What To Plant



What sort of tree should I plant

Here is a list of trees and shrubs native to Penwith:

  1. Gorse Ulex europaeus

  2. Blackthorn Prunus spinosa

  3. Rowan Sorbus aucuparia

  4. Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna

  5. Wild roses Rosa species – wild rose species are hard to tell apart and prone to hybridise, and all generally rare in West Penwith; the most frequently recorded in the area (albeit sparsely) are Field-rose Rosa arvensis and Dog-rose Rosa canina, whilst there is a single coastal record of Sherard’s Downy-rose Rosa sherardii and a very few coastal records of the Burnet Rose Rose spinosissima (a specialist of lime-rich soils, as can occur where shell sand is blown.

  6. Elms Ulmus species – note that elms have a complex and much disputed taxonomy – however there is no doubt that the Cornwall is a centre of elm diversity, with a number of native species (or subspecies or varieties, depending on the taxonomic position taken), as well as more widely distributed species such as the (Southern) Wych Elm Ulmus glabra – to maintain local genetic diversity and local distinctiveness, it is important that any elm planting from West Penwith is from local stock, as can be produced using cuttings or transplanting suckers.

  7. Sessile Oak Quercus petraea – few records in West Penwith; most common on the slates in mid-Cornwall

  8. Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur – commonest oak in Cornwall; more widely distributed in West Penwith than Sessile Oak but still quite local.

  9. Alder Alnus glutinosa – found as a native along rivers and streams and in other wet woodland

  10. Hazel Corylus avellane

  11. Eared Willow Salix aurita – small willow typical of moorland areas, being found particularly on granite uplands as occur in West Penwith

  12. Grey Willow Salix cinerea – abundant

  13. Ash Fraxinus excelsior

  14. Wild Privet Ligustrum vulgare – rare in West Penwith, in contrast to non-granite areas in other parts of Cornwall

  15. Holly Ilex aquifolium – scarce in West Penwith

  16. Elder Sambucus nigra

What sort of tree is good for feeding wildlife

Crab Apple

Wild cherry

Plum - Bulace

Plum - Kea

Elder

Sweet Chestnut

Cob Hazel

Filbert Hazel

Hawthorn

Blackthorn

Sea Buckthorn

Elder

Holly

Dog Rose (Rosa Canina)

Sweet briar (Rosa Rubiginosa)

Also I suggest mixing in plenty of Alder - because they work with bacteria to fix nitrogen so ecosystem self fertilises

(Combinations of native trees also create the conditions for fungal networks in the soil that also fix nitrogen as well as carbon)

Trees take carbon out of the air in three interrelated ways - by making the living tree, by associated animal life enriching the soil and by associated fungi.

What sort of tree might suit my garden

What trees does Cornwall Council suggest