Dedham - Mill Lane (Essex)

August 2005	June 2007

This sad example of how not to treat a Dawn Redwood can be found in the front garden of a house in Mill Lane, Dedham. Though not as massive a tree as the Giant Redwood, the Dawn does nonetheless grow to a considerable size. This one is in a small front garden and, as can be seen, the owners have had to cut it back considerably. This is a shame, for one of the features of these trees is their uniform conical shape and incredibly straight trunk, so it is best to plant them in a place that will allow them some room to grow. Having said that, the Dawn Redwood is a tree that has lovely delicate, bright green foliage during most of the year, its tiny leaves turning a striking orange in the Autumn before falling (unusual for a conifer). So perhaps the owners have not made such a bad choice of tree after all! Two years after its rather drastic haircut, this Dawn has recovered well as can be seen in the picture on the right. It might not look as glorious as one that has not been pollarded, but better a pollarded Dawn Redwood than no Dawn Redwood at all!