Trees for a Gersois Garden

The good news is that I have never had such a good opportunity to plant trees. The bad is that I am of an age when it is impossible for me to live long enough fully to enjoy the choices that I have made, and continue to do so. What this also means is that I am not in a good position to say whether my choices have been successful, especially as I am a great believer in planting small. All I can do is to share some of my choices, and particularly for those who are new to the area indicate where these trees can be found.

For most of this area the oak is the dominant tree, and we are lucky to have half a dozen very fine examples, one of which has become the central focus of the garden. The only reservation I would make of this tree is that it lacks the spectacular autumn colour, which some oaks possess, especially those from North America. They also grow into very large trees, which can be a disadvantage, but then most oaks trees are large! One that apparently is not is Quercus schumardii, though having written that I see that one of my reference books mentions 35 m. - though only 20m. in France. I like it because it grows quickly, this true of many North American oaks, but especially the most common Q.rubra. Its young foliage is pink, its old foliage is red, and its middle aged foliage is a very healthy dark green.

Oaks are a subject I shall undoubtedly return to. The choice is vast and there are a number of very good suppliers of them in France. One of them is Les Pepinières Botaniques de La Preille, and I mention them in particular because the owners have produced one of the essential reference books for a Gersois gardener - Arbres et Arbustes by Myriam & Vincent Grellier (www.lapreille.fr). They specialize in oaks and acers, but their book in fact is a descriptive list of every tree and shrub that they think will grow well in West and South West France - their nursery is near Potiers, but they are faithful exhibitors at the Gaujacq twice yearly plant fairs. What I like about the book is that it gives very specific information about cultivation, especially concerning what I think is the most vital consideration for Gersois gardening, resistance to lack of water. Q.schumardii, for instance, according to them, does not require too much water. A lot of Red Oaks do, including Q.alba and Q.bicolor, both of which I have tried to grow without much success.

A problem arises when reference books give contrary advice. The Pepinières Adeline is I would guess the best nursery for trees and shrubs in France, and certainly it is as good as anything to be found in Great Britain, at least as regards it catalogue. This is probably not as complete as Hilliers, if for instance you compare their lists of magnolias, though Adeline mentions over fifty, but in other areas it is very strong. Moreover it attempts to give considerable detail concerning cultivation, something that Hillier's catalogue hardly does. But if you turn to Q.schumardii Adeline's suggests that it needs a lot of water. Whom to believe? In this case I believe La Preille, only because I know that Q. schumardii has come through some very dry summers with flying colours. Can I trust them as regards Ptelia trifoliata ? For a long time I have been tempted to try this, a smallish tree with not very conspicuous greenish yellow flowers, which are however are extremely fragrant, moreover with a fragrance that travels.  I have been put off doing so because most books suggest that it prefers a certain dampness, which I would find difficult to provide. No however La Preille who state that it resists the secheresse. I hope they are right,because I am going to give it a go.

I cannot say that Adeline is the easiest nursery to deal with; their pricing is complicated,and you can easily end up spending in my view rather too much, though to be fair to them they provide a devis before you have to make up your mind. Still probably the most important decision that I have made here concerns the choice of four trees that line the South South East facade of the house, one of their functions being to provide some much needed shade without growing too tall.  In the end I went for Malus coronaria Charlotte, smallish trees that in theory do everything - scented flowers, fruits and autumn colour. So far reasonably good, though one has decided to grow a little less well than the others, always a problem when you want regularity.  These in fact came from Adeline, as did Crataegus viridis Winter King,another tree that scores points in those three important areas.

The Crab Apple (Malus) and Hawthorn (Crataegus) families contain many species and cultivars that should do well in the Gers, and they are families that I will return to from time to time. My last suggestion on this occasion is Pistacia chinensis, a smallish tree or small bush with rather delicate ash-like (pinnate) leaves that go a marvellous colour and with luck have red, turning to blue berries in autumn. This I acquired from Florama, another very good source for trees, in this case not at all expensive, though rather small and no cultivars since the owner works entirely from seeds- but more about Florama and other trees on another occasion.