Like the monkey puzzle tree, the horsetails (Equisetum spp) are sometimes referred to as ‘living fossils’.  Some of their ‘relatives’ date back to the late Devonian period - about 380 million years ago.  Some were  huge and tree like, reaching a height of some 30 metres, about 98 feet.  These plants formed 'forests' and were abundant in the carboniferous period.  These ancient species persisted for some 100 million years, with some contributing to the formation of coal deposits.  Modern horsetails first appeared during the Jurassic period. Present day forms are much smaller than those of the past..  Equisetum arvense is a species that is widespread across Northern Europe and parts of America. It is a nonflowering plant, multiplying through spores. It can absorb silicon from the soil, which is unusual.  It also has the ability to take up and accumulate heavy metals such as copper, zinc, lead and cadmium.  It grows and spreads by underground rhizomes.  These rhizomes can form an extensive network, penetrating deep into the soil (sometimes to a depth of six feet).  This means the plant can be very difficult to eradicate if it appears in your garden. Techniques for removing the plant can be found on the RHS site : here.  Unchecked, Equisetum can spread extensively and smother / outcompete smaller plants. In Spring, the rhizomes produce pale, fertile shoots, topped with strobili.  Strobili are cone shaped structures that release spores. Once the spores have been released, these shoots wither and die.  Somewhat later, the non-reproductive shoots appear.  These have fine branches that appear in whorls around the ‘segmented’ stems. The whorls form at various ‘nodes’ along the stem.  These branches give the plant is characteristic form.  The name Equisetum comes from the latin Equus for horse, and setae for bristles, as the shoots have a vague resemblance to a horse’s tail.  The word arvense is also derived from the Latin where "arvum", means “ploughed”.  This references the growth of the plant in arable soil and disturbed areas.  Horsetails commonly occur in damp and open woodlands, and may also been found near the edges of streams (which may have been their original habitat). The plant has been used in herbal medicine to make a ‘tea’ or used in baths to treat skin complaints, chilblains and wounds.

When thinking of conifers, one might feel a bit ‘schizophrenic’.  Perhaps picturing a Leylandii encroaching on your garden, whilst also remembering your Christmas tree.  Maybe the typical image of conifers is that of a tree with dark green foliage all year round.  However, this would be something of a disservice to the Conifer family - the Pinophyta, which contains an amazing variety of trees, many of which are at risk of extinction.  This group includes cedars, firs, cypresses, junipers, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews. [caption id="attachment_32107" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Leaves on the branchlets of Dawn Redwood[/caption] Conifers are important because They dominate vast areas of land, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere,  forming the boreal forests or taiga. Softwood from conifers accounts for approximately 45% of global timber production. Pine, spruce and larch are often grown specifically for softwood production. The wood is also used in the paper production[.and, to a lesser extent, in making plastic from chemically treated wood pulp].  Some species produce edible seeds , such as pine nuts provide foods such as pine nuts for humans and wildlife and juniper berries, which are used to flavour gin.  The Monkey Puzzle tree, (also known as the Pehuen Pine, native to Chile and Argentina) produces seeds known as piñones; traditionally harvested by indigenous communities.  [caption id="attachment_27592" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Monkey puzzle tree[/caption] To see the diversity of the Conifer family one could visit the Bedgebury Pinetum.  This is home to one of the world’s most important conifer collections.  Bedgebury was established in 1925 by Kew Gardens and the Forestry Commission.  The curator at Kew had observed that the conifers there were ‘being choked by London Smogs’.  The site at Bedgebury, situated on the Southern Kentish weald, was ideal.  It offered an escape from the pollution of London and it had wet and free draining areas, plus varied soils so it a range of conifer could be grown. The land already had some conifers that had been planted by Viscount Beresford - an evergreen enthusiast.  In 1925, some 315 trees were planted.  This year, to celebrate reaching a century, some 89 of the original trees are marked with special yellow labels.  For  its first twenty years, the pinetum was managed by William Dallimore. His diaries record in some detail the trees he planted, and the challenges faced in establishing the pinetumIf you visit, then you might walk through through Dallimore Valley, and view his legacy. Bedgebury soon became a centre for the scientific interest in conifers, their conservation, and landscape planning.  The current curator is Dan Luscombe. Apart from seeing a range of conifers, the pinetum offers a variety of activities, e.g. family cycling, mountain biking and walking, There is also the play trail or you can explore the canopy on a Go Ape tree-top adventure or challenge.  It is rumoured that the Gruffalow lurks within the grounds of the  Pinetum. There is also a cafe, serving a range of drinks, plus  breakfast and lunch options. The pinetum is open from from 8 AM to 8 PM (March 2025 to 26 October 2025), and there are charges for car parking.  

The monkey puzzle tree is a popular garden tree.  It is so-called as when first seen in this country (in the mid C19th) by Charles Austin, he is alleged to have said that “it would puzzle a monkey to climb that”.  As the tree had no common or popular name, it became the ‘monkey puzzler’ or ‘monkey puzzle tree’.  Its scientific name is Araucaria araucana, and otherwise known as the Chilean Pine or Pehuén.  It is native to the Andes of Chile and Argentina.  Not only is it a long lived tree (with a life span of a thousand plus years) but the species has been around for a long time (in excess of 200 million years).  It is sometimes described as a “living fossil”. A tree can grow to a considerable height - towards 150 feet with a trunk diameter of some five feet. Read more...

In the 1830s the 6th Duke of Devonshire, owner of the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire, was one of the first to plant a pinetum and arboretum.  He did this in partnership with Joseph Paxton, who later became famous for building the Crystal Palace exhibition in London.  Taking a few acres of grazing land above the great house at Chatsworth, they set about planting trees systematically in accordance with the botanical classification used at the time.  It's very clear that both the Duke and Joseph Paxton had great fun in their creation of some large-scale landscape features.   Read more...