What's this tree?

[basketcase]

Hi!

I've inherited this tree. Can anyone tell me what it is, please? It doesn't seem to be perfumed and, although they look a bit washed out in the photo, the flowers are pale pink.

Thanks

[jackie j]

It looks a bit like a verigated wigelia ( sp ) someone will identify it ( and my bet is it will be two sheds) lol

[vicky]

You're right, a varigated weigela, a really nice little shrub!

[SarzWix]

My neighbour has one of those and cuts it right back every year, which it doesn't seem to mind at all. Helps keep it within it's allocated space

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, it's a shrub, not a tree.

(shrubs have many stems, trees only have the one)

Vy - gella

[susieq100]

We have one in the garden - it spreads like a very spready thing so do cut it back as Sarah says. My OH was quite brutal last year and we have had so much blossom this year it has really brought the bees into the garden.

[basketcase]

Many thanks for all the replies.

Will be really ruthless with it, come autumn. I did notice a few bees on it.

[basketcase]

Yes, it's a shrub, not a tree.

(shrubs have many stems, trees only have the one)

Vy - gella

So that's the difference!

Thanks TS

[Cully339]

Hi!

I've inherited this tree. Can anyone tell me what it is, please? It doesn't seem to be perfumed and, although they look a bit washed out in the photo, the flowers are pale pink.

Thanks

Hi, I think your shrub is a Weigela florida variegata, pink trumpet like flowers rose pink outer and paler within, height and spread 6ft with softly arching branches, with a bit of TLC it could be lovely. I have the same species but with purple leaves and deep pink flowers.

[PAULW]

Yes, it's a shrub, not a tree.

(shrubs have many stems, trees only have the one)

Vy - gella

TWO SHEDS
Hazel has many stems but is classed as a tree because it makes timber, a shrub will always be whippy and whispy however tall it grows.

[basketcase]

Hi, I think your shrub is a Weigela florida variegata, pink trumpet like flowers rose pink outer and paler within, height and spread 6ft with softly arching branches, with a bit of TLC it could be lovely. I have the same species but with purple leaves and deep pink flowers.

Sounds like the animal - except for the height. This one's a fair bit over 6ft. But then, I'd never met a buttercup as tall as I am till I got this plot!

[Paulottie]

TWO SHEDS
Hazel has many stems but is classed as a tree because it makes timber, a shrub will always be whippy and whispy however tall it grows.

Hazels can have a very significant trunk and obviously are 'tree's' but are normally coppiced....same is often true of willow, chestnut etc.

I also have very old hebes, smoke bushes, and a twenty fie foot pyrrus all with pretty substantial trunks on them.

got me interested now...is that an official scientific definition of the difference TS; or just a practical description of the difference?

[SarzWix]

The generally acknowledged definition of a tree is a "woody plant having one erect perennial stem (trunk) at least three inches in diameter at a point 4-1/2 feet above the ground, a definitely formed crown of foliage, and a mature height of at least 13 feet."

Shrubs, therefore, are the opposite : a "woody plant with several perennial stems that may be erect or may lay close to the ground. It will usually have a height less than 13 feet and stems no more than about three inches in diameter."

These definitions serve as good starting points for distinguishing between trees and shrubs. However, as with everything in life, there are exceptions. Some trees, such as river birch and Japanese maple may have multiple trunks. Some shrubs can be shaped into a small tree by training one trunk. However, as long as you follow the general definitions, you should be able to decide whether the plant is a tree or a shrub.

I wondered too

[PAULW]

PAULOTTIE
Cant exactly remeber what the tutor said but it was along the line of although the hazel has multiple stems if left to grow it will make useable timber, the hebe may have a thick stem but could you make a door from it, by the way Pyrrus (3 types calleryana/communis/salicifolia) are classed as trees