The girth of nearly 2m indicates an age of about 50 years.  Apart from the leaf colour, this tree can be distinguished from the nearby Norway Maple by the flowers and samara fruits, in Sycamore they hang down, in Norway Maple they stand up.

A delightful member of the cherry family with long panicles of white flowers hanging down in April.  The almond scented flowers are very popular with insects. The flowers give way to small, black cherries too bitter for us but a treat for birds.

A young tree that has been given plenty of space to grow.  It is already old enough to be producing seeds in the strings of dangling samaras that look rather like Christmas decorations, but not yet old enough for the sinuous streaking to develop on the bark.

One of a line of three of these members of the Elm family from Japan.  The are closely related to the Caucasian Elms found in the Lawns area but the leaves are more serrated, hence the Latin name, and they have a flat, spreading crown.

Local residents tell me that this tree was planted in 1971 when the bungalows were built.  As children, they called it the umbrella tree and played inside the branch tent.  A mass of twisted branches branches in winter, splattered with pale green seed samaras in late spring, and clothed in dark green leaves that are rough to touch and have the characteristic Elm lop-sided bottom.  This cultivar of the Wych Elm was first discovered on the Camperdown estate near Dundee in Victorian times.  As it doesn’t grow to be very tall, it is missed usually by the beetles that carry Dutch Elm Disease which fly above heights of 5m.

A well developed tree growing in plenty of space.  With a girth of nearly 2m, this tree was probably planted about 1950 and local residents tell me the first houses were built in 1948.  The nearby Camperdown Elm was planted in 1971 when the bungalows were built.

With a girth of 372cm, this tree is between 190-210 years old.  Obviously, it was much taller than now but it has been attacked by fungus and had to be reduced for safety.  There was an equally large tree beside it which was felled completely.  They are on an old field boundary, possibly they were part of a beech hedge that was left to grow.  The tree workers have turned the old tree into what is called a standing snag, dead wood left as a habitat for wildlife.  The carving at the top is like a wind snapped tree, the clean cuts will weather down steadily.

With a girth of two and a half metres, this tree is probably 60-70 years old, the oldest Sycamore in the area and possibly the parent of many of the others as the winged samaras helicoptered seeds on the wind.  In spring, note the racemes of green yellow flowers that hang down, unlike its nearby cousin the Norway Maple whose flowers are held up.

A pair of beautiful trees that open their silvery leaves in late April.  The silver is a coat of tiny wax scales.  As the leaves lose the waxy coat to reveal their pale green colour the pure white flowers open in multiple panicles.  In autumn the leaves change colour as the berries redden as a signal to the birds that they are ready to be eaten.

Unusual among cherries, the flowers of the Bird Cherry hang in thick racemes like white foxtails.  The flowers are very fragrant and a rich source of food for insects.  The flowers develop into small black cherries, too bitter for humans, they are enjoyed by birds as a good winter food.

A large tree that is a ball of white flowers in spring.  There are many varieties of Japanese Cherry but we are unsure which this is.  The bark of the trunk has the characteristic stripes of the cherry family.  In late summer there is a profusion of dark cherries, but they are very sour and fit only for bird food.

Planted too close to the edge, this tree was falling over at one stage but the canopy has corrected itself as it spread.  An unusual Maple for two reasons, it has trifoliate (three leaflets) leaves and the winged fruits hang down in long racemes.  It is called the Vine leaved Maple because the leaves are similar to those of the Cissus Vine.  The hanging strings of fragrant yellow flowers open in early April and then develop into the double winged fruits known as samaras that are usual for the Acer genus.

A beautiful aromatic shrub from Chile found to fight scurvy among sailors when Francis Drake and John Wynter landed in Patagonia in 1577-8 and found that locals ate the highly aromatic leaves and bark of a shrub they called Chachaca to stave off a similar condition.

Later botanists gave the plant the scientific name Drimys which means astringent, and winteri to acknowledge Wynter’s part in the story.

Standing like a twisted gatepost at the side entrance to the cemetery.  Hornbeam have very hard wood which was used to make parts for the machinery in mills.

A golden cultivar of Western Red Cedar, possibly Zebrina. Superficially similar to some Lawson Cypress cultivars but the upturned seed cones like small tulips distinguish it, Cypresses have ball shaped seed cones. This cultivar seems to be a squat form of a species that can grow quickly to a huge size.

A rather sickly specimen of this British native.

Usually grown for the attractive evergreen foliage. This visitor from the southern hemisphere which has small purple flowers that emit a strong fragrance at night to attract moths.  The flowers develop into small hard fruits and the seeds inside are very sticky which probably helps with dispersal by sticking to animal fur.

A neat, rounded crown that is spattered with the flat topped bunches or corymbs of white flowers in late April and early May.  These give way to bunches of red berries that are a great source of winter food for birds.  There are many superstitions around Rowans and it is considered unlucky to chop one down.

A hybrid between Horse Chestnut and its cousin the Red Buckeye.  There is a large Yellow Buckeye near the Chapel.  The hybrid is unusual because it produces fertile seeds.

A splash of light in this dark corner.  Sycamores are not native to Britain but they have been with us a long time and become naturalised, a part of nature.  Many insects feed on the nectar rich flowers and the leaves.  This one has variegated leaves which means patches of the leaves are white because they lack chlorophyll.

At first glance you might be surprised to find that this is an English Oak.  It is an unusual form called fastigiate which means the branches point upwards keeping close to the trunk, but the leaves and acorns are the usual form to confirm it is an English Oak.  Apparently there is a very large one at Bicton Park.

A young tree about 15 years old with plenty of room to develop into a well formed tree.

A young tree about 15 years old with plenty of room to develop into a well formed tree.

Quite why we have three of these visitors from Turkey in the middle of the Knapp is a mystery, they might be a hangover from when the whole Knapp was part of the garden of Bohemia Villa.  They sucker vigorously to form a dense rounded mass.

A young tree about 25 years old.  It is surrounded by Maples that will draw it up as a tall rather than a rounded specimen.

It has formed a beautiful cone but, if it had not been cut back when young, it would be a huge tree by now.

An avenue of the columnar form of this tree from the Mediterranean.  The seed cones are much larger than many other Cypress trees and weigh down the erect branches.

A line of young Hornbeams alongside the footpath.  There are many Hornbeams on the Knapp, many self sown, but these half dozen were clearly planted deliberately, perhaps intended as a hedge but it was not maintained.

A stand of Scots Pine that is about 50 years old.  They are slightly younger than the tree by Knapp Pond but they have grown taller because they are crowded for space and they have fought to reach the light.  They show the characteristic orange bark high up the trunk.

A young tree that is growing upwards rather than spreading outwards because it is close to the Grey Alder.

With a girth of 230cm, this tree is about 95 years old and was possibly planted when the enlarged hospital was opened by Lady Balfour in August 1930.  The hospital grounds are excluded from the surrounding conservation which automatically protects the trees, but this tree has its own tree preservation order.

A very dense small tree with tangled and twisted branches if you look inside the canopy of deep purple palmate (hand shaped) leaves which have their glorious colour throughout the summer, turning bright red in autumn.

A form of this British native species with red double flowers instead of the usual white ones.  Easiest spot the difference with the Hawthorn is the leaves, Midland leaves usually have three lobes, Hawthorn leaves usually have at least five lobes.

A large tree that dominates the entrance driveway to the Knowle.  This tree is probably about 90 years old.  The leaves are silver underneath and put on a glorious display of autumn colour.

Sidmouth Town Tree Trail no. 15. Knowle Tree Survey no. 93. Heritage tree. The sprawling branches show that this tree began life in open space, unlike tree 1208 on the list.   Related evidence suggest this tree is was planted about 1880.

Donated by Mr and Mrs Roberts.  Wollemi Pines were thought to have been extinct for millions of years, but in 1994 a Park Ranger, David Noble, discovered a group in a deep ravine in the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales.

No longer standing.  Planted in the early 1980s, this tree was damaged early on and developed a double trunk which is often a weakness in trees.  In 2014 a storm found the weakness and split the tree.   The other half developed rot and fell in 2022.

Felled late 2020.

One of three in this plantation, but nothing to do with citrus fruits, Small Leaved Limes are one of the two native Limes that hybridised to produce the Common Lime that graces so many parks and avenues around England including The Knowle and Bickwell Valley in Sidmouth.  The flowers are very rich in nectar and attract many insects.  The subsequent fruits have a large bract that helps them to be dispersed by the wind.

One of three along the Knowle driveway, this is a fastigiate (multi-stemmed) form of the British native tree.  Hornbeam means hard wood in old English and the timber is the hardest of any European tree.  Among other things it was used for butcher’s blocks.  The fruits have a three pointed bract that allows dispersal by the wind.

The common name of Judas Tree may come from the myth that it was a Cercis from which Judas Iscariot hanged himself.  The myth also claims the trees flowers represent the tree being covered with blood at Easter.  The flowers, which open before the leaves, show this to be a member of the Pea family.

A line of mature Horse Chestnuts of two kinds, the common Conker Tree, Aesculus hippocastanum, and the Red Flowered version Aesculus x carnea, which is a hybrid between the common species and the American Red Buckeye, Aesculus pavia.  With girths of 250cm, the white flowered Conker trees are about 90 years old.  Although smaller, the Red trees do not grow to be as big and so they might be the same age.

This tree is one of a group of exotic fruits planted in spring 2014, donated by Dame Julia Slingo, Patron of Sidmouth Arboretum. Others include fig and apricot.

Donated and planted by Hugh Angus, dendrologist consultant to Sidmouth Arboretum. Hugh is former Curator at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum in Gloucestershire; and a world expert on Maples.

Donated by Sidmouth Garden Centre and planted in 2014.

A colourful variety of Rowan with yellow berries and rich autumn colour in the leaves, named after the American plant hunter of the same name who was a colourful character himself.

Fastigiate form of Ginkgo, planted 2014 but still not fully established.  Ginkgo trees have fossil ancestors dating back over 200 million years to the Jurassic.  They are very primitive with pollen that releases a swimming gamete rather than growing a fertilisation tube to the female ovule as all other trees do.

Mostly ignored, but mass of yellow flower in March, which can be seen from the pavement outside.

A Dogwood rather than a true cherry but the fruits are edible when ripe.  The wood from the Cornelian Cherry is so dense it will sink in water.  It is also very hard and was used to make spears in ancient times.

Eye catching conifer with drooping cones (summer 2014)- viewable from pavement. This tree is male as can be seen from the cones.  Visit the avenue of monkey puzzle trees which lead up to Bicton College to see female cones.

The Queensland Bottle Tree is named from the shape of the trunk of the mature tree which looks like a huge bottle.  It is not normally hardy in UK, this tree outgrew its space in the glasshouse of Blackmore Gardens and was moved, courtesy of EDDC Parks Officer, Mark Pollard, to take its chance at Connaught Gardens. Winter 2013/4 was mild.  It needed a severe prune after the Beast From The East in February 2018 but is growing back happily.

Not a plum at all, but an ornamental spring flowering cherry. This group of three were planted February 2014, under the guidance of Edward Willis Fleming, with thanks to Balfour Manor residents.

This very sheltered private garden has fine example of this New Zealand origin tree, flowering in May.

Beautiful and unusual Camperdown Elm, under threat from car parking.    Camperdown Elms are a variant or sport of the Wych Elm, the first one was noted in the forest of Camperdown House near Dundee in the 1830s.  Cuttings were taken and raised for commercial sale.  There is another one, tree 1322, outside the Library, enjoyed by small children under its canopy.

Beautiful mature tree given space to develop its natural shape.  A glorious site when in full flower in March and then again with a second flush in May – in private garden but fully visible from the road.

Tulip Trees are botanically primitive, they are related to Magnolias and are found in the fossils from the Cretaceous period 70 million years ago.

This fine specimen was growing in a garden in Temple St in 1976, it was moved to Knowle as a 4ft sapling when the owner, Lorna Lever (formerly Mrs Humberstone) moved to Harcombe Lane.  The slope allows flowers to be seen at eye level in June.

Field Maple is very adaptable, can be grown as tree, or hedge or coppiced. This is a very old and venerable tree.

A fine row of mature beech trees topping the old Devon Hedge banks along the lane.  They probably started as just part of the hedge but were left to develop into trees.  Some were coppiced earlier and have grown as multi-stemmed trunks.  The two sides of the lane seem to have been planted at different times.  The East side trees are about 100 years old but the west side has several that are 150-180 years old.

Three copper beech saplings were planted at a ceremony in March 2014, attended by Lord Clinton (Clinton Devon Estates) and Sir Jonathan Phillips, Warden of Keble College, Oxford. The nearby Keble’s Seat is attributed to the view over to Dartmoor, which inspired Christian poet and hymn writer John Keble.  Keble College, Oxford was named in his memory.

One of a pair of majestic Holm Oaks, echoes of 19th century planting, when the land was donated for public access by Annie Leigh Browne.

Holm Oak is old English for Holly Oak, the leaves are evergreen and on young trees they have sPines, but it is an Oak because it bears acorns.

Tulip Trees are botanically primitive, they are related to Magnolias and are found in the fossils from the Cretaceous period 70 million years ago.

The spindly and lop-sided shrub/tree on the right of the gap in the wall is also called a Pineapple Guava because of the flavour of the fruit which does not ripen in Devon.

Donated by Ian Barlow, Sidmouth Garden Centre, and planted with help of volunteers November 2013.  The more common European Lime is a hybrid of the Small Leaved and Large Leaved Lime.

Planted widely in Devon, Red Oaks have a rich red autumn colour in their natural range of the eastern United States but, in our climate, the very large leaves tend to go a copper colour.

Probably planted when the development was built, this native tree is a common inhabitant of hedgerows and rarely gets to grow as a full sized tree.  Sometimes confused with Sycamore because, as with all members of the genus Acer, Field Maples have seeds enclosed in a double winged samara that encourages seed dispersal by wind.  The Field Maple samara has the wings spread almost at 180 degrees while Sycamores have them at about 60 degrees.

A fine tree grown with plenty of room to develop, possibly in a former orchard which is why it is next to a mature apple tree.  Although it does flower and Walnuts develop, you are unlikely harvest Walnuts from this tree because the squirrels get there first.  Not a true native, Walnut trees were introduced so long ago by the Romans that they have become naturalised.

Presumably a remnant of an old orchard because this tree, along with the adjacent Walnut, is older than the surrounding houses.  It is not clear which variety but it might be James Grieve, a dual purpose cooker/eater.

One of several Oaks that have been living in the ancient hedge bank alongside Byes Lane for about 150 years.

This Turkey Oak is one of the many trees planted around The Byes to commemorate a loved one, in this case it is George Mullan.

One of the many memorial trees planted in The Byes.  This Maple commemorates Mr and Mrs Gerrard.  Acers come in a wide range and, unfortunately, there is no record to say which species this is, but the tree looks like it could be a Red Maple, Acer rubrum.

A young tree that will replace the veteran Chestnut 1001 next door one day, by which time its trunk will have developed the characteristic spiral twist.  Such successional planting is vital if areas such as The Byes are to as beautiful for future generations.

One of several large Monterey Pines whose dome shaped canopies and craggy trunks dominate the hillside, all planted about 100 years ago when the Beatlands area was the park around Salcombe Hill House, now Belvedere Court.

A stand of large Monterey Pines, part of the shelter belt planted around Coobe Lodge, formerly the aptly named Pinelands.  Visible from several points on surrounding roads, the trees are in a large private garden.

One of several large Monterey Pines that were planted about 100 years ago and now dominate the Beatlands area.  This one is in the grounds of Mount Pleasant, now a hotel.

Every large house in this area seems to have planted Monterey Pines about 100 years ago, there are several across the Beatlands area of Salcombe Hill.  With a girth of over 5m, this tree is probably about 140 years old.  Easily identified by the dark green domed canopy and the large cones that are retained on the upper branches.  If you pick up some of the dropped needles you will see they come in threes.

Marking the corner of Hillside Road and Southway this fine tree stands just inside a private garden but it can be appreciated from the road.

In a private garden but easily visible from the road.  This tree was probably pollarded some time ago to keep it in check.

A beautiful, open grown specimen which can be seen clearly as you come up Hillside Road.

A lovely, open grown tree coming to maturity.

Along with the Monterey Pine, the Monterey Cypress was a very popular tree in late Victorian times and there are many mature ones around the town.  Unlike so many of them, this fine tree has been allowed to grow and not had its top cut back, compare it with the tree across the road.

Monterey Cypress trees are very fast growing, they are one of the original parents of the Leylandii hedge hybrid, which was fine when they were being planted in large Victorian and Edwardian gardens.  As the town has become more crowded many of these elegant giants have been topped out and pruned to keep them in check.  Generally this spoils a potentially elegant tree, compare this strange specimen with tree 1151 across the road.

A good example of this visitor from California.  There are many examples around the town, planted in late Victorian and Edwardian times along with Monterey Pines (no relation) but many have been distorted by unsympathetic pruning because the Monterey Cypress grows quickly.

A classic example of development overtaking mature trees.  Planted about 100 years ago in the large garden of the Fortfield Hotel.  The hotel was burned down and demolished some years ago and has been replaced by several blocks of apartments.  The magnificent Monterey Cypress now has regular pruning to prevent interference with the buildings.  This could have been avoided if the developers had chosen to give it space.

It is good to see one of these visitors from California having room to grow without being topped out.  Whoever planted it could perhaps have thought about how large the trunk would grow because it is now pushing the wall over.

Bickwell Valleys status as a conservation area is partly because of the trees and this Monterey Cypress shows why.  Unlike many specimens around the town, this one has the space to grow unhindered and so shows its natural shape.

Another part of the shelter belt planted around the house that used to be called Pinelands.  Easily identified from a distance by the domed crown and large cones that are retained for years.

Spoiled somewhat by unsympathetic pruning, the trunk on this Monterey Pine looks quite old but the girth of the trunk shows it was planted after the park around Arcot House was developed for housing in 1927.  The adjacent Oak would have been a mature tree when the house was built in 1820.

We call them Scots Pine but these British natives can be found right across Northern Europe and Asia where they have many local names.  Distinguished from the nearby Monterey Pines by the orange bark on the upper tree, the short, lighter green needles that grow in twos not threes, and the smaller seed cones that drop from the tree as soon as they are mature.

Like so many of the mature Monterey Cypress trees in the town, this one has had its top removed, if left to nature this tree would probably be at least 5m (15ft) taller.

Native to California, these fast growing conifers first arrived in England in 1847.  Experiments with hybrids led to a cross between the Monterey and Nootka Cypresses producing a fast growing and robust hedge tree, the dreaded Leylandii.

A younger tree than the much larger Monterey Pines that dominate the area, sadly pruned badly at some stage which has left it lop-sided.

Most of the Pines in this garden are Monterey Pines.  This one is different, the crown is more horizontal, the cones are smaller and, most importantly, the needles are in twos.  Superficially it looks like a Scots Pine, the bark is the right colour and the needles are in twos, but they are much too long and straight, it is a variety of Black Pine from Austria. Compare the small cones with the fist-sized ones retained on the Monterey Pines.

A large, multi-stemmed tree that dominates this part of a quiet side road and scatters thousands of the winged samara fruits on the wind.  The double samaras are characteristic of the Acer genus but individual species vary the angle, Sycamore has them set at about 90 degrees, Norway Maple samaras make an angle of about 120 degrees, Field Maples have them spread at about 180 degrees.

Sometimes called the Black Pine because of the dark patches on the bark.  As with the native Scots Pine, the Corsican Pine’s needles come in pairs but they are longer and straighter than the Scots Pine.

These two conifers are battling for light and the Monterey Cypress is winning with its spreading habit swamping the Lawson’s Cypress.  The fast growing conifers were introduced from California in mid-Victorian times and became great favourites with Sidmouth gardeners.  Hopefully this one will have room to grow to its full height as many of the older trees around town have been topped to keep them in check and this spoils their shape.

These two conifers are battling for space and light and the Lawson’s Cypress is losing out to the spreading Monterey Cypress next door.  If it had space, this tree could grow to more than 40m (130ft).  Introduced from California in mid-Victorian times, these fast growing trees were popular with gardeners and there are many around the town but some of them have outgrown their site.

These are the palms that line the street of Beverley Hills in California, our tree will take some years to reach their size.

A relation to the Chinese or Chusan Fan Palm at the opposite end of the garden but the retained leaf bases are more prominent and the Mediterranean  palm has a tendency to produce many young shoots at the base.

One of the Five Sacred Trees of Kiso, the timber of Hinoki was so good for building that it was reserved for the Samurai rulers of the Japanese Edo period and if commoners cut one down they were imprisoned.

This tree is somewhat swamped by the surrounding Laurel and Rhododendron, but if you struggle through you will see the rich red bark on the pencil straight trunk.  In late autumn the upper branches are festooned with many, pea-sized spherical cones.

Planted in memory of Richard Holland 1926 – 2019.  Formerly of the Fleet Air Arm 1944 – 1946.  Proud husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.  ‘Don’t be sad.  Just remember me.’

With a girth of 2.37m this tree is probably about 40 years old, younger than many of the Monterey Pines around the town.  There has been unfortunate lop-sided pruning, presumably health and safety concerns about branches overhanging the path in the garden, this might cause serious leaning in years to come similar to the problem that led to the felling of the large Pine that used to stand by the ford.

Sometimes called the Canary Island Date Palm but, despite the name, this native of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic is not the source of your Christmas dates, they come from the true Date Palm, Phoenix dactylifera, which originated in the eastern Mediterranean and Near East.

The largest palm in the garden’s collection, this tree is still a long way from full grown.

Planted as Brahea brandegeei, the St Jose Palm, this is actually the much slower growing Mexican Blue Palm with its rows of distinctive yellow sPines on the frond stems.  As the name suggests, these palms are native to the deserts of northern Mexico and southern California.

Related to the Mediterranean Fan Palm at the opposite end of the garden but Chusan Palms have much denser fibrous material that insulates the trunk in the cold mountains of its native China.  Also the trunk tends to be single, producing fewer basal shoots.

A younger version of the large Palm at the opposite end of the garden.  Not the source of edible dates, the true Date Palm, Phoenix dactylifera, originates in the eastern Mediterranean and Near East but is now cultivated widely.

One of several of these so-called palms that cope with the sea wind around the garden.  Unlike many of the trees in the garden, this is not a true palm but a relative of Asparagus originally from New Zealand (australis means southern).  The huge bunches of fragrant flowers produce large numbers of white berries that are eaten by many birds.

A beautiful aromatic shrub from Chile found to fight scurvy among sailors when Francis Drake and John Wynter landed in Patagonia in 1577-8 and found that locals ate the highly aromatic leaves and bark of a shrub they called Chachaca to stave off a similar condition.

Later botanists gave the plant the scientific name Drimys which means astringent, and winteri to acknowledge Wynter’s part in the story.

Now grown for its ornamental value.

A beautiful pair of trees with gleaming white bark, planted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Sidmouth Branch of Lions International.  The bark is much whiter than that of the native Silver Birch and is used in its home in the Himalayas as writing paper for sacred texts and prayers.

Sadly, as with so many of the exotic trees around Sidmouth, these trees are becoming rare in their native range because of human exploitation.

One of a group of trees planted as part of the 2020 partnership with the Environment Committee of Sidmouth Town Council.

Sorbus hupehensis is a Chinese cousin to the native Rowan and Whitebeam.  It has a profusion of white flowers in spring which are good for pollinators.  These ripen to pink tinged white berries to feed birds in the winter.  The blue-green leaves turn a fiery red in autumn. Planted with the help of David Rosenthall.

Four Black Poplar cuttings planted to replace two storm damaged trees that had to be felled.  They were donated by Roger Jefcoate who has been responsible for planting Black Poplars in many sites across England because he loves these large, native trees which are in decline.  These three were planted as slender cuttings but they will soon fill out.

A delightful tree clothed in large, white, star shaped flowers in April.

This tree was planted in memory of Brenda Curtis (1938-1990).

Having grown up and worked in London, Brenda moved to Devon soon after her marriage in 1959.  She made her family home, with husband Michael and sons Adrian and Paul, in Sidmouth and she worked for EDDC at The Knowle.

The first of the trees sponsored by local insurance company The Exeter being planted by Dawn Prescott, Michael Dowdeswell and Cheryl Hayes

Whips planted in January 2020 as part of the planting scheme in association with Sidmouth Town Council and sponsored generously by local insurance company The Exeter.

One of several flowering trees on the site, part of the planting scheme supported by Sidmouth Town Council and The Exeter, being planted by volunteer Amanda Richardson.

An upright Crab Apple from USA, part of the planting scheme in association with Sidmouth Town Council and local insurance company The Exeter.

One of ten trees planted at this site in January 2020 as part of the scheme supported by Sidmouth Town Council and the local insurance company The Exeter.

A pale pink Japanese cherry, volunteer Jim Wright planting one of ten flowering trees planted in January 2020 in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and local insurance company The Exeter.

White flowered Cherry, one of ten flowering trees planted in January 2020 in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and local insurance company The Exeter.

A purple flowered Crab Apple. One of ten trees planted in January 2020 in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council with sponsorship from The Exeter.

One of ten trees planted in January 2020 in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and sponsored by The Exeter.  Volunteers Bernard and Dee Pattison helped on the day.

A Lucombe Oak (a hybrid between Turkey Oak and Cork Oak) with a girth of 5.6m.  It is difficult to calculate the age of a Lucombe Oak without cutting it down because there is little age to girth data available, but this tree is probably about 200 years old and so planted when the original house was built.

Originally from China, this is the smallest of the Redwoods but will still grow to 60m (200 ft). With fossil records back 150 million years, scientists believed it was extinct until a plantation was found in a remote part of China in 1946.  It is one of the few conifers that is deciduous.

One of several fine trees that line the park.  Sadly, they are affected badly by Leaf Miner and some have succumbed to the fungal disease Bleeding Canker.  In 2017 the adjacent tree was reduced to a stump.

Distinguished from Atlas and Lebanon Cedars by the downward sweeping branches.  With a girth of 305cm this tree you would expect this tree to be approximately 100 years old, but we know it was planted in 1962.  It must be a very good growing site.

Died 2024, felled 2025.

With a girth just under 2m, this tree is 80-90 years old.  Distinguished from the Monterey Pines by needles in groups of two and the seed cones are much smaller when mature.  After the seed cones are pollinated, they close up and seal with resin while the seeds develop.  Unlike the Monterey Pine, the cones open the following year to release the seeds and then fall off.

One of two Redwoods in the garden, with a girth of 380cm this tree is a baby only about 80 years old.  The true giants in California are up to 3,000 years old and five times as tall as this one. The common name in the UK is Wellingtonia, a tribute to the Duke of Wellington, but when explorers from eastern USA discovered them in remote California they gave them the name Washingtonia.

Number 121 in the EDDC survey.  Monterey Pines grow very quickly in the first thirty years and then, when established they slow down and settle into maturity.  This tree is younger than you might think, it was planted as recently as 1983.  Endangered in its homeland of Monterey in California, Pinus radiata is now the most abundant conifer in the southern hemisphere where it is a commercial timber tree.

Mature giant grown surrounded by other trees and so it has developed with a tall, straight trunk unlike the sprawling 1102 which must have grown in open space.

Although much younger and smaller than the two Giant Redwoods in the garden area, this Coast Redwood has the capacity to grow taller than its giant cousins.  A tree called Hyperion in the Redwood National Park is the current champion at 116m (382ft) although more slender and less massive than the Giant Redwood General Sherman.

Monkey Puzzles are very primitive with fossil records back to the time of the dinosaurs.  This tree is a male with pollen producing cones.  There are several female trees along the Bicton driveway which have ball shaped cones.  The cones have large edible seeds which taste like Pine nuts.

Often planted as an ornamental, the Ironwood is named because of its very hard wood. In early spring the tree is covered in male flowers with their deep red stamens. Autumn leaf colour is also spectacular.

Often planted as an ornamental small tree, Ironwood is named because of its very hard wood. In early spring the tree is covered in male flowers with their deep red stamens. Autumn leaf colour is also spectacular.  Also, the colourful stems can intertwine and join where they cross.

This tree, number 4 on the Sidmouth Tree Trail, dominates the ford where it has stood for more than 100 years according to the girth of its trunk.  It can be seen as a mature tree peeping into the frame of a picture of the ford taken in 1918.  A beautiful example of the horizontal plates of foliage that distinguish the Cedar of Lebanon from other Cedars.

A lovely example of the weeping form of these fine trees.  They do not breed true and so are grown from cuttings usually grafted onto a common Lime rootstock, the graft line is visible at head height if you go under the tent-like canopy.

Dawn Redwood is one of the few deciduous conifers.  With fossil records back to the Mesozoic, scientists believed it been extinct for at least 5 million years until a plantation was discovered in a remote region of China in 1947.  This means this fine specimen cannot be more than 75 years old.

Distinguished from Deodar and Atlas Cedars by the horizontal spread of the branches.

With a girth of about 7m this tree is about 200 years old and so part of the original planting for the house.

Described as a living fossil with ancestors in the fossil records back 270 million years.

One of the characteristic sites around Sidmouth are the Cabbage Palms which create a sub-tropical feel.  They are neither a cabbage nor a true palm, they are actually related to Asparagus.

A native of the Holy Land, one explanation for the common name is because it is covered in red blossom at Easter which is supposed to signify it is the tree from which Judas hung himself.  The flowers show this tree is a member of the pea family.  They are unusual because they spring from the bark of the trunk and twigs rather than new shoots, this is known as cauliflory.

Also called the Ghost Tree and the Dove or Handkerchief Tree because of the beautiful white bracts around the flowers that hang down in late spring.  Introduced to the UK by Veitch’s plant hunter E.H. ‘Chinese’ Wilson.  He had heard about a glorious example of the tree and travelled all the way to a remote region of China only to find that the tree had been chopped down.  He did find one eventually and collected seeds.

The usual source of Maple Syrup, native to eastern North America.

This relative of the Rowan gets its name from the its almost pure white indumentum, that is the furry layer on the underside of the leaves.  The clusters of white flowers are a favourite with pollinating insects and the red berries are good winter food for birds such as Blackbirds, Thrushes, Redwings and Fieldfares.

Rather lost in the hedge until the deep autumn colours develop.  Liquidambars are planted in the UK for their autumn colour rather than the sweet gum that can be extracted from the bark and which is used in perfume.

A magnificent tree but in decline sadly.

A primitive tree species with simple flowers but beautiful leaves.

One of several large Copper Beeches in the garden that were probably planted soon after the house was built. in the early 19th century.

One of several large Beeches probably planted when the house was built two hundred years ago.  Lots of faces to see in the bark patterns.

Sited in what used to be the Camellia House. Only the base wall and some of the heating pipes are left of the building.  From the shape, this is possibly a Shirotae cultivar.

This wonderful tree had to be felled in 2019 because a severe Honey Fungus infestation made it unsafe next to the building.  I small Tulip Tree is trying to fill the space.

Glorious, soft yellow flowers in spring leading to reddish brown pea like seed pods.

Lawson Cypress grow to a huge size in the native North American forests.  Nobody knows why but when they were introduced to Europe in the 19th Century their seeds produced a wide range of different cultivars and they also hybridised with other Cypresses.  This golden cultivar is probably Lanei Aurea.

Lawson Cypress grow to a huge size in the native North American forests.  Nobody knows why but when they were introduced to Europe in the 19th Century their seeds produced a wide range of different cultivars and they also hybridised with other Cypresses.  This lumpy monster is probably the Potennei cultivar.

A favourite waterside small tree in many gardens.  Acer is a huge genus with many species.  They have been cultivated in Japan and China for centuries and there are many cultivars with a huge range of sizes and leaf shapes.  Palmatum means like a hand to describe the five pointed leaves of this species, this one is Dissectum which describes the deeply cut feathery leaves.

Monterey Pines grow very quickly for the first thirty years and this large tree is probably only fifty years old and much younger than the two whose stumps stand across the lawn.  One of the older trees was cut down in 2012 because of disease, a ring count showed it was 147 years old and so one of the earliest ones bred by the Veitch Nursery in Exeter. Note the large cones that stay on the tree for years, and that the needles come in threes, the Scots Pine behind it has needles in twos.

A baby at only about 100 years old, this tree died in early 2020, possibly drowned in the waterlogged soil after a very wet January and February.

The larger specimen in Hunters Moon Hotel is also not very healthy but we still have the two in the Knowle, another large one in the secret garden of Balfour Manor, and possibly Sidmouth’s largest one in Redwood Road.

Much younger than the Cedar of Lebanon at the other end of the garden.  Atlas Cedars come from the Atlas Mountains of North Africa.  They can be recognised by the upward sweep of the branches and foliage plates.

A larger variety than the Dissectum by the summer house but the leaves are the original hand shape without the dissected fronds. We cannot be certain, but this tree is probably an Osakazuki.

The smaller of two of these primitive trees in the Sidholme garden. Ginkgo trees are from China where they are revered and planted in temple grounds.

One of the trees planted in the 1970s when the council took over the site from the hotel.  The female catkins that are retained on the tree look a bit like cones but they are ‘proper flowers’.  The difference being that the seeds are protected by an ovary but in conifers they are not, botanically conifers are known as Gymnosperms which means naked seed.

One of two English Oaks planted in the garden in the later days of the hotel or in the early 1960s before the council took over the site.  As with its partner along the path, most of the acorns are lost to the knopper gall wasp imported with Turkey Oaks.

Planted in 1987 in memory of George Lowe, Head Gardener at The Knowle.

A girth of 155cm indicates that this tree is about 70 years old and so was planted by the hotel.  In late summer the ground under the canopy is littered with failed acorns turned to knopper galls because the gall wasp from Turkey Oaks are so prevalent.

The unusual flowers open in June and look rather like small, green brains.  The leaves are not the favourite food of silkworms, they prefer White Mulberry, but the fruits are delicious when they turn black.

Native to China, the Handkerchief Tree was brought to Britain just over 100 years ago. This one was planted by Sidmouth WI to mark the Millennium, it came into full flower for the first time in 2018.

An American import, Red Oaks are a popular ornamental tree, not just because they tend to have a pleasing rounded shape, but their very large leaves put on a good show of autumn colour.

A young Copper Beech that is about thirty years old.  We know the age because the tree has a plaque commemorating Stan French who worked for the council parks department. When he died, his workmates bought it for him in memory.  As a young tree, the branches sweep down to the ground hiding the smooth, silver bark of the trunk.

An American cousin to the Common Walnut with which it hybridises readily.  Distinguished from the Common Walnut by leaves with up to 13 narrow leaflets rather like an an Ash or Rowan.  This tree was planted in memory of Jane Cuthbe one time secretary to the council leader.

Not actually Indian at all but from the southern United States.  The Indian comes from the early settlers misnomer of Red Indians.  Nor is it a bean, but is more closely related to Snapdragons and Sage.  The seed pods look like beans but the seeds inside are winged for dispersal by wind.  First shown to British scientists by Mark Catesby in the early 18th century.

A sport or mutant form of the English Yew, the Irish Yew has multi stems and the leaves clothe the branches in whorls unlike the English Yew which has them in two flat rows.  All parts of the Yew are poisonous except the fleshy red arils that surround the seeds, the seeds themselves are poisonous.

A quick growing import from the United States, grown often for their glorious autumn colour.  The palmate leaves can be mistaken for a Maple.  The name Sweet Gum is because the bark exudes an aromatic resin which is used in the perfume industry.

Dating back before the dinosaurs, its common name refers to its leaf similarity to the Maidenhair Fern.  Surrounded by health mythology, it is actually poisonous.

It was a lovely, open grown tree that develops deep purple among its autumn colour display.  It was felled in 2020 to make way for the new flood alleviation scheme and performance arena.

A young tree with space to grow.  The only native member of the Acer genus, Field Maple is usually a hedge tree.  The leaves are lobed with rounded tips and the fruits, a double winged samara as in other Acers but is distinct from Sycamore, Silver and Norway Maple because the two wings are set at 180 degrees.

A group of four Rowans but one is in poor health.  Another British native which is a great food source for wildlife including nectar and pollen in spring and a feast of red berries in the winter.

One of a line of three Horse Chestnuts that were a field boundary in the old estate, note the old gate post.  The girth of 3.6m indicates a tree about 150 years old which means it was planted about the time Richard Thornton bought the estate.

One of a line of three Horse Chestnuts that were a field boundary in the old estate, note the old gate posts.  These trees are about 150 years old which means they were planted at about the time Richard Thornton bought the estate.

There are Scarlet and Pin Oaks in the park.  Their leaves, spare and almost skeletal, are similar, the Scarlet Oak being more asymmetrical.  Both have have an untidy habit of downswept branches that contain much dead wood.  The easy way to tell which is which is to look at the buds.  The buds of Scarlet Oak are about 5mm and the scales have hairy edges somewhat like small Turkey Oak buds.  The buds of the Pin Oak are smaller, 3mm, and smooth.

The girth of 280 cm suggests an age of about 125 years which means the tree was planted when the hotel underwent a major refurbishment in late Victorian times.

The girth of 274cm indicates this tree is about 110-120 years old and so was planted at the time the hotel underwent its major redevelopment.  The lovely broad crown shows this tree had no competition when young.  Red Oaks are from North America and are planted as ornamental trees because of their form and the large leaves which put on a display of autumn colour.  In their native range, the colour can be spectacular but is more muted in our climate.

Smaller than tree 1270 across the park and about half its age, the girth of 212cm indicates this tree is about 70 years of age.  London Planes are a hybrid between the American Sycamore and the Oriental Plane.  They are popular roadside trees in cities where they provide cooling shade and absorb traffic pollutants.

With a girth of 4.4m, this Chestnut is probably almost 200 years old and so is one of the original plantings of Mr Fish.  Spanish castanets get their name from being like chestnuts.  Most edible chestnuts are imported because the English climate does not produce large enough fruits.

Nothing to do with citrus fruits, this pair of tall, elegant trees are two among several Common Limes in the park and along Station Road, mostly about 100 years old.  They are a hybrid from the two English species Large and Small Leaved Lime.

No longer with us, died and cut down in 2022.

Introduced as a food plant by the Romans, its wood became fashionable in Georgian times.  This specimen seems to struggle in the wet clay but there are three more Walnut trees in the park and a Black Walnut in the garden area.

A large, mature tree with the characteristic mottled bark.  A girth of 396 cm indicates an age of about 150 years, which means it was planted in the time of Richard Thornton.

Sometimes called the Torbay Palm because there are so many planted there, it is also quite common in Sidmouth gardens. Not a true palm but a member of the Asparagus family.

A smaller specimen than the one on the lawn in the garden of Knowle but with the characteristic tall, slender form.

Ornamental cousin to the Dogwood, this variegated form was a Veitch introduction from China.  The flat spreading plates of the branches are covered in white flowers in May making it look even more like an iced wedding cake.

Variety Joseph Rock.  Lovely autumn colour and, unlike common Mountain Ash, the berries are a rich yellow.  Introduced from China by the flamboyant American explorer and Sinologist Joseph Rock.  Planted by Kelvin and Sue Dent.

Beech timber has an even grain that is useful for furniture.  At just over a hundred years old, this tree was probably planted when the Knowle Hotel was redeveloped in 1895.

Sycamores are sometimes considered a nuisance because they spread so easily but they are home to a wide variety of wildlife and may be useful if our oaks succumb to disease and climate change.

Tucked away in a tangled copse, this tree will grow tall and straight as it fights for light.

A stand of several trees that have grown tall and straight because of their closeness.  There is a fine solo specimen beside the river in The Byes near the Sip Park Road bridge.

Hardly noticeable as you walk up the path because it is surrounded by Monterey Pines, but it is actually taller than the other Redwood (1206) across the path and is the tallest tree in the gardens.

A stand of several Montereys that surround the Giant Redwood 1279.  One was damaged by a storm from the north east in 2018 but it is continuing to grow even with half its rootball disconnected.

A hybrid between Sugar Maple and Red Maple.  Valued for its brilliant autumn colour, this tree was planted to replace a nearby Liriodendron that blew down in 2017.

A sapling grown from seeds taken from the large Monterey Pine 1102 in the gardens of Knowle.  It is important that we plant young versions of the older trees in good time so that we have mature trees as the old ones come to the end of their time.  Monterey Pines grow very quickly when they are young as can be seen in the second picture taken 3 years after planting.

Monterey sapling rescued from a clifftop garden before it was lost to the sea.  Planted to replace the large tree that blew down in late 2018 but it will take many years to become a true replacement.

The smallest of the four Walnut trees in Knowle.  It does produce Walnuts but the squirrels always get there before they can be collected.

The younger of two examples side by side, it could have had a stronger stake when it was planted. Note the upward sweep of the branches compared to the downward sweep of the Deodar Cedar 1284 50m to the south.

The older of two examples side by side. Note the upward sweep of the branches compared to the downward sweep of the Deodar Cedar 1284 50m to the south.

An Holm Oak originally from the Mediterranean.  The Latin name ilex refers to the similarity between Holm Oak leaves on young growth and Holly leaves.

Visible from Sidford High Street, Bramble Close and Howarth Close, this stand of Montereys has a significant softening effect on the angular street scene of Howarth Close.  Unfortunately poor treatment by the owner of the site has caused much damage to these tree and they are a poor remnant of their former glory.

A lovely young tree that will, one day, succeed the mature Limes growing just over the fence.  Nothing to do with citrus fruits, the old name for these trees is Linden.

A pair of young trees that will, one day, succeed the taller mature Limes standing behind. Lime trees in the UK are not about citrus fruits, it is a corruption of the old English name of Linden.

Unlike the common Ash which is wind pollinated (the scientific word is anemophelous), the Manna Ash needs to attract insect pollinators and so has a glorious blossom display in late April early May.

Unlike the common Ash which is wind pollinated (the scientific word is anemophelous), the Manna Ash needs to attract insect pollinators and so has a glorious blossom display in late April early May.

One of our native oaks but much less common in lowland England than the English Oak. The girth of 120cm gives an approximate age of 50 years which means the tree was planted at about the time the estate was sold to the Urban District Council.  The name sessile refers to the acorns which do not have a stalk, those of the English Oak are on long stalks.

The largest of the four Walnut trees in Knowle. The nuts are formed from catkins that open with the leaves during late April to early May.

A cousin to the Horse Chestnut, the  Indian Horse Chestnut has slightly different leaves and no sPines on the conker case.  This tree was planted to commemorate the opening of the Knowle as council offices. The tree was provided by the Devon group of The Men of the Trees.

Nothing to do with citrus fruits,  the old English name for Lime trees was Linden.  The fruits of Common Lime are clusters of small, hard pods hanging from the bract like a small surfboard that acts like a wing to spread the seeds by wind.

Nothing to do with citrus fruits,  the old English name for Lime trees was Linden.  The fruits of Common Lime are clusters of small, hard pods hanging from the bract like a small surfboard that acts like a wing to spread the seeds by wind.

As most children know, Sycamore seeds are scattered by the wind catching the winged fruit called a samara like a helicopter.  This tree is probably self-sown from one of the older Sycamores in the park.

As most children know, Sycamore seeds are scattered by the wind catching the winged fruit called a samara like a helicopter.  This tree is probably self-sown from one of the older Sycamores in the park.

One of several Red Oaks planted in the grounds of the old hotel about 80 years ago according to the girth of the trunk.  The autumn colour in England is rarely as fiery as Red Oaks achieve in their native eastern North America.

Not to be confused with the Horse Chestnuts next door which are also considerably older, but, at about 70 years of age, this tree is about the same age as the other Sweet Chestnut at the end of the row.

Not to be confused with the Sweet Chestnut next door.  One of a line of trees marking the boundary between two of the paddocks of the old estate, note the change of level and the gate posts further along the line.

At about 80 years old, there are several trees of a similar age in this part of the park.  Probably planted to replace some of the trees from the time of Mr Fish as they came to the end of their lives.  Our soil and climate means Red Oaks rarely reach the blaze of red that is achieved in their native North America, but they still put on a good show.

Nothing to do with citrus fruits, the name Lime is a corruption of the old English name Linden. Instead of being juicy, the fruits are clusters of small hard nutlets.

Not to be confused with Horse Chestnuts next door, the Sweet or Spanish Chestnut has large single leaves with a serrated margin.  The chestnuts, which come in a very spiky case, are edible but they rarely grow big enough to be worthwhile in the UK.  The girth of just over 2m indicates this tree is about 65 years old.

A group of three Limes very close together which are about 70 years old.  Nothing to do with citrus fruits, the name Lime is a corruption of the old English name Linden. Instead of being juicy, the fruits are clusters of small hard nutlets.

This tree is about 50-60 years old.  Beech woods are native to Britain and so they support a wide range of wildlife.  Pigs used to be kept in the woods where they would feed on the mast or fruit which comes in a hard, spiky case.  Beech trees are planted for their timber which is smooth grained and used to make furniture.

Two of the many Sycamores that have self sown and been allowed to grow in this part of the park.  This tree can be distinguished from the Norway Maples across the grass by the flowers and samara fruits, in Sycamore they hang down, in Norway Maple they stand up.

Most people can recognise Birch from the white bark.  Birchwoods are where you will find the Fly Agaric, the quintessential toadstool with the red cap spotted white, but not under this one.  You do get them under the Birch further up the drive.

A European cousin to our native Alder, it shares the love of wet ground which it certainly has in this site.  The easiest distinction from the native Alder is that the Grey Alder has pointed leaves while the native Alder has leaves that are squared off or even indented at the end.   This tree is struggling to cope with Honey Fungus.

Three, possibly self sown, one now in very poor health.  Most people can recognise Birch from the white bark.  It doesn’t happen with this particular tree, but Birchwoods are where you will find the Fly Agaric, the quintessential toadstool with the red cap spotted white.  You do get them nearby, under the Birch halfway up the drive.

Still with us in 2020, this is a seedling probably from the Ash trees along Station Road but many of them have succumbed to the fungal disease Ash Die Back.  There are thousands of Ash trees in the valley and their loss will have a big impact, but there are very few in Knowle.

One of two Pin Oaks in this boggy corner which seems appropriate because the Latin name means Swamp Oak.  A native of North America, the Pin Oak is planted in English parks for its autumn colour.

More about Pin Oaks if you click here.

One of two Pin Oaks in this boggy corner which seems appropriate because the Latin name means Swamp Oak.  A native of North America, the Pin Oak is planted in English parks for its autumn colour.

The largest in a line of the three Horse Chestnuts that were part of a field boundary, note the old gate posts further along the line.  At about 150 years old, these trees were probably planted in the time of Richard Thornton as he ‘modernised’ this part of the park.

Glorious display of autumn colour. The ‘helicopter’ fruits (botanically a fruit is a part of the plant that contains seeds) of Acer species are called double samaras. The Norway Maple has large wings almost at 180 degrees, compare to Sycamore which has them set at about 60 degrees.

A native of north America introduced to the UK in the 17th century, the Robinia or Black Locust tree is actually a member of the Pea and Bean family as shown by the racemes of white flowers in May and June. The young branches have significant thorns.

Unusual among Cherry species because the flowers come in long tails called racemes.  The flowers are a great favourite with bees and they give way to small black cherries that are too bitter for us, but blackbirds love them.

A row of pleached Large Leaved Limes, pleaching is an ornamental pruning method fashionable in grand gardens such as Versailles and Chatsworth.  One of two native species which, along with the Small Leaved Lime, gave rise to the hybrid and much more common European Lime.

Unusual variant or sport of the Wych Elm discovered originally in the forest of Camperdown House near Dundee in the 1830s.  Thriving so it might be resistant to Dutch Elm Disease, hopefully.

A native of North America where the bark is harvested and boiled down to release the sweet gum or storax which is used in the perfume industry.  In the UK they are planted mainly for their autumn colour.

Planted by the Sidmouth Club in 1993 to celebrate their golden anniversary.

Called the Judas Tree because the flowers are said to be the blood of Judas as he hanged himself at Easter from a Cercis tree.

One of several large Beeches in the garden, each about 100 years old.

One of several in the garden, some at least 100 years old.

Holm Oaks are a Mediterranean species and they find Sidmouth’s mild climate very comfortable.  This multi-stemmed tree is probably about 100 years old.

Magnificent, but in a way a pest because Turkey Oaks host gall wasps that are affecting English Oaks.  Introduced in the 16th century in an experiment to replace the dwindling stocks of English Oak timber for warships and houses, but the timber was found to be unsuitable.  As they grew more quickly than English Oaks, they were planted as specimen trees.

A common site around Devon seaside towns these palms are not from a tropical beach but the mountains of China which is why they can thrive in the mild climate of Sidmouth.

Not native, but introduced by the Romans probably and, as they have been here so long they are a naturalised part of our nature.  Walnuts seem to do quite well in Sidmouth, there are several in Knowle.

Very exotic looking, most Canary Palms are kept as large house plants but, as you can see, they can thrive outdoors in Sidmouth’s mild climate, although it does suffer a bit of salt burn from the sea breeze.  There is another, almost as large, in Connaught Gardens. You do not get edible dates from these trees, that is down to a cousin from North Africa.

Endangered in their Californian homeland, Monterey Pines thrive in Sidmouth and there are vast forests of them in New Zealand.   They grow very quickly when they are young, this tree was probably planted when  the gardens were opened to the public.

Rather in the shadow of its large neighbour, with a life span of up to 300 years it should outlive the Monterey Pine.

Shying away from its large neighbour, one easy way to distinguish a Scots Pine is the needles come in pairs while Monterey needles are in threes.

Also called the Linden Tree, nothing to do with citrus fruit but sit under a Lime in full flower and you will breathe a heady scent.  Common Lime is a hybrid between the two native species, Large Leaved and Small leaved Limes.  Compare the leaves with those on the Large Leaved Limes in the pleached hedge across the lawn.

One of the smaller trees in the garden, a purple variety of this cousin to the Sycamore.  To tell them apart, Norway Maple has points on lobes of the leaf, rather like the leaf on the Canadian flag, and the clustered flowers face upwards, Sycamore leaves have rounded lobes and the flowers hang down.

Three types of Cedar are planted in the UK, Lebanese Cedars have level sheet of foliage, Deodar Cedars have a downward sweep to the branches, and Atlas Cedars, such as the one along the path, have an upward sweep to the branch structure.

The upward sweep of the branches distinguishes the Atlas Cedar from the next door Cedar of Lebanon with its level sheets.  Atlas Cedars are from the Atlas Mountains in North Africa.

Planted in memory of Simon Pollentine, a true friend to Sidmouth and its trees..

One of a line of trees planted when the garden was opened to the public to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Common in their native North America, many have been planted around Sidmouth because they grow quickly into very attractive trees.  The autumn colour of Red Oaks can be spectacular, but our climate rarely allows a full show.

The quintessential   English tree.  It has the alternative name of Pedunculate Oak because the acorns are carried on long stalks.  Sadly, these acorns are becoming rare because an invasive wasp brought in with Turkey Oaks lays its eggs in the developing acorn which turns them into knopper galls.

The quintessential   English tree.  It has the alternative name of Pedunculate Oak because the acorns are carried on long stalks.  Sadly, these acorns are becoming rare because an invasive wasp brought in with Turkey Oaks lays its eggs in the developing acorn which turns them into knopper galls.

Also called the Torquay Palm, they are not really palms at all but in the Asparagus family.

One of three specimens growing in this council garden.

The evergreen Holm Oak is sometimes called the Holly Oak because the glossy leaves of young trees have small sPines and look like Holly, but it is an Oak because it produces acorns.

This oak is about 150 years old and possibly planted when the house was first converted to a hotel.

A younger tree about 50 years old, either self-sown from the large Oak nearby or part of a deliberate successional planting?

Planted in 1970 to mark the purchase of the site by the council.  Now in the way of a four storey block of flats.  The developers are paying to have it moved, a remarkable process.

Sponsored by The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust and part of the Jurassic Copse planned for the Park.

Standing in a private garden, but it makes a significant contribution to the street scene.

Planted to celebrate the contribution of Diana East to the Arboretum’s foundation and her years of service as Chair and President.  The drifts of white blossom brighten early spring days.

Native Rowan with good autumn colour and the typical red berries that provide good winter food for birds.  Donated by Jane and Ed Dolphin.

Planted in the Peace Garden of the Dissenters’ Chapel to commemorate the work of Amnesty International.  One of Britain’s native species, this is a pink double form called Paul’s Scarlet.

Planted with permission from Sidmouth Town Council.  Council Chairman Ian McKenzie-Edwards attended along with Town Clerk Chris Holland.  Whitebeam’s leaves have a white downy underside and the berries are a winter larder for birds such as Blackbirds.  Planted as part of Graham’s scheme to have all the British tree species represented in the valley.

A blue form of the Atlas Cedar from north Africa.  The blue colour is caused by thicker than usual wax on the needles.

A stand of three birches, the one in front of the school is the more graceful Youngii variety.

Standing on the old field boundary from when the site was farmland.

A native of the Japanese mountains, this type of Maple is not very common in the UK.  It is distinctive because of its trefoil leaves and winged fruits in long trailing racemes.

A Willow sculpture left to grow.  Possibly Osier, the Willow species planted to provide the flexible whips used in basket weaving.

Most people notice the dangling male catkins that produce pollen in spring, but not many people notice the tiny red stigmas of the female catkins, these contain the ovules that grow into the seeds or nuts.

Alders thrive in marshy areas.  In spring the male catkins hang and release their pollen on the wind to spread it to the smaller female catkins that hold the ovules.

Probably about 50 years old, a beautiful shape.

Actually growing in the churchyard, Turkey Oaks have distinctive, hairy acorn cups.

This imported species can grow to be a magnificent tree but it represents a threat to the English Oak.  It is home to a tiny gall wasp that lays its eggs in the young acorns of the English Oak.  These eggs hatch and the grub causes the acorn to grow into a knopper gall rather than an acorn.

The shape of the leaves and the fact that half of them are still on the tree in January suggest this is actually a hybrid from the Lucombe Oak. In 1762 the Exeter nurseryman William Lucombe noticed an interesting Turkey Oak/Cork Oak hybrid that was evergreen. He took cuttings and grew them on for sale. He discovered that the acorns were fertile but they do not produce identical trees. One of the original trees was planted in Kew Gardens in 1773 and it still stands there today.

Also called the Chinese Fan Palm, it is a native of the mountains of China rather than a tropical beach which is why it can stand the occasional frost.

Tulip Trees are botanically primitive, they are related to Magnolias and are found in the fossils from the Cretaceous period 70 million years ago.

A wonderful specimen that has had a crown lift (lower branches removed) to allow use of the footpath.  Holm Oak means Holly Oak because the evergreen leaves of young trees are sPined like Holly leaves, but it is an oak because it produces acorns.

Heavily pollarded but it is recovering to become a splendid tree.

Heavily pollarded but it is recovering to become a splendid tree again.

The leaves are similar and the catkins are similar but, unlike the English Hazel, its Turkish cousin grows as a tree.  This young one has some way to go.

One of several mature Horse Chestnuts in this part of Sidmouth.

This young tree has a deep scar near the base, this is what happens if you leave plastic ties on trees as they grow.  Spanish castanets get their name from being like chestnuts.  Most edible chestnuts are imported because the English climate does not produce large enough fruits.

One of several mature Horse Chestnuts in this part of Sidmouth.

The trunk girth indicates this tree was possibly planted when the gardens were opened to the public in the early 1950s.

I wonder if this visitor from the south eastern USA will be too big for this garden.

A young tree that has plenty of growing to do although space is limited at present.

One of several weeping willows along the riverside, willows hybridise frequently and it is difficult to specify which variety this is, but it is probably a White Willow.

One of a pair of Common Limes planted either side of the gateway about 70 years ago so younger than those along the boundary wall along Sid Road.  Common Limes have nothing to do with citrus fruits.  They are a hybrid between the two native Lime or Linden trees, Small Leaved and Large Leaved Limes, with heart shaped leaves intermediate in size.  Rather than being juicy, the fruits are small hard pods that hang in clusters under bracts that help them disperse with the wind.

One of two young trees growing up in the shadow of the large Red Oak  The Latin name ‘palustris’ means ‘of the marsh’ and Pin Oaks thrive in wet ground.

Not to be confused with the Cherry Laurel.  The Portuguese Laurel has finer leaves that narrow beyond halfway to a fine point, the flower spikes hang down in June and July.  Cherry Laurel leaves are thicker and fatten beyond half way to a blunt point, the flower spikes are erect in February, March and April.

Tulip Trees are botanically primitive, they are related to Magnolias and are found in the fossils from the Cretaceous period 70 million years ago.

A visitor from Australia, its cousin Acacia dealbata or false Mimosa, with its similar but stronger yellow puffball flowers in early spring, hangs over the fence across the road.

Visible from the Broadway where it can be compared with the large Monterey Pine across the road.

A boon to wildlife from the nectar and pollen of spring flowers to the small apples enjoyed by blackbirds.

Inside the school grounds but visible from Convent Road.

One of a group planted when the old convent was built in the 1880s.

One of a group planted when the old convent was built in the 1880s.

One of a group planted when the old convent was built in the 1880s.

One of a group planted when the old convent was built in the 1880s.

The Italian or Lombardy cultivar has this tall, thin form called fastigiate.

In the school grounds, access limited.

In the school grounds, access limited.

In the school grounds, access limited.

In the school grounds, access limited.

In the school grounds, access limited.

In the school grounds, access limited.

In the school grounds, access limited.

Inside the school grounds.

Inside the school grounds.

Inside the school grounds.

Inside the school grounds.

Inside the school grounds.

Inside the school grounds.

Inside the school grounds.

Inside the school grounds.

Within the school grounds so access limited.

Within the school grounds so access limited.

A native of New Zealand, Pittosporums are a common evergreen tree in Sidmouth gardens.  The name Pittosporum means tarry seed and the seeds have a sticky black coating, possibly as an aid to dispersal on animal fur.

Within the school grounds so access limited.

Inside the school grounds so access limited.

Inside the school grounds so access limited.

Inside the school grounds so access limited.

Inside the school grounds so access limited.

Inside the school grounds so access limited.

Inside the school grounds so access limited.

Inside the school grounds so access limited.

Inside the school grounds so access limited.

The most primitive of trees, these relics from the Triassic Period have male gametes that need to swim to ferilise the ovules.

One of several Pines planted in the large gardens around the town in the early 20th century.

One of several Pines planted in the large gardens around town in the early 20th century.

In the winter of 1968 local nurseryman Eric Kitchener planted this cherry tree at the request of Mrs Emmot, who lived at Fortescue, to commemorate her 22 year old son who was killed in a motor-cycle accident.

An English Yew as distinct from the fastigiate Irish Yews across the churchyard.

Planted in association with Men of the Trees in the 1970s.

Planted in association with Men of the Trees in the 1970s.

Planted in association with Men of the Trees in the 1970s.

Planted in association with Men of the Trees in the 1970s.

The name comes from the beautiful red peeling bark.

Typical 5 lobed leaves distinct from the 3 lobed Midland Hawthorn by the car park.

Planted in association with Men of the Trees in the 1970s.

A mature Crab Apple  tree but we are not sure which variety.

Distinct from the Hawthorn across the churchyard because the leaves are not so deeply indented and the flowers have more than one style in the centre.  This particular variety has double, pink flowers.

The nectar rich spring flowers are a rich food source for insects and the berries are loved by blackbirds and thrushes as winter food.

One of two Irish Yews in the churchyard.  A variant of the English Yew, Fastigiata means it has multiple stems and the leaves are clustered round the stems.  The English Yew sometimes has small basal shoots with clustered leaves but generally it has leaves in two flat rows on the main branches.

Planted by our President, Diana East.  A fast growing, medium sized tree from Asia.  It produces acorn at a young age, from ten years old.  The acorns are bitter and not eaten by British wildlife.

One of several Limes at the entrance to The Byes.  Nothing to do with citrus fruits, the Common Lime is a hybrid of the two native Linden Trees, the Small-leaved and Large-leaved Limes.

Also known as a Huntingdon Elm, an eighteenth century hybrid cross between the native Wych Elm and the Field Elm from Europe.  The Huntingdon Elm has some resistance to Dutch Elm Disease and there are at least two mature Huntingdon Elms in Sidmouth, the other is tree 1622 in Bickwell Valley.

A cousin to the Sycamore, you can spot Norway Maples by the points on the leaf lobes, the upright flower panicles and the samaras (helicopter seeds) set almost opposite while the Sycamore has the samaras set at about 60 degrees.

The old Crack Willow has been replaced with a young weeping willow, probably White Willow.

From its riverside position this is probably from a self sown conker that managed to get away from the large tree on the lawn area, perhaps a child dropped it as they walked back to the gateway.

The lovely red flush of the leaves as they open in the spring indicates this is probably the vigorous hybrid named Robusta.  They are all male trees derived from cuttings of a single hybrid between the Black Poplar and the American Eastern Cottonwood.

A close relative of the European Hornbeam, the Hop Hornbeam originates in the eastern Mediterranean.  It is named after the fruits which look like hops superficially with each seed enclosed in a papery sack.

A primitive member of the Magnolia family with fossil ancestors from the Cretaceous period.   The leaves are quite distinctive but the tree gets its name from the buttery yellow flowers that open in June.

One of the three true cedar species, the Atlas Cedar originated in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa.  The blue colour of this variety is caused by a coating of tiny waxy scales on the needles.

Along with the Willow, the typical English riverside tree.  The roots, which have nodules of nitrogen fixing bacteria, help stabilise the river bank.  The timber is rot resistant and makes excellent charcoal which is particularly good for making gunpowder.

Between 70 and 100 years old and with room to spread out, this tree is developing into a fine specimen.

Hornbeam means hard timber, Hornbeam timber was used for the teeth of the machinery in windmills.

One of several Weeping Willows along the river.  There are many hybrids but most Weeping Willows get their weeping form from the Babylon Willow originally from China.

Along with the Willow, the typical English riverside tree. The roots, which have nodules of nitrogen fixing bacteria, help stabilise the river bank. The timber is rot resistant and makes excellent charcoal which is particularly good for making gunpowder.  Sadly they are under threat from a strain of Phytophthora which causes a bleeding canker disease.

There are several willow hybrids that weep so gracefully, they love to have their roots in water.  This one is most likely to be a White Willow.

Also called the Black Locust Tree, this thorny visitor from North America is a member of the pea and bean family and it has racemes of white pea flowers in early summer.

One of the finest specimen trees of the Lawns area.  The  flowers have a yellow nectar guide for bees.  After the flower has been pollinated, the spot turns pink and bees no longer bother to visit.

A pair of mature Limes with their characteristic epicormic brushwood around the base.

This tree has the characteristic black buds of an Ash tree but the leaves are unusual because they are simple not compound.  That means they only have a single leaf not the usual multiple leaflets that you find on the English Ash.

One of several mature Beech trees in this part of The Byes, this tree, with a girth of nearly 3 metres, is about 125 years old.  Like many trees in this part of The Byes, the clean, straight trunk indicates that it grew surrounded by other trees.  Compare it with Beech 1466 near the weir which has grown in open space and spread its branches from an early age.

One of several mature Sycamores that are probably the children of the large Sycamore just down the river.

It is good to see Oaks of various ages in the area of The Byes, it is a sign of hope for the landscape’s future.  There is a problem in other parts of the town where the English Oaks form knopper galls instead of acorns because of parasitic wasp that was introduced with the Turkey Oak.

A mature tree with the characteristic swirling bark patterns leaning over the river.  Hornbeam means hard wood, the timber is very tough and was used for the cogs in windmill machinery.

A young tree that we hope will be around for a long time to take the place of the older trees as they come to the end of their lives.

Two Ginkgo trees planted by Friends of The Byes.  These exotic visitors from China are the most primitive trees alive today.  They have close relatives in the fossil record going back 240 million years.

The Common Lime is a hybrid between the native Large and Small Leaved Lime or Linden trees.  The Common Lime has tufts of white hair under the leaf, the Small-leaved has reddish hairs, the Large-leafed is easy to spot because the leaves are so big.

The riverside path has several mature Sycamore trees, probably from self sown seeds that can travel great distances on a windy day aided by the helicopter wing of their fruit which is called a Samara.

Probably grown from a conker dropped by a child returning from the huge Conker tree on the Lawn.

As the leaves open in spring, they look like monstrous clawed feet.

This exotic visitor from NE Asia is quite hardy.  The young branches have vicious thorns to deter browsing animals.  The scientific species name septemlobus refers to the leaves which are usually seven lobed.

Distinguished from its cousin the Sycamore by the upward pointing flowers.

A young tree that will take over when the nearby, older Horse  Chestnuts come to the end of their lives.  Almost certainly from a self or squirrel sown conker.

One of several mature Horse Chestnuts along the railings and the roadside.  With a girth of over 3 metres, this tree is about 130 years old and so was planted at about the time the old hotel underwent a major redevelopment.

This was one of several Horse Chestnuts planted about 120 years ago when the hotel was being redeveloped but it succumbed to disease in 2018 and was reduced to this sad stump.

Growing happily despite major damage to the bark on the lower trunk which goes three quarters of the way round.

This tree is interesting because it shows how trees influence each other.  The side close to shade of the Lombardy Poplars is reduced compared to the side facing the light of the open lawn area.

Unlike the examples in The Knowle and Sidholme, this Handkerchief Tree has thrust upwards because it is growing in the shade of larger trees.  You have to look up in May to see the hanging white bracts that give it its common name.

Quite nondescript until the flowers open in early June.  The actual flowers are small inflorescence but they are enhanced by four large, white bracts flushed with red.  They then develop into red, strawberry like fruits which are actually edible.  The leaves put on a good display of autumn colour.

Not any more, cut down in 2022 sadly.

This elegant Silver Lime with its silver backed leaves and characteristic flowers attached to a bract to aid seed dispersal is rather lost tucked away in its corner.  The flowers are laden with a sugar that is a narcotic for bees.

A line of English Yews marking the southern boundary of the park, probably planted for Richard Thornton in the 1860s from the size.

A large tree which is great for pollinators and birds.

Probably allowed to grow from a Beech hedge.

Probably once part of the hedge but allowed to grow into a tree.

One of several of these fascinating trees in The Byes and around Sidmouth.  Described as a living fossil, identical trees can be found in Permian fossils dating back 240 million years.

One of several Zelkovas in The Byes.  These cousins of Elm are noted for their spreading crown and autumn colour.

A line of five Lombardy Poplars that are reaching an age where they will be vulnerable to storm damage.

A young tree, part of planned succession planting because the large Holm Oaks further along the Lawns are reaching a mature age, hopefully they have many years left in them but they will be gone one day.

A mature tree that had to be pruned quite severely to avoid branches being dropped in a very public area, the original problem was a bracket fungus around the base, but Ash Dieback may overtake the tree in its weakened state.  Hopefully, we will have the chance to see the a tree recover from such extreme treatment.

Another young tree planted to take over as older trees come to the end of their time.

A variegated form of these elegant trees.  Originally from the Mediterranean area, they should do well as the climate changes.  The sweet fruits are popular with birds.

One of several Norway Maples in the The Byes.  The upswept, nectar rich flowers that appear in April are distinct from their cousins the Sycamore whose flowers hand in long bunches.  Also, the double winged fruits, called samaras, are set at about 135 degrees apart while Sycamore samaras are at a more acute angle of about 60 degrees. The leaves are similar to the one on the Canadian flag with points on each lobe.

The cones show this to be a Cypress rather than a true Cedar, this is a small tree only about 40 years old, but Western Red Cedars grow to 70m (230ft) in western USA and Canada.

A true Cedar, the upswept branches distinguish it from the Deodar Cedar which has downswept branches and the Cedar of Lebanon with horizontal plates of foliage.  This tree is about 50 years old.

One of three Beech trees in this woodland corner, but they really need more space to flourish.

Named after the renowned plant hunter David Douglas who came to an untimely end when exploring Hawaii.  Large areas of the hill tops around the Sid Valley are covered in commercial plantations of Douglas Fir.

This stand of conifers all appear to be about 40 years of age.  It is a pity they were planted so close together.

A young tree that has taken over from a Red Horse Chestnut that stood on the corner.  It was one of a line planted alongside the hedge dividing the Byes and Hunter’s Moon garden about 80 years ago, possibly to mark Annie Leigh Browne’s death and her bequest of 20 acres of the Byes to the National Trust.

Only two are now left.

Actually a member of the Pea and Bean family, this species imported from North America is decked with strings of white flowers in early summer.  It can be a nuisance because it sends out many suckers which need to be cleared.

Sycamores may take over from Ash as the commonest large tree in the valley as the Ash trees die back.  The good news is that they support quite a large number of species of wildlife.

Alders enjoy growing in wet ground and there are many along the river, but Italian Alder can tolerate much drier and poor ground. Sadly, the black stains on the trunk show that they suffer from Phytophthora alni, a disease that is spreading through our native Alders. The main distinguishing feature from native Alder is that the leaves are smooth and heart shaped rather than strongly veined with a terminal notch.

With its nectar rich flowers and profusion of berries, this large relative of the more common shrub Cotoneasters is a great help to wildlife.  The second one planted nearby might create an arch above the path.

This evergreen conifer seems out of place among all the broadleaves by the river but, with its alternative name of Giant Red Cedar, it will grow very quickly to dwarf the other trees.

Named after the downy white underside of the new leaves in spring, this cousin of the Rowan provides food for pollinators, various caterpillars and birds.

This cousin of the Sycamore is actually native to most of northern Europe not just Norway.  The leaves are very similar to the leaf on the Canadian flag but the Canadian leaf is stylised and not from any natural leaf.  Crimson King is the most common variety with dark red/purple leaves.

Easily recognisable by the white bark on the younger parts of the tree.  These are quick growing but do not live very long, usually less than a hundred years.  Their roots are associated with the red and white Fly Agaric toadstool.

One of the rather crowded trees creating the shaded Lovers’ Walk.

Once growing in the garden of Asherton, this tree was probably planted when the house was built about 200 years ago.  Unfortunately it has been overshadowed by larger trees and is not in good health.

There are so many varieties of Japanese Maple it is difficult to know which one this is, but it is beautiful.  The paired winged seeds show that it is in the Acer genus along with Sycamores.

One of a number of Lucombe Oaks planted probably in the early 19yh century, but it is difficult to age Lucombe Oaks because they grow much more quickly than English Oaks.

This on in a garden but the tree is so large you can walk underneath it on the path between Seafield Lane and Glen Goyle, Sidmouth.

This tree is stood in the corner of the garden of Cotmaton House and is probably 100-150 years old.  We would have a better idea if we had access to measure the girth.

A fast growing tree, this will have been planted in about 1900 when the original Glenside house was built.

Very difficult to access on the steep slope and surrounded by dense scrub, you know this is a Douglas Fir from the characteristic ‘mouse tail’ cones scattered around.

At about 200 years old, this was probably a young tree in the agricultural hedgerow at the time Knowle was built.

Younger than the very large Lucombe Oak in the park, this tree is probably about 150 years old.

Probably one of the trees planted about 1900 when the hotel was developed.

Once considered an invasive weed, but supporting many of the same biodiversity species, Sycamores are now seen as a potential replacement for our doomed Ash trees.

These fast growing trees from the USA are generally planted for their autumn colour.

A native of the Mediterranean area, this is sometimes called the Holly Oak because the young leaves have sPines like a Holly leaf.

A recent crown reduction means the tree is no longer as impressive.  Named after the aromatic resin that exudes from cracks in the bark, these US trees are usually planted for their autumn colour.

Three large specimens probably planted about 1900 when the hotel was developed.

A splendid variegated female that produces large crops of berries enjoyed by blackbirds, thrushes and winter visiting redwings.

A native of Korea and China, this cluster of young trees are probably self sown from a larger specimen over the hedge.  Sometimes they are called the Peanut Tree because the leaves smell of peanut when crushed.  The delicate white flowers develop into the spectacular fruits with swollen red calyx and deep blue fruit.  The fruits are used to make a soup in Korea.

Pollarded regularly because of the restricted site, this causes the trees to produce exceptionally large leaves.

The sensuous, almost Japanese, curl at the top of the tree is a happy outcome from earlier pruning to avoid damage to the power cables.

Probably planted in the early 1970s for its autumn colour when the council acquired the site.  The council’s abandonment of grounds maintenance in the 2010s had it being swamped by brambles and rhododendrons.

A very large specimen teetering on a roadside bank.  It was planted probably in about 1900 when the area was developed as a garden suburb.

A medium aged specimen, probably about 40 years old that will make an impact as we lose the centenarians of the species that are such a feature of the town’s treescape but now coming to end of their lives.

One of several large specimens planted about a hundred years ago.  They are showing signs of age and one had to be felled in 2021.  Two young trees have been planted as succession.

A young tree donated by an Arboretum supporter.  A tribute to Sidmouth’s position on the Jurassic Coast, Araucarias were the dominant trees worldwide at the end of the Jurassic period.

One of a line of future standards planted in January 2020 by Sidmouth Arboretum in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and The Exeter, a local health insurance company.

A young English Oak planted after a donation from the Showering family.

One of a line of future standards planted in January 2020 by Sidmouth Arboretum in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and The Exeter, a local health insurance company.

One of a line of future standards planted in January 2020 by Sidmouth Arboretum in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and The Exeter, a local health insurance company.

One of a line of future standards planted in January 2020 by Sidmouth Arboretum in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and The Exeter, a local health insurance company.

A Parana Pine, the Brazilian cousin of the Monkey Puzzle Tree.  Planted in 2021 to replace one of a line of future standards planted in January 2020 by Sidmouth Arboretum in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and The Exeter, a local health insurance company.

One of a line of trees planted on this Stowford site in 2020.  It is hoped that it will be a sizeable tree before we have lost all the large Monterey Pines around the town.

A poignant story.  This tree is in memory of a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.  He often mentioned the mulberries that grew around the base where he was stationed.

One of several Irish Yews in the churchyard.  The Irish Yew is a ‘sport’ or mutant form of the ‘English’ Yew where there is no central trunk but multiple epicormic shoots.  The original Irish Yew was found at Florence Court in County Fermanagh in the mid-18th century.  All modern trees are derived from cuttings that go back to that tree.

One of several English Yews in the churchyard.  English Yews can be distinguished from the Irish Yews because they tend to have a single main trunk.  Most of the Yews were planted in about 1880.

One of the female English Yews in the churchyard.  English Yews have a central main trunk and the leaves are displayed as two more or less flat rows.  Yews are conifers and the red ‘berries’ are actually modified cones.  The red aril is the only part of the tree that is not poisonous.

One of the Yews planted in about 1880 after the churchyard had been closed because it was full.

One of several Irish Yews in the churchyard.  The Irish Yew is a ‘sport’ or mutant form of the ‘English’ Yew where there is no central trunk but multiple epicormic shoots.  The original Irish Yew was found at Florence Court in County Fermanagh in the mid-18th century.  All modern trees are derived from cuttings that go back to that tree.

A splendid male tree, like most of the churchyard yews, it was planted about 1880.

A male tree much younger than the Victorian Yews that surround it.  Yews don’t mind being clipped into shape for topiary.  A bell seems an obvious choice for a churchyard.

This tree has a much thicker trunk than others but Yews are deceptive, they don’t grow at an even rate and this tree is probably no older than most of the others around it.

Like most of the Yews in the churchyard, this tree was probably planted in the 1880s after the graveyard was closed.  Whoever planted it forgot the maxim to think ahead when planting trees and it was put too close to the grave stone which is now being devoured by the tree.

One of the female trees in the churchyard, it carries thousands of the  red ‘berries’ in late summer and autumn.  Yews are conifers and the ‘berries’ are modified cones.  All parts of the tree, including the seed inside the aril are poisonous, all that is except the red aril itself.

One of the largest Yews in the churchyard, but they are all the same age.  This one had space to grow when younger.  Pictures of the churchyard from the 1870s show there were no Yews then, they were all planted in the 1880s probably.

A sport or mutant form of the English Yew that was found in County Fermanagh in the 18th century. All Irish Yews derive from cuttings taken originally from that tree. The Irish Yew has multi stems and the leaves clothe the branches in whorls unlike the English Yew which has them in two flat rows.

A sport or mutant form of the English Yew that was found in County Fermanagh in the 18th century.  All Irish Yews derive from cuttings taken originally from that tree.  The Irish Yew has multi stems and the leaves clothe the branches in whorls unlike the English Yew which has them in two flat rows.

The two yew trees by the lych gate to the parish church are different species. The one on the left as you look towards the church is a Japanese Yew which is more taller and a fresher green than the English Yew on the right. They are both male and so do not have the red arils.

The two yew trees by the lych gate to the parish church are different species.  The one on the right as you look towards the church is an English Yew which is more squat and darker than the Japanese Yew on the left.  It is a male and so does not have the red arils.

Often planted for their stunning autumn colour, these are one of the commonest deciduous trees in North America.  The Latin name should not be confused with the Sugar Maple Acer saccharum which is the source of Maple syrup.

‘Fondante d’Automne’ has fruit with fine, melting, juicy, well-flavoured flesh with smooth, russetted, pale green and yellow skin. Pollination group 3; season of use late September and October

Opal has dark red fruits of good flavour which ripen earlier than Victoria.  Introduced from from Sweden in 1925.

Shropshire Prune, perhaps the best tasting of the Damsons, a good choice if you are looking to grow plums in damper /northern regions of the country.

A good cooking damson, rich and astringent, but can also be eaten raw. Self fertile with good natural disease resistance.

Hockings Green is a hardy dual purpose apple tree that can withstand wet and windy weather. As well as being resistant to canker it keeps well and can still be used at Christmas time. It keeps it’s shape when cooked making it good for tarts (see our blog for recipes). This is a classic English variety found in Callington, Cornwall.

Peter Lock is another apple tree perfect for those looking for a dual purpose eating and cooking apple. When eaten fresh the apple is sweet and subtly scented and when cooked it produces a smooth very sweet bright gold puree. The apples are large and green with a red flush. Originates from Buckfastleigh in Devon in the early 19th century.

Colloggett Pippin is a very popular Cornish variety from the Tamar Valley, dating back to the early 1920s. It is a dual purpose sharp apple and makes a very good dry, light cider. The apples are large and striking in appearance; pale yellow, angular and with bold red stripes. Also known as Cornish Giant, trees are spreading and produce regular crops. When cooked Colloggett Pippin turns to a brisk gold puree, perfect for a proper Cornish apple sauce!

Camelot will produce a mild, bitter-sharp cider, best blended with other bittersweet apples. It originates from Somerset in the mid 19th century and is a useful dual-purpose fruit, cooking down to an excellent sharp golden puree. It is a fairly vigorous tree with good general disease resistance. Apples can be picked from mid-October and if stored correctly will keep through until January. A good choice for an orchard.

St Edmunds Russet produces a very attractive golden russet and is ready to pick by the end of September. Similar in taste to an ‘Egremont Russet’, it is arguably juicy and richer in flavour than the more widely know ‘Egremont’, with notes of vanilla and pear. It is generally an easy tree to grow, with a neat habit and good disease resistance and will tolerate a wide range of growing conditions. It can be dated back to 1875, developed by Mr R. Harvey of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

Blenheim Orange is a dual-purpose variety that is sweet and nutty to taste and can also be used for apple sauces. The tree itself is strong limbed and produces heavy crops. This variety was found near Blenheim, Oxfordshire in 1840.

Tregonna King grows a good dual-purpose eater and cooker with a sweet flavour that improves with time, thought to be at it’s best when stored until or just after Christmas. The apples themselves are large and golden, flushed with red and orange and slightly russetted. The tree grows vigorously and generally crops well. Originally from Rezare near Launceston in Cornwall.

Breadfruit is a second early/mid dessert apple known to be growing in the Tamar Valley back to 1900. Good for cooking in tarts as when sliced it does not break down. Genetic testing shows it to be the same as Bloody Butcher in the National Fruit Collection. A variety re-discovered by James Evans and Mary Martin.

Catshead is believed to a be a very old English apple, with citations dating back to 1629. Viewed from the side the fruit can sometimes bear resemblance to the shape of a cat’s head – though you might have to use your imagination! It cooks down to a sharp, firm puree, making it perfect for sauces and stewed apple. Also sometimes called Pig’s Snout.

King Byerd is an old Cornish cooking variety, very disease resistant. It is a reliable and prolific cropper and does well in Cornwall.

The fruit has green skin, which turns yellow when ripened, developing flecks of red and grey russet. It is harvested from late October. It has a sharp, sweet taste, resulting in its mostly being recommended for cooking meals and desserts.  It is considered at its best from January to March, when it mellows to have a sweet, sharp taste.

Annie Elizabeth is an old English variety raised c.1857 by Samuel Greatorex of Leicester. It makes an excellent stewing apple that keeps its shape when cooked and has a sweet, light flavour that requires little added sugar. It is an attractive apple that stores well, and fruits are consistently healthy and blemish free. It has pretty ornamental blossom and it is known to be a fairly hardy tree, making it a popular choice in colder areas and further North.

Beauty of Bath is a sweet and juicy apple with a sharp acid tang. It is one of the earliest ripening varieties and can be picked straight from the tree. The apples have a beautiful pink stained flesh and a pleasant fruity aroma. They make fairly vigorous trees with good disease resistance and produce regular heavy crops. The apples were very popular in Bath during the 19th Century where they were grown in local orchards. Traditionally straw was spread under the trees to soften the blow as the apples fell to the ground! It remains a very popular household variety to this day.

Bullace is a sort of wild plum, closely related to Blackthorn and to damsons. It’s found in hedgerows in the wild, their fruit ripens later than Blackthorn and so adds variety to a wildlife hedge.  Bullace fruit fell out of culinary favour as it’s not as large or as sweet as damson, so is usually cooked.

Cornish Pine is an excellent dual-purpose apple with a rich flavour developing a taste of Pineapple. A seedling of the variety Cornish Gilliflower. Also known as Red Ribbed Greening.

Hoary Morning is an old Somerset variety dating back to the early 1800s. It is a particularly beautiful apple, with bright pink and crimson stripes over golden yellow. The name refers to the soft hoary appearance on the skin, like that of a peach. It has a sweet, rich flesh and will keep its shape when cooked, making it a useful dual-purpose apple. It also has excellent disease resistance making it popular with organic growers, and if stored correctly will keep through to the spring.

Cornish Aromatic, as the name suggests this is a sweet but spicy Cornish apple that also has a sharp quality to its flavour. The fruit have a russetted skin and the tree is vigorous and hardy. Found in Cornwall in 1813 this is a traditional English apple.

Barnack Beauty produces striking blossom and attractive red apples that are good for both dessert and culinary use. The apples are crisp and refreshing with a crunchy flesh. It was first raised about 1840 from the village of Barnack, Cambridgeshire and remains a popular East of England heritage variety. We find this will keep through until well after Christmas.

Claygate Pearmain, a nutty, aromatic eating apple, was very popular in Victorian England and was often planted in the orchards of manor houses at the time. It originates from the village of Claygate, Surrey, U.K, in 1821. It has variable russetting with pink/red flushes over green, giving a silver tinge. Its flavour has a good balance of sugar and acidity and as a variety Claygate Pearmain offers excellent disease resistance.

‘Red Sentinel’ is a medium-sized deciduous Crab Apple tree with single white flowers 3cm in width, followed by clusters of cherry-like, glossy, deep red fruits 2.5cm in width, which persist well into winter.

One of 20 fruit trees planted in 2020.  Discovery is one of the best early-season dessert apples ready to pick and eat around mid-August. Crisp and juicy with a good balance of acidity and sweetness, it is a pretty apple with a deep scarlet flush and creamy white flesh, sometimes stained pink. It is fairly hardy with good disease resistance, making it an easy tree to grow either in the garden or in an orchard. It makes fantastic quantities of juice and will store better than most other early-season apples.

It blends into the green of the grass but it will soon be standing clear of all its surroundings as it grows.  I have no idea how or why this tree ended up here.

A young fastigiate form of this American oak planted as part of the Arboretum’s work in Connaught Gardens.

Alan Fowler, EDDC Foreman, and Diana East, Sidmouth Arboretum President.

A young tree planted as a future replacement for the mature limes immediately to the south.

Also called the Huntingdon Elm, the hybrid is able to resist the worst effects of Dutch Elm Disease and grow to maturity.

A pair of the Elegans cultivar which retain the needle like juvenile leaves into adulthood creating a fluffy effect around the tree.  As with the Western Red Cedar, this is not a true Cedar but it does have aromatic red timber.

Two of the conifers that seem to have been planted at the time EDDC was formed and took over the cemetery in the early 1970s.

A Cypress rather than a cedar, but it has aromatic red timber.  One of the conifers that seem to have been planted at the time EDDC was formed and took over the cemetery in the early 1970s.  A similar but larger collection can be found in Sidmouth Cemetery.

Lawson Cypress can grow to be very large trees in the Rocky Mountain home.  One of the conifers that seem to have been planted at the time EDDC was formed and took over the cemetery in the early 1970s.  A similar but larger collection can be found in Sidmouth Cemetery.

An ornamental fastigiate (upright branching) variety of this tough old native tree.

Not a true Cedar but a Cypress from the western coast of North America.  One of the conifers that seem to have been planted at the time EDDC was formed and took over the cemetery in the early 1970s.  A similar but larger collection can be found in Sidmouth Cemetery.

Possibly a Chinese Flowering Cherry but variety not known yet.

An ornamental cherry, variety not known yet.

One of several old hedgerow standards around the cemetery, probably about 150 years old.

One wonders if a mourner planted their Christmas tree beside a loved one’s grave, I cannot think of another reason for this tree being here.

One of several hedgerow oaks in the area.  This one, with a girth of over 4m, has stood on top of the old field bank for well over 200 years.  It would have been pollarded every 20 years or so in the past, but the size of the crown branches indicate it hasn’t been pollarded for at least 70 years.

One of several large hedgerow oaks in the area, this one is younger than the very large tree just north along the cemetery boundary, but it is still about 150 years old.

Planted in 2008, hopefully this will have grown as large as the two much older trees along the bank in 200 years time.

Overshadowed by the neighbouring Japanese Red Cedars but it will overtake them one day, growing almost as large as the Giant Redwoods.

This is probably a sucker grown away from the hedge.  It has the characteristic corky wings on the branches   Sadly, it will probably succumb to Dutch Elm Disease in the next ten years when it is old enough for the Elm Bark Beetle to start laying eggs under the bark and introduce the pathogen.

Doing better than its neighbour beside the Japanese Red Cedars.  One of the conifers that seem to have been planted at the time EDDC was formed and took over the cemetery in the early 1970s.  A similar but larger collection can be found in Sidmouth Cemetery.

One of the conifers that seem to have been planted at the time EDDC was formed and took over the cemetery in the early 1970s.  A similar but larger collection can be found in Sidmouth Cemetery.

An appropriate choice for a cemetery, Sawara Cypress are sacred in china, associated with building temples and making coffins.

Another appropriate choice for a cemetery.  Box was seen as a sombre plant and in some areas sprigs of box were given to mourners at funerals to throw onto the coffin.

Actually the Irish cultivar with its fastigiate growth.

The original plant was one of two found by a Mr Willis on a rock in the mountain above Florence Court, County Fermanagh called Carricknamaddow or ‘The Rock of the Dog’ in late 18th century, given to Lord Eniskillen and hence onto Lee of Hammersmith who propagated and popularised it.

Clipped golden foliage makes it difficult to decide on which cultivar this is.

Box was seen as a sombre plant and in some areas sprigs of box were given to mourners at funerals to throw onto the coffin.

Freed from the clipping shears, these shrubs will grow to quite a large size.

One of several mature hedgerow oaks that remain in this area.  The girth suggests it is about 150 years old.

This member of the citrus family is unusual because the  oranges are furry, they are also very bitter but make an interesting marmalade.  It is also more hardy than other citrus trees, originating from northern China

and Korea.  It’s other name, the Barbed Wire Bush is obvious.

Standing at the path junction like a large green mushroom in summer, this is almost certainly Young’s Weeping Silver Birch.

An American cousin of the Horse Chestnut but with much less showy flowers.  The fruits are just like conkers but without the sPines.  Americans see them as like the eye of deer, hence their name.

This tree is a graft on a different rootstock that has grown more vigorously than the crown.

Delightful sprays of pinkish white flowers in March give way to purple berries in June. The leaves have good autumn colour.

A very appropriate tree for a cemetery because the pale, lemon scented timber is used for palaces and temples and for making coffins in Japan.  This is one of at least three planted when EDDC took control of the cemetery.

A very appropriate tree for a cemetery because the pale, lemon scented timber is used for palaces and temples and for making coffins in Japan.  This is one of at least three in the cemetery but it is not in very good condition.

A rather untidy golden specimen that suggests the Crippsii cultivar.  The original Hinoki grow tall and straight and are a sacred tree in their native Japan.  They were the principal source of construction timber in centuries gone by.

Delightful sprays of pinkish white flowers in March give way to purple berries in June.  The leaves have good autumn colour.

The yellow foliage and dumpy shape suggest this might be Castlewellan Gold, a hybrid between a Nootka Cypress and a Golden Monterey Cypress that was found in Co. Down in  1962.

A variegated form with delicate cream edging to the leaves.

A rather squat specimen, WRCs are native to the Rocky Mountains.

They are Cypress trees rather than true cedars.  Like the Japanese Red Cedar, European loggers could claim a higher price for the aromatic red timber if it was sold as cedar.

A very appropriate tree for a cemetery because the pale, lemon scented timber is used for palaces and temples and for making coffins in Japan.

Often planted around temples in Japan this tree has fragrant timber.  The leaves are larger than most Cypress trees and is said to look like snake skin.

One of several interesting conifers planted around the time EDDC took over the cemetery.

Not a true Cedar but it does have red, aromatic timber.

A very appropriate tree for a cemetery because the pale, lemon scented timber is used for palaces and temples and for making coffins in Japan.

An unusual variegated form of these fast growing trees from the eastern United States.  Actually a member of the Magnolia family, the flowers are a buttery yellow cup not unlike an open tulip, hence the common name.

This wonderful tree looks as if it was planted, along with its partner 1663 further along the path, at the time the cemetery was opened in 1879.  Sadly, it now has a considerable infestation of the fungus Hen of the Woods which may leave the tree in some trouble in years to come.

Another of the interesting conifers planted roundabout the time the cemetery was taken over by EDDC in the early 1970s.

The Coast Redwood Hyperion in California is 7-800 years old and the tallest known tree alive today at 116m or 380ft.  Our one is much younger but is still approaching 18m after just 50 years.

Appropriate for a cemetery?  The myth claims the Judas Tree clothes itself in red (pink really) flowers at Easter because it was the tree from which Judas hanged himself.

This tree was leaning against the chapel wall and was given a very severe prune in 2022.  The work revealed the label which recorded the tree was planted for a P.A.Wilson who died in 1967.

One of two large Copper Beeches probably planted when the cemetery opened in 1879.

Growing well as it has the appropriate space.  As with the Lawson Cypress nearby, this tree has the capacity to grow to be a huge tree.

Although the common name is Red Cedar (or the US version Redcedar), it is a Cypress not a cedar.  Early loggers saw the red aromatic timber and called it a cedar because then the timber would attract a higher price.

Now a mature tree, this was probably planted when the cemetery was opened in 1879.  The original Lucombe Oak is a chance hybrid between a Turkey Oak and Cork Oak in the 18th century from Lucombe’s Nursery in Exeter.

Three rather scruffy trees growing too close to each other with evidence of damage to the main growing tips causing unusual branching.  Our native Pine tree.  The pollen records show they were very common in the area 7,000 years ago as the post-glacial climate warmed.

When fully grown, this tree will be taller than any Oak and almost as large as a Giant Redwood.

Tidier than the three Pines cramped together in the SW corner of this area.  Our native conifer.

A fine tree taking advantage of the space to spread its canopy.  It was probably planted when EDDC took over the cemetery in the early 1970s.

An elegant tree that softens the town centre street scene.

It is not unusual to see a Yew in a churchyard, but a closer look will reveal turned up leaves, this is not an English Yew but a Japanese Yew.  They became fashionable when they were introduced in the 1850s.  There is a larger specimen by the Lych Gate to the parish church.

A very large specimen in the garden of the All Saints vicarage.

The very squat form suggests this tree has had its crown topped.

Although more than 100 years old, this tree is not noticed against the looming mass of the conifers next door in Powys.

The lamp post gives a scale to this fine tree growing at the edge of the Powys estate and easily seen from Station Road.

This picture was taken before the tree dropped a very large branch onto the road.  This prompted a very severe crown reduction, but the tree is coming back with vigour.

One of the centenarians in the large Regency/Victorian gardens of the town.  This one is on the northern boundary of Powys but visible from footpath down to Station Road from the top of Sidlands.

A change from the usual churchyard Yew.  Look out for the bright red male cones on the tips in spring which is the easy way to distinguish Lawson from Leylandii Cypress.  As a hybrid, Leylandii often have no cones, but they are yellow if they do occur.

A very elegant addition to the street scene of All Saints Road.

This large Holm Oak was leaning over All Saints Road and threatening to drop limbs, so it was pollarded.  It looks awful but will recover in a few years.

One of several centenarian Monterey Pines around town, this one dominates the stand of trees protecting Powys from public intrusion and traffic noise.

A lovely copper beech that stands in the garden of Audley next to a Liquidambar.

The last of several large Monterey Pines that used to stand in the gardens of Cottington Court.  Now about 100 years old, it might not be with us for much longer.

One of several large conifers in the grounds of Witheby but visible from Manor Road.

One of several large conifers in the grounds of Witheby.

Part of the screen around the Conservative Club, this tree carries a heavy crop of fruit most years.

One of three that form a screen to the Conservative Club.

Struggling somewhat with its roots encased in tarmac, this ornamental cherry tree is supposed to soften the hard landscape.

A glorious specimen with single white flowers in spring and glorious pink autumn colour.

A young tree that is developing a good display of spring flowers and handy winter food for local birds.

A young, double flowered pink variety with good autumn colour.

A double flowered ornamental cherry that put on a good display in April.

It is easy to see how this species acquired its common name.  This specimen is grafted onto a Hawthorn rootstock that produces occasional suckers of the native tree.

A female tree that will grow to dominate this hedgerow if it is allowed to.

One of two Midland Hawthorns planted by the council to soften the feel of the Market Place.

One of two Midland Hawthorns planted by the council to soften the feel of the Market Place.

Black Poplars grow quickly and, now more than 30 years old (it was a few years old when planted in 1992), this tree is already a good size.  The bark is developing the deep fissures characteristic of the species.

One of a pair of Birches planted beside Knapp Pond.  The weeping habit probably indicates Young’s Birch, B. pendula Youngii.

One of a pair of Birches planted beside Knapp Pond.  The weeping habit probably indicates Young’s Birch, B. pendula Youngii.

Sadly no longer with us, this hundred year old tree succumbed to Ash Die Back in 2022.

One of several fruit trees planted as part of community orchard in the Knapp Pond Nature Area.

Medlars used to be a popular fruit but they have fallen out of favour.  They are only edible when they are over ripe and starting to ‘blet’ or go rotten.

One of several Scots Pines planted around Dean’s Mead about 100 years ago, possibly as a scenic element for the manor across the road.

A native complement to the community orchard area, this tree is part of the old hedgerow that separated Deane’s Mead from an orchard on the 1840 Tithe Map.  The tree itself is isn’t that old of course.

One of several small fruit trees planted in the area around Knapp Pond as a community orchard.  If you do collect fruit, please think of others.

Our native member of the Acer genus, related to Japanese Maples and the Sycamore.  The double samara seed cases are set in a straight line unlike the imported species whose wings are set at 60-90 degrees generally.

A line of Scots Pine that used to mark the western boundary of the cemetery, these trees are about 100 years old.

A splendid line of these native trees, once the dominant tree in the bronze age wildwood of lowland England.  Changes is woodland management led to them disappearing almost completely, but they are becoming popular again, partly because they are likely to cope with climate change better than other native trees.

It is possible that these conifers were planted to screen the house that used to stand at the top of the hill.  The common name is misleading because these are Cypress trees not true cedars.  They have red, aromatic timber and early foresters were less careful about botanic niceties.

A single Larch in a stand of Western Red Cedar, perhaps a mistake in the nursery.  One of the few deciduous conifers, these used to make up large plantations around the valley but many have had to be removed because of the tree disease Phytophthora.

This tree is about 100 years old which means it was here before Bohemia House which has come and gone leaving us the Peasland Knapp Nature Reserve.

A stand of several trees in what used to be the garden of Bohemia House, home a local jeweller and his family.  Now at the top of Peasland Knapp nature reserve.

A Black Mulberry, not the one that feeds silkworm caterpillars.  When it matures it will bear the dark purple fruits are so sweet and delicious, but only when they are fully ripe and difficult to harvest without staining your hands.  The phrase caught red handed is supposed to have originated from people stealing mulberries from the walled gardens of great houses.

The woodland was intended to managed coppice and these Hazels were cut back but they have been left.  The SVA intends to re-establish the coppicing regime which will be of great benefit to the local wildlife, especially butterflies, moths and the dormice that hide in the shrubbery.

A Scandinavian cousin of the Wild Service Tree, the berries are much less palatable to humans but birds love them.

There are several Wild Service or Chequers trees in the wood.  Normally, they can be an indicator species of ancient woodland, but these were planted twenty years ago to recreate native woodland.  The checkers are the fruits that used to be a popular food.  The Prime Ministers residence Chequers is named after the tree.

One of several native trees planted twenty years ago to form this woodland.  Several of the cherries have succumbed to fungal infections, possibly because the woodland was not maintained or thinned and it became too crowded, ideal conditions for the spread of fungal diseases.

One of several native species planted twenty years ago.  The delicate white flowers give way to the pink berries which split open to reveal the oranges seeds.  A great favourite with members of the Thrush family, but leave them alone because they are poisonous.

The leaf petioles of the Aspen are ribbon like and this causes the leaves to flutter in the slightest breeze.  Aspens spread by suckers and need careful management to prevent them taking over a site completely.

One of many self sown Sycamores across the Knapp.

This craggy giant is no longer with us.  It was undermined by a large badger sett and keeled over slowly into the neighbouring garden in 2021.

A copse of mainly Beech planted in memory of two SVA stalwarts, Bill Green and Geoff Holmes.

Rather out place in this Beech plantation, likely a rogue whip in the bundle purchased twenty years ago.

Difficult to access, this tree is growing rapidly and now spreads above the surrounding shrubbery.  A native tree which has many varieties and hybrids, but this one is the genuine wild species.

Planted in memory of Margaret Clark who did a huge amount to support the Sid Vale Association.

A fine open grown tree with a wonderful crown, apt when you see the Latin name is regia.

A major forest tree in north America, they are a popular choice for ornamental parkland.  They have large leaves and good autumn colour, but rarely glow as deep red as the trees in America because our climate is different.

Red Oaks have much larger, and more pointed leaves than English Oaks.  In their native North America they put on a wonderful display of red in the autumn, in England it is a more muted copper colour.

One of several self-sown Sycamores here which have been allowed to grow.  This probably wasn’t a deliberate policy but, as the riverside Alders are under attack from Phytophthora, it is as well that the Sycamores will take over.

Lovely bunches of sweet white flowers in May give way to clusters of red berries in autumn which are great food for blackbirds, thrushes and fieldfares.

Growing on the remains of an old hedge bank.

These elegant trees from Japan have heart shaped leaves that are a bronze colour when they open and orange-pink in the autumn.  They smell of caramel in hot summer weather.

Rather tucked away in a corner, these trees are about thirty years old, middle aged for a Birch, and the white bark is cracking with age.

One of a stand of three limes, distinguished from the nearby Common Limes by the tufts of reddish hair by the veins on the underside of the leaves.

Part of a delightful riverside avenue that includes Limes and a London Plane.

Closely related to the Sycamore, the Norway Maple leaves have pointed leaf lobes rather than rounded ones, and the flowers are in erect bunches while those on the Sycamore hang down.

One of several trees planted 80-100 years ago, possibly when Sid Park Road was built.  Nothing to do with the citrus fruit, these are hybrids between the English Linden or Small Leaved Lime and the other native the Large Leaved Lime.

These trees are not from London but they acquired the name because so many were planted in London and survived the pollution.  They are excellent city trees because they provide shade and absorb a lot of atmospheric pollution.  They are a hybrid between the American Sycamore and the Oriental Plane from SE Asia.

One of the riverside trees that are about 80-100 years old.  It is likely that this tree will need to be made safe in the next few years.

One of the young trees planted in this area of The Byes as successional planting to take over when the older trees are no longer with us.

Native to the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, these trees are distinguished by the upright cones that look like small barrels and needles being in clusters.  Larches also have needles in clusters but they are deciduous.

Rather crowded by the Monterey Cypress, this import from North America has bright, lime green leaves in spring which turn a coppery red in autumn.

Part of a line of fruit trees planted along the path.  Mulberry fruits are delicious when they are fully ripe, but very messy to eat.

A cousin of the Sycamore and other Maples, all members of the Acer genus have double samara fruits where the seeds are wrapped around with a wing that helps disperse them.

The smaller of two Hollies in the churchyard.

These large trees were even larger in 2014 but they had to be cut back severely because, as Black Poplars do, they were dropping large branches.  People were horrified at the time because the trees were left looking like giant telegraph pole.  Poplars are resilient trees, in nature they tend to fall over when they are large but they put up new grow from where they lie to make a line of new trees.  Three of these became diseased and had to be cut right down in 2020, but the stumps are regenerating.

It is not clear which particular hybrid this is, Poplar species cross fertilise easily to produce vigorous trees.

Not very giant yet, this young tree has the capacity to grow to a tree 4 times the height of the tower of the parish church.

A young tree planted to succeed the mature trees in this area one day.  It has been given space to develop its full canopy.

A young tree that will eventually replace the hundred year old specimen that was blown down a few years ago and turned into the rustic benches along the path.  The young tree is leaning, but it should straighten itself as it grows.

Although about seventy years old, this is one of several trees in an old hedgerow that marked what was the boundary between  Sidmouth and Salcombe parishes in Victorian times.

Our native Maple, as with all the Acer genus the fruits are a double samara where the ‘wing’ spreads the seeds on the wind.

The leaf lobes are more pointed than on its cousin the Sycamore, but both have the characteristic double samara ‘helicopter’ fruits of the Acer genus.

Cleaner, smoother white bark than the native Birch, the leaves are also larger and rounder than the rather ragged triangles of Betula pendula.

Tucked away behind the whiter trunks of the Himalayan Birch, this native Birch has the characteristic black cracks developing as the trunk expands with age.

A young tree planted ready to take over in a hundred years time when the Lime trees will probably be coming to the end of their lives.

One of two native Lime species, apart from the smaller leaves, it is distinguished from it Common Lime neighbour by the flowers which splay out in different directions rather than all hanging downwards.

Common Limes are a hybrid from the two native Lime species, Large and Small Leaved Limes.

Another young tree which will take over as others come to the end of their time.

Nothing to do with citrus fruits, the native Linden tree that, along with its Large Leaved cousin, is a parent species to the hybrid Common Lime such as the two nearby.  The main distinction is not the leaf size, which varies a lot, but the flowers which tend to grow at random angles rather than all hanging down.

More often associated with city streets where they provide shade and soak up traffic pollution, this is a young tree, but it already produces the curious red flower balls.

Two of these living fossils that date back to the time of the dinosaurs.  These young trees were presented by Waitrose.

Perhaps a surprising tree to find in a street location, but they make a fine specimen.  Sadly, even here, you are unlikely to get a ripe Walnut before the squirrels take them.

A line of Sycamores that show the effect of a sea breeze.  The tree closest to the corner is much smaller than the others which are growing in its shelter from the prevailing south west wind.  The trees grow progressively better the more sheltered they are.

One of a line of future standards planted in January 2020 by Sidmouth Arboretum in conjunction with Sidmouth Town Council and The Exeter, a local health insurance company.  Hopefully it will live until 3020.

One of several hedgerow pollarded standards in the area, this splendid tree is about 300 years old.

One of several Sycamores along the river in this woodland area of The Byes.  They are probably all self-sown rather than planted deliberately.

Part of a plantation by EDDC.  A vigorous tree with good flower and berry displays, and deep orange autumn colour.

Part of a plantation by EDDC.  A vigorous tree with good flower and berry displays.

Younger than the hundred year old specimen on the opposite bank.  This tree was probably planted in the 1980s when the house was demolished and the garden given to the council.

Growing surrounded by other trees, this tree has shot up tall and straight.  It was probably planted in the early 1970s when the council bought the Knowle site.

One of a pair of Monterey Pines in this wooded stand.  The trunk girth suggests this tree was planted in the 1950s but unsympathetic pruning has probably caused severe weakness which could cause the tree to become dangerous.

One of several of these local hybrid oaks.  This one is at least 150 years old and so probably planted when the original house was built.

One of several of these sub-tropical trees that grow happily in the shelter of the garden.  Similar to the Chusan Palms but with a much stronger and spikier layer of former leaf stalks around the trunk.

Henkel’s Yellowwood,

Podocarpus henkelii