The birch, an elegant and appreciated tree

Elegant and appreciated ornamental tree, the Birch has accompanied man since prehistoric times. Its recognized medicinal properties and its many and varied uses have made it a fundamental plant in the daily life of mankind.

The white tree

Birches, rarely solitary trees, mark the landscape with their clear silhouettes and delicate foliage. Elegance and lightness characterize them. Two large species are found in Europe, from the Betulaceae family, the Warty Birch and the Pubescent Birch, the latter preferring humid areas. Pioneers, they like cleared lands, burned, full light. They settle down, renew themselves, the time of a passage of life of man, their longevity does not exceed 100 years, 150 at most. Their properties are common and multiple...

Medicinal properties

More and more recognized and appreciated, the medicinal properties of Birch deserve to be considered.

Internally they present mainly diuretic, depurative, anti-rheumatic interests. The infusion of leaves and the decoction of buds are used in the care of renal colic, dropsy, cellulite... The sap, whose reputation continues to grow, is harvested at the end of winter, at the first signs of spring. Spring cures are recommended, in small doses, a few tablespoons per day. Its antioxidant properties are in the taste of the day, its possible role also in the regulation of intestinal disorders.

Externally the decoction of leaves or bark is detersive, disinfectant and would cure many skin problems. Leaves enveloping the body or painful organs soothe rheumatism, just like Alder leaves.

A wood with variable but numerous qualities

The white wood of Birch can be yellowish or even reddish. Neither too hard nor too heavy, it is easy to work, and is of better quality when subjected to harsh climatic conditions, in the mountains or in Northern Europe, with a slower growth.

It lends itself to turning, for the manufacture of plates, bowls, spoons, various utensils. Its lack of tannins favors food contact. Used for the manufacture of light and solid clogs, the carpentry will appreciate it for the structures of furniture. The cabinetmaking with appropriate dyes will transform it into walnut and mahogany; its wood sometimes knotty or "madré", intertwining of fibers, in some Warty Birch, will be of the most beautiful effect.

The long list is completed by the use of the young flexible stems to tie up barrels, to make tool handles, ladders, but also paper pulp, fiberboard, thin plywood, models...

An all-purpose bark

If Birch wood has many uses, its bark is not to be outdone, far from it. Highly concentrated in resins, it does not degrade, and was used, and is still used, to waterproof roofs, make hats, capes, baskets, belts, mats... The Amerindian dugouts were famous for their lightness and their capacity to carry heavy loads. As early as prehistoric times, boxes were designed, folded, rolled, sewn, allowing to carry flint, tinder, medicinal plants.... In the last century, shepherds still used them as gaiters...

By heating pieces of bark, one obtains the pitch of Birch, a tar allowing the gluing, the sealing. And if the uses of the bark of Birch are still numerous, it is necessary to quote one of them: the paper.

Various uses

In fire, Birch emits a lively heat without smoke, leaving very little ash, properties sought after by bakers and glassmakers. It is called "baker's wood". As fuel, its rolled bark was used to make long-lasting torches.

Birch also has a good reputation as a broom. Its branches attached to an ash handle by wicker or bramble ties were used to make brooms, famous for their sturdiness, but also chopsticks for unruly school children... Hence its name "tree of wisdom".

Its dyeing properties, use of the leaves, allow to obtain a yellow or green tint, according to whether one adds chalk or alum.

In the past, the leaves were dried to be used as fodder during the winter.

Birch wine closes this incomplete list, a sparkling and refreshing beverage obtained by fermenting the sap harvested in spring.

Some stories

A tree with white bark, light, elegant, pioneer, the Birch is a symbol of purity and renewal. It is associated with the light of the moon, feminine Goddess, and plays a protective and purifying role. The birch wood cradles would protect children from evil forces, the wood was inhabited by fairies ...

The Birch would also be a tree of passage between the worlds.

The brugmansia, a tropical tree with abundant trumpets

Brugmansia arborea: a tropical plant

Brugmansia arborea is an unusual plant because it is very sensitive to frost (hardiness: 0°C). It is a tropical tree which, in its country of origin, South America, can reach between 8 and 10 meters high. Contrary to Datura (close relative of Brugmensia) which has erect flowers, its trumpet-shaped flowers are falling and have beautiful colors, pink, yellow or white.

Be careful! Like Datura, Brugmansia is a toxic plant whose leaves should not be eaten.

An abundant bloom

The main attraction of Brugmensia arborea is its flowering. It is a very floriferous plant which blooms all the summer season. Continually, the tips of the stems emit one to two flower buds.

How to prune the trumpet of death?

Brugmansia arborea is a tree that can be left to grow freely if it is grown in the ground. On the other hand, if it is put to winter in an orangery, a veranda or a garage, it is better to prune it to reduce its clutter. The pruning is practiced from October and we cut mainly the extremities. The following year, it will start growing again.

To know: the flower buds appear on the stems of the year. This is why it is possible to prune it short.

Cultivation and maintenance

As Brugmansia arborea is a tree, it is necessary to repot it every year to prevent the plant from lacking food. It is necessary to plant it in a humus substrate and to bring water and fertilizer regularly. If the plant is not fed enough, its first reaction will be to lose its flower buds, the main attraction of the plant.

Ideally, Brugmansia arborea should be planted in a large container and brought in during winter.

Tip: if you have to go on vacation, consider installing a drip system with a timer.

Brugmansia arborea is also a full sun plant. It does not need any shade, because it harms the production of flower buds. It also needs a maximum of heat.

Pests of Brugmansia arborea

Brugmansia arborea has very few pests. You can sometimes notice the appearance of the white fly in summer, when it is very hot. However, the plant being so vigorous, it is not necessary to treat it.

The cedar, an imposing and majestic silhouette

From their distant lands, the Cedars have brought us their imposing and majestic silhouettes, with their unmistakable landscape style. But with them also came an aromatic wood, appreciated by carpenters, a renowned essential oil, and beautiful stories.

A majestic tree

Standing in parks and botanical gardens, the Cedars impose themselves by their high stature, majestically spread out in tiers. They seem to have been there for centuries, even millennia. And yet the first of them, a Cedar of Lebanon, arrived a little less than 3 centuries ago, planted by Bernard de Jussieu in the Paris plant garden in 1734. Since then, they have been planted for their landscaping role, but also for their forestry role, given the quality of their wood.

There are 4 species of Cedars in the world. The Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani, the Cedar of the Atlas, Cedrus atlantica, the Cedar of the Himalayas, Cedrus deodora, and the Cedar of Cyprus, Cedrus brevifolia.

Various origins

The Cedar of Lebanon, native to the country of which it is the emblem, but also to Asia Minor, has been appreciated for its remarkable qualities for thousands of years, and its exploitation since Antiquity has led to the decline of its vast original forests.

Arrived in France a little later, the Atlas Cedar comes from the mountains of North Africa. Planted for its ornamental qualities, tending towards the glaucous, but also for its wood and its rapid growth, it can be found as much in isolated areas as in large exploited forests.

The Himalayan Cedar, a tree from the mountains of Afghanistan, from the north-western Himalayas, requires a particular ecosystem, and is mainly found in botanical gardens, arboretums, parks...

Distant medicinal properties

The ancient names of the trees confuse the issue of their past medicinal uses. The word Cedar did not refer only to Cedrus trees in the past. Many junipers bore this name, including the Oxycedra juniper, which makes it difficult to find precise writings.

Currently, we use the essential oil from the Atlas Cedar, with antifungal, antiseptic, soothing properties... It also seems to be suitable for hair care, treatment of cellulite, could play a role in respiratory tract disorders .... As for all essential oils, precautions of use are necessary, dosages, dilutions, advice of professionals, must be followed.

Aromatic uses

Cedar wood, strongly aromatic, has a repulsive action on insects, in particular moths. Balls and even hangers made of Cedar wood limit the presence of these undesirable insects. This property is worth to him to be used as shoe tree, support in the shape of foot on which is arranged the shoes: in addition to the maintenance of the shape and the drying the wood of Cedar brings a pleasant perfume.

The resin, very caustic, aromatic, was used for the embalming of bodies.

Naval fleets made of cedar wood

Famous for shipbuilding, which has led to its overexploitation in Lebanon, Cedar wood has a pinkish beige color and a fine grain. Durable, it has a good mechanical resistance, but would be brittle and would not like shocks. It is used in carpentry and cabinet making. Its rot-proof character has made it the wood of choice for the manufacture of sarcophagi and crossbeams in mines.

The qualities of Cedar wood are directly related to its habitat. A too fast growth in a favorable environment will make him lose any interest of exploitation.

Some stories...

According to its origins, the Cedar represents greatness, wisdom and duration, but also purity, majesty, nobility, power, sometimes bordering on pride... More than a tree, it would be a divine being capable of predicting the weather. The Bible quotes it many times.

In the epic of Gilgamesh, the guardian of the Cedar forest, Humbaba, dies, and from then on the trees will not cease to be cut down...

The Cedar Wedding celebrates 49 years of marriage.

Cedars have a long history with humans. Ornamental trees, but also with multiple uses, resistant to human pollution, reseeding with vigor, they seem to be able to settle permanently in our landscapes.

The pedunculate oak : botanical sheet

Botanical description of the pedunculate oak, Quercus robur

The pedunculate oak: the typical tree of our forests

The pedunculate oak is a characteristic species of alluvial plains. It is mainly thanks to a bird, the jay, which carries its acorns over several kilometers, that the pedunculate oak gains new open spaces and confirms its reputation of a colonizer.

Portrait of the pedunculate oak

The pedunculate oak can reach 30 to 50 meters in height and can live for several hundred years. It is a heliophilous species, which seeks full light. Its growth is slow in its youngest age then becomes more sustained. The male and female flowers are distinct but are borne by the same individual. They are pollinated by insects during flowering, from April to May.

Enemies of the pedunculate oak

The biggest enemy of the pedunculate oak is powdery mildew, a fungus that develops on the foliage of oaks and gives a whitish appearance to the leaves. Powdery mildew is a disease that weakens young trees.

Another concern comes from a too brutal lighting, which favors the appearance, in the long run, of gourmands: these are small branches which leave, in the wood, marks not very appreciated.

The qualities of pedunculate oak wood

Pedunculate oak wood is of excellent quality, very durable and has many uses. The best quality ones produce veneers or are used for cabinet making, carpentry, cooperage and parquetry.

Oak is also used for many purposes in the construction industry (framework, posts...) as well as in the railway industry for the bottom of wagons or sleepers.

It is also a very good firewood.

Did you know that?

For a very long time, acorns were used to feed pigs.

Growing tips for pedunculate oak

You wish to plant an oak in your garden? Its needs and constraints are the following:

• it can withstand winter cold and late frosts, but remains fragile.
• It appreciates a sunny exposure, in a clear place.
• It grows in fresh, well-drained, rich and deep soil.
• it grows on soils well supplied with water all year long

The ginkgo biloba, the tree of forty crowns

The ginkgo biloba: a model of choice for photographers

The Perrine garden in Laval has a great diversity of tree species, but among them, a remarkable tree attracts all the eyes during one week, in autumn: the ginkgo biloba, whose foliage initially green becomes gold color.

During this period, many amateur photographers from the region come to take pictures of this magnificent specimen. A few years ago, the gardeners had blown the fallen leaves to the ground, to the great dismay of the photographers; because, in addition to the splendor of the tree covered with gold, the carpet which forms, then, on the ground is also of a great beauty.

The ginkgo biloba: the star of the Perrine garden

The ginkgo biloba is not a rare tree, but the one in the Perrine garden is a very beautiful specimen of great size, 25 meters high (there are few ginkgo biloba of this dimension there), and its isolated position in the middle of the lawn puts it particularly in value.

Considering the position of the ginkgo biloba in relation to the layout of the Perrine garden, we can seriously suppose that it was installed there at the time of its creation, which allows us to give it an age of about 100 years.

A week's show in autumn

In the ginkgo biloba, the coloring of the green leaves in yellow starts on the edge of the leaves and ends in the heart. The foliage, on the tree, is then completely yellow during 2 or 3 days (the good moment to take the photos), then in one or two days, all the leaves fall on the ground. The show lasts, in total, about a week.

What maintenance is necessary for this ginkgo biloba?

There is little pruning to do. One cuts essentially the dead wood, as well as the low branches which fall down and which tend to prevent the light from reaching the bed of perennial plants installed at the foot of the tree. This will be the only maintenance performed.

Ginkgo biloba: the indestructible tree

Not only does the ginkgo biloba not fear diseases and pests, but it also knows how to resist man: it is the only tree to have survived the atomic bomb.

Potting the Japanese maple

The rather slow growth of the Japanese maple allows it to be grown in pots without any problem. However, after a few years, it will need to be repotted in good conditions to continue to give its best.

When to repot the Japanese maple?

The best time to repot the Japanese maple is in early spring before budburst, or in the fall after leaf fall.

There are many varieties of Japanese maple, some of which are better suited to pot cultivation than others because they keep a compact habit. This is the case of Acer palmatum 'Corallinum' which has bright pink leaves in spring, turning pale green and then wine red in autumn, of 'Dissectum' and its numerous cultivars which rarely exceed 2 meters in height but have flamboyant foliage, and of 'Ukigumo' marbled with white and pink. These varieties grow slowly and are well suited to pot culture. They can be repotted only every 4 years. The other years a surfacing in spring will be enough, if the pot is big enough.

How to repot the Japanese maple?

Gently remove the root ball from the pot by pulling on the trunk. If the plant does not come out the first time, tap the sides of the pot. If it is made of plastic, do not hesitate to sacrifice the container by cutting it with a cutter if necessary.

If your tree is installed in a beautiful ceramic pot and is difficult to remove, slide the blade of a knife between the root ball and the wall to loosen the roots. Proceed with care.

Once the root ball is out, tap it to remove as much soil as possible.

Immerse the root ball of the maple tree in non-limestone water at room temperature for at least ¼ hour. The tree will hydrate.

Then check the health of the roots and prune those that are dead or damaged with disinfected secateurs.

Choose a larger pot than the previous one, with a hole in the bottom, because this tree does not tolerate stagnant humidity at the roots. For the same reason, leave a layer of clay balls at the bottom of the pot equivalent to 20% of its volume.

Prepare a mixture composed of 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 small pine bark and 1/3 very good potting soil or better still homemade oak leaf compost. The mixture should have an acidic pH. Add a handful of ground horn and dried blood to make it richer.

Plant your tree upright in the pot containing this substrate. The neck of the tree will be located 2 to 3 cm below the top of the pot.

Pack and water thoroughly.

Add more mixture if necessary and mulch with pine needles or bark. This mulching will maintain a good humidity to the substrate while slightly acidifying it.

After repotting the Japanese maple

Place your tree in a location sheltered from strong winds and full sun.

It will do well in semi-shade in a courtyard, a patio or on a terrace sheltered by large walls. In the garden, reserve a place protected by other trees or hedges to protect it from the wind.

Water often, especially in summer. The mixture should never dry out completely between two waterings. Do not let water stand in the saucer.

Scratch a mixture of compost and shredded horn each spring at the base of the tree, then replace the mulch.