Connacht Gold Garden Centres

Tree Varieties

Connacht Gold Garden Centres stock a wide range of trees. See some of our favourite varieties below.

Betula                     Birch

An excellent specimen tree Birch is easy to grow, tolerates exposed sites and grows in most soils. There are many to choose from but one of the best is Betula utilis var. 'Jacquemontii' or the Himalayan Birch. It has an attractive growth habit lush green leaves during the summer, turning all shades of gold and yellow during the autumn. However it is during the winter months, with the branches bare of leaves does it reveal its true beauty of stunning, paper white, trunk and branches, adding a superb backdrop to any garden.

Crataegus             Hawthorn

Hawthorn is a common site amongst many hedgerows throughout the country. However as a specimen tree for the garden the best is the variety 'Pauls Scarlet'. A fantastic choice for exposed gardens, this hardy tree grows in most soils. A profusion of double pink flower appears in early summer. As the tree matures lavish displays of red berries appear in early autumn.

Sorbus aria                         Whitebeam

This distinctive medium sized native tree produces masses of rounded silver / white leaves, followed by plates of white blossom in early summer. In autumn foliage turns scarlet, along side red berries. Sorbus thrives on most fertile soils, being suited to chalk as well as heavier clay soils. Fully hardy and capable of growing under semi shade - Sorbus is a good all rounder. Excellent tree for exposed conditions.

Sorbus aucuparia               Mountain Ash/Rowan tree

The native mountain ash is a great addition to any garden, with plenty to show throughout the year. Clusters of white flowers appear in May and June. Well after the bees and insects have done their job, masses of red berries appear in august and September . as if all that wasn't enough with the cold weather of late autumn the leaves produce an amazing show of reds and yellows as if they are saying goodbye until next year!

Acer platanoides Drummondii                    Variegated maple

A strikingly handsome cultivar of the Norway maple named after the Drummond Nursery of Stirling in Scotland. In cultivation since 1903, this form produces magnificently variegated foliage which has a wide, creamy white margin. It is widely known in North America as the harlequin maple. Any shoots which show signs of reversion are best removed. A medium to large tree with a rounded form. It does well on most soil types, tolerates air pollution and resists drought.

Acer platanoides Crimson King                     Purple Leafed Maple

The Norway maple is a fast-growing tree, eventually quite large but easily pruned to confine its spread for many years. It is a handsome species, spreading to make a satisfying rounded crown and sufficiently robust to be grown in exposed positions, even as a windbreak. The foliage of 'Crimson King' is quite dramatic, dark reddish brown when young, becoming crimson purple for the rest of the year. The conspicuous flowers are deep yellow, tinged with red, gathered in large clusters which decorate the tree before the leaves appear.

Malus                        Crab Apple

Malus 'Everest' is a small, deciduous tree. This handsome crab apple brings a billowing cloud of first blush pink, and then white flowers in spring. A mass of red buds burst into white in a heavenly display that only crab apples are able to perform. Miniature yellow/orange ornamental apples about 2 or 3 cm across subsequently appear to provide a further attraction during the autumn. This cultivar in particular is an ideal choice where space is limited given its rather conical habit over time. For best results grow in full sun.

Prunus 'Kanzan'                 Flowering Cherry

A sturdy tree with very dense clusters of double, bright pink flowers which hang in rather congested clumps from the spreading branches. The young leaves are coppery red when they first appear and there is some coppery yellow autumn colour. The tree spreads quite broadly and is one which some love and others detest: subtle it is not. It has a feeling of amplitude and bounty, that, perhaps, no other cherry can equal, and is far removed from the spare single flowers of the early forms. Flowers during the month of May.

Liquidamber

This handsome tree from Eastern USA and Mexico produces fantastic autumn colours of orange, red and purple. For the best display, grow in full sun; however it will tolerate partial shade. The common name of sweet gum comes from the resin-like scent that its leaves produce when crushed. Young shoots often have distinctive corky ridges. It makes a beautiful tree for woodland plantings or as a specimen. Grow in neutral to acid soil that is moist but well-drained.