For ornamentation not only flowers and shrubs are used, but trees are also used. Each geographical area has its most abundant and indigenous trees that allow you to make the most of the beauty of the territory. In this post we are going to talk about those trees that are used for ornamentation, their characteristics and care.
If you want to know more about ornamental trees, keep reading
Giant for (great abies)
This tree belongs to the Pinaceae family and is native to North America. They have a large reddish-brown trunk when they are more adults. In the younger stage it can be seen with more grayish green tones. They can reach a height of 15 meters.
Its leaves are small, flat and rigid. They are of the needle type. This tree is perfect as a large isolated specimen.
They normally live at a certain height above sea level (preferably above 700 meters to almost 2000 meters). Thanks to this requirement, the giant fir becomes the ideal tree for mountain areas where the weather can attack and serve as a refuge.
They need a soil with good drainage and the best form of growth is giving it full sun.
Green acacia (Acacia runningus Willd)
It is a plant belonging to the Mimosaceae family and native to Australia. It was introduced in Europe in the year 1820. It is capable of reaching 10 meters in height and its branches are finely velvety.
As for its leaves, they are branched and it is composed of numerous leaflets. They are bright leaves, separate, flat and open during the day and folded when night falls.
Its flowers are small and have bright yellow free stamens. They have a great perfume and bloom in winter. Thanks to its flowering, it is widely used for the ornamentation of parks and gardens and also for its pleasant aroma.
They require abundant irrigation during the summer season and avoid that the soil where it grows is calcareous. It is very difficult to multiply this plant successfully, it is better to get a new plant and wait for it to bloom.
Hornbeam (birch hornbeam L.)
It is known by other common names such as birch, white beech, carpino, olmedilla and ojaranzo. It belongs to the Betulaceae family and is native to Europe and Southeast Asia.
It is capable of reaching a height between 12 and 30 meters. It is a deciduous tree and its leaves turn yellow in autumn. In nature it can be found as part of mixed deciduous forests.
Its leaves are oval in shape, asymmetrical at the base and acuminate. When the tree is over the first 20 years of age, it is when it begins to bloom. The fruits ripen in late summer and early winter.
It is well known for having a very good quality wood for turning. Formerly it was used in ox yokes and mill sprockets because it is very hard and resistant. From its leaves you can prepare eye drops.
Often used for ornamentation in parks and gardens and for the creation of hedges. It is ideal for streets that are narrower and works perfectly as noise screens, since it only loses the leaves when the new ones come out.
They need both sun and shade and mild temperatures. It is very good supporting very low temperatures. It is able to adapt to all types of soil, although it prefers those that are light, deep, fresh and rich in organic matter. In this way, you will be able to reach your maximum size and health. It does not tolerate well the environments near the coast or in drier Mediterranean areas.
Funeral cypress (Funeral cypress Endl.)
This tree is also known as the Chinese weeping cypress. It belongs to the Cupressaceae family and is native to China.
It is grown in isolation to highlight its weeping tree characteristics. It does not grow well in alkaline soils.
It is widely used for its good wood for construction.
Erythrine (Erythrina corallodendron L.)
This tree is also commonly known as the chocho tree and immortal wood. It belongs to the Fabaceae family and is native to South America.
Its leaves are alternate and are composed of three oval rhomboid leaflets of a bright green color. It grows in temperate zones and is usually a solitary tree. It has a great chromatic value in the flowering stage.
It is a fairly resistant tree. It withstands light frosts that last a short time and resists transplants very well, even if it is carried out on already adult specimens and without previous pecking. They need abundant watering in spring and summer, but little in winter. It tolerates lime very well, but it does not support saline soils.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.)
This tree is also known by other common names such as sacred tree, tree of 40 shields and tree of pagodas. It belongs to the Ginkgoaceae family and is originally from China. There it is considered a sacred treehence its importance.
It is a deciduous tree, capable of lasting many years and has a more upright bearing during its youth and more widespread as the years progress. Its growth is very slow and it can reach a height of 30 meters and a width of one and a half meters.
With respect to its branches, they are wide and its leaves have two lobes. In summer they turn a very attractive color that makes it an ornamental tool for parks and gardens. Its golden hue is what gives it that sacred power.
Its fruits give off a bad smell when ripe and its seeds are the size of a yellowish-brown plum. Male specimens tend to be taller than females, which tend to be more widespread.
Unlike other trees, despite its long-lived capacity, If it is not pollinated for a year, the tree will die. If it rots, it will give off a very unpleasant odor.
It is a tree of great interest in the botanical world, since it has hardly changed generation after generation and is known as a “living fossil.
It needs wide spaces where it can develop well. It is used for the alignment of streets since it is insensitive to urban pollution. Its beauty will give an extra ornamental value to the streets. It grows best when it is in direct sunlight and it adapts to any terrain that is not flooded.
Surely with these trees you will know a little more about the ornamentation of parks and gardens and how to give a touch of more color to the city.
