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This site is about trees in Britain. Not just any trees, but some that are quite exceptional:
Giant Redwoods. |
| Most people have heard of Giant Redwoods, possibly as Giant Sequoia, and probably know that they originate from somewhere in America. The truth, however, is that although relatively rare, they can actually be found in many towns in Britain. |
If you know where to look. First of all... Why look? Why the fascination?
The answer is that they are such magnificent trees. Magnificent not just for their phenomenal size but also for their shape, their sturdy buttress style and soft spongy bark. Also, when one looks up the trunk of a mature Giant Redwood and sees the slim branches sweeping gracefully downwards, there is an air of pre-historic mystique about them; and yet by contrast there is a fresh modern appeal about the smart conical shape of a juvenile tree.
On this site you will see the product of many years spent on locating, documenting, and photographing examples of these fantastic trees in England. Illustrated here you will find a growing selection of the magnificent, the mediocre, and even some of the downright peculiar examples. You will also see examples of Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervierns) and Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), both also fine trees although my preference is for the Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum). |
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There are also pages explaining the characteristics of Redwoods, how to measure them and how to grow your own. Use the buttons on the left to navigate, but if you are new to these trees and curious about what makes them so different, take a tour via the "Locations and Pictures" button. You will see a variety of examples, some in the middle of towns, towering over homes, shops and churches, others in the countryside, again towering over their neighbouring trees.
You will see Giant Redwood and Coast Redwood trees of varying ages, but in the main they will be around a hundred to a hundred and fifty years old. Very young by their own standard, since they live for thousands of years, but they were only discovered and introduced to England in the 1850's (1940's for the Dawn Redwood). Although they were largely forgotten for a century or so, it seems that there is something of a revival in popularity, for there are now a small but growing number of very young examples planted over the last decade or so by enterprising organisations and councils. |
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Do you have your own story about growing Redwood trees?
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