Join us on January 21st for a fascinating exploration of the unique characteristics of winter twigs. Learn how to identify various trees and shrubs by their twigs alone, from the thorny blackthorn to the colorful branches of willows and maples. Discover the intriguing stories behind these trees and their twigs, and find out where to spot them in London's parks and gardens. Don't miss out on this captivating journey into the world of winter twigs!
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Twigs
Other than colour, various trees and shrubs can be identified from characters on their twigs alone. If thorny and without leaves this month, it is often one of the following: hawthorn, blackthorn, myrobalan plum or a black locust tree. Ferocious spines an inch or two in length and in small bunches would indicate the honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos. This tree is relatively uncommon outside parks and plant collections. Trees like the black locust tree Robinia pseudoacacia have prominent but smaller spines, although confusingly this character has been bred out in many city specimens.
The cockspur thorn Crataegus crus-galli, which is one of the vandal-proof shrubs found in our parks, has truly fearsome spines up to ten centimetres in length. Blackthorn Prunus spinosa and myrobalan plum P. cerasifera can sometimes be awkward to tell apart. The former usually has darker twigs and is more spiny but an easier way to separate them this month is by looking at their buds. Those of the blackthorn are rounded and those of the cherry plum are pointed.
Branch Colour
Although most tree branches are a darkish, often sooty colour, many others change their colour at this time of year. All over London the branches of lime trees Tilia spp. and their buds are becoming noticeably more coral-coloured.
Willows are probably the most commonly noticed coloured branches across the landscape. They are now predominantly yellow-green, orange or a bright shiny brown. In gardens other cultivated willows can be several other different colours.
Dawn redwoods have red branches, fig trees green ones, walnuts grey, larch red or brown and poplars are often covered in a white bloom. One of the easiest to recognise is the Stag’s horn sumac whose branches are covered in a soft brown fur.
The weeping form of the pagoda tree Sophora japonica ‘pendula’ can form a perfect natural arbour with its unusual twisted then rod-like branches which can be three different colours. Also called the Chinese Scholar tree it had a long history of being planted on the graves of teachers or in the grounds of Universities.
Today it can be found in the Master’s garden at Balliol College Oxford but is more easily seen at the edge of the Meadow in Battersea park. We have to thank one of the most famous of the Royal Horticultural Society’s plant hunters, Robert Fortune, for its introduction in 1857. After fighting off Chinese pirates almost single-handedly with a two-barrelled shotgun he managed to introduce two other great winter beauties, winter jasmine and winter-flowering honeysuckle. After his near death experiences he wrote back to the Society for more money and famously received a sarcastic refusal suggesting he ought not to be so mercenary.
Branches also differ widely in colour among the maples Acer spp. Two of the best are the Coral Bark maple Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’ and its green counterpart A.p.’Aoyogi’. The Moose wood maple A. pensylvanicum with its almost florescent red branches is another favourite. Others worth seeking out are A. acuminatum which has purple twigs which then turn green and white and A. barbinerve which starts off bright crimson and slowly changes to grey. As it is the young growth that often produces the best colour, pruning by gardeners can be vital for a good show.
For this reason Wisley has the greatest range of different branch colours although Savill gardens has a good list of maples. The Japanese gardens at Holland Park and the Watergardens at Kingston are also worth visiting. The latter is a gem of a landscaped Japanese garden, originally planted by another great Victorian plant hunter John Veitch. He collected privately from wherever the Chinese allowed him to go which was mainly markets, inns, temples and private gardens. Even so, his garden today still has a number of rarities.
