November's plants of the month are trees, in all their bewildering variety. There's one to suit every gardener among the comprehensive range at our garden centre here in Pontypool - so to help you choose, here's a selection for every situation, from containers to rolling acres.
Container gardens:
- Olive (Olea europaea) for gnarled shapes and slender, elegant grey-green leaves
- Japanese maples like 'Dissectum Atropurpureum' for graceful shapes and colourful foliage
- Sophora microphylla 'Sun King' for butter-yellow flowers in late winter and spring
Small gardens:
- Betula utilis var jacquemontii for multiple stems of gleaming white bark and delicate foliage
- Magnolia stellata with a compact shape and huge, spidery white spring flowers
- Sambucus nigra (black elder) has purple foliage and clear pink flower sprays in June
Medium-sized gardens:
- Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst' has ferny foliage which gleams golden in spring
- Arbutus unedo is aptly named the strawberry tree for its bright red fruits in late autumn
- Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer' is an ornamental pear with a neat shape and white spring blossom
Big gardens:
- Liquidambar styraciflua 'Worplesdon' has handsome foliage and spectacular autumn colour
- Liriodendron tulipifera is called the tulip tree for its flowers - but the foliage is just as gorgeous
- Quercus rubra has huge architectural leaves flushed brilliant scarlet in autumn
