A celebration of trees: November: Bute Park’s ginkgo avenue

Having been around for about 200 million years, the gorgeous ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), possibly my favourite tree, is a living fossil. It was flourishing when dinosaurs roamed the earth! 

It has probably survived so long because it was considered sacred by Buddhist monks, who cultivated the tree near their temples. It also has no pests or diseases, and individual trees can live for as long as 1000 years.

The ginkgo is unique, with a fan-shaped leaf like no other tree – the shape of which accounts for its common name of Maidenhair tree, and with a fruit that smells like human vomit. Despite this revolting fact, the Chinese cook and eat it, and they use the seeds to make medicine which is supposedly good for the brain.

According to the Kew Gardens website, the first ginkgoes were planted in Britain around 1760, and one of the very first still survives:

Perhaps the most well known tree of this species is the ‘Old Lion’ west of the Princess of Wales Conservatory. This was one of the first of this species to be planted in Britain, dating back to at least 1762 – less than 40 years after the first specimens had been introduced to Europe from China. It is one of the few trees at Kew remaining from the first botanic garden started by Princess Augusta, George III's mother, in 1759.

As you will see from the photographs included below, I fell in love with this avenue of ginkgoes in Bute Park when I first moved to Cardiff four months ago and I’ve been photographing it regularly ever since, both for the vibrant green of its summer foliage and for the brilliant bright yellow of its autumn leaves. I am also drawn to the geometric lines of the planting, and the lovely building at the end is the perfect focal point. (The people who frequently appear on the benches, where I have also spent many a happy hour, are an added bonus!)

The building is now the Anthony Hopkins Centre, named for the famous actor who studied here at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, but it was originally the Castle Mews, built in 1874 to house the horses and carriages of the Marquis of Bute, who then lived in Cardiff Castle (which sits at the other end of the avenue across an old canal). After the horses moved out, the Mews buildings were used to house Bute estate workers, and later Cardiff Council’s equipment. Though the Council failed to maintain the property, the College resurrected and restored it after leasing the buildings in the 1980s.

The History Points website says the avenue had been planted with trees by 1880 and originally featured two rows of trees each side (the extra rows were later removed). But those original trees weren’t ginkgoes – the beautiful trees we see today were planted as recently as the 1950s, chosen by the Council’s Chief Parks Officer Bill Nelmes to replace the previous trees.

The ginkgoes are now one of the highlights of the magnificent Bute Park and even feature in the park’s revamped logo. Apparently, ‘The shape of the gingko tree is used to represent Bute Park as the “green heart” of Cardiff and the stylised castle and castle typography used to reinforce the importance of the relationship between the two sites.’ 

Long may Cardiff Council continue to recognise and care for these gorgeous green treasures!  

Do you love trees? Then you might like to look over my previous months’ celebrations of trees by clicking on the following links: January (one particular favourite), February (about lime avenues), March (on the subject of forests), April (about the greening of the trees in the British springtime), May (on the New Zealand pohutukawa), June (about some of Auckland’s most notable trees), July (honouring ten wondrous trees from my international travels), August (following pathways through forests and woodlands), September (about dead trees that have been given new life), and October (the beautiful colours of autumn in Cardiff).   

Auckland trees: The Chinese trees of Cornwall Park

Earlier this week I enjoyed a most enlightening guided walk in Auckland’s Cornwall Park, exploring the Chinese trees with specialist tree guide and eminent botanist Dr Mike Wilcox. Mike was assisted this day by Estella Hin Ling of the Auckland Botanical Society, whose job it was to translate Mike’s words into Cantonese as, not surprisingly given the subject and Auckland’s large Asian population, our party included a large number of local Chinese.

The walk was just one of a series of free events run by the folks at Cornwall Park to help Aucklanders appreciate even more this glorious green haven – though, judging by the numbers of people walking, jogging, strolling and picnicking, the locals are already keen users of the 172 hectares gifted to the people of Auckland by John Logan Campbell in 1901. The events are many and varied, and I recommend you keep an eye on their website for something that might interest you.  

Here, then, are some of the beautiful Chinese trees we discovered during our two-hour walk, along with just a few of the facts Mike shared with us. Take the walk yourself to find out more.

Ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba)

Having been on this earth for around 200 million years, the gorgeous ginkgo, possibly my favourite tree, is a living fossil. It has probably survived so long because it was considered sacred by Buddhist monks, who cultivated the tree near their temples. It also has no pests or diseases, and individual trees can live for as long as 1000 years. The ginkgo has a fan-shaped leaf like no other tree, and the fruit of the female tree smells like human vomit. Despite this revolting fact, the Chinese cook and eat it, and they use the leaves to make medicine which is supposedly good for the brain.

The grove of ginkgoes in Cornwall Park was planted in the mid 1960s on the former site of Cornwall Hospital, following the removal of the hospital buildings.

Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

In Cornwall Park, the small group of Dawn redwoods – one tall specimen and several less mature trees – are towered over by a stand of Californian redwoods, though both are tall and majestic trees. During the last ice age, the Dawn redwood was almost wiped out, surviving only in isolated valleys in remote parts of China. It is still rare in the wild, and is now state protected in China. In autumn, its leaves turn a subtle shade of apricot, as you can see in my photos.

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

Although often seen in street plantings around Auckland, the Tree of heaven is not popular with the city council staff who maintain the streets, partly due to its habit of persistently sending up suckers and partly due to its foul-smelling leaves. The tree has white flowers and orange fruit and can be identified during the winter months, when its branches are bare, by the snake-like marks on its bark.

Mike Wilcox (holding a Plane tree leaf) and Estella Hin Ling, with the distinctive bark of  a Plane tree in the background

Plane tree (Platanus acerifolia)

I’ve always thought of the Plane as an English tree but it is just as familiar to the Chinese, though it only flourishes in some parts of that huge country. In Auckland this was a hugely popular tree for street plantings in the early 20th century, as witnessed by some of the magnificent Plane-lined streets in Ponsonby and other inner-city Auckland suburbs.

China berry (Melia azedarach)

This is another popular street and home-garden tree, with pretty autumn foliage and little yellow berries that remain on the tree through much of the winter. The berries are toxic to humans but many birds love them. Though underutilised for its timber, the China berry produces medium-density straight wood of a brownish-red colour that is resistant to most wood-eating insects.

Wonder tree (Idesia polycarpa)

This is such a graceful tree and, with its hanging bunches of bright red berries, it not only looks attractive but birds love it. The berries can, apparently, also be eaten by humans, either raw or cooked. The leaves when they fall in the autumn are particularly crunchy underfoot, perfect for walking through, kicking up and playing amongst – yes, I am just an old kid at heart!

Chinese sweet gum (Liquidambar formosana)

The gum of this Liquidambar can be burned for incense, hence its common Chinese name. In Auckland the American Liquidambar is a very popular tree and can be seen in street, park and garden plantings throughout the city, providing spectacular autumn colour. I learnt the difference between the two varieties during my walk – the Chinese variety has a three-pointed leaf shape, whereas the American type has five points (see photo above). Mike Wilcox told us the tree in Cornwall Park is the only Chinese variety he has seen in Auckland so if you spot another, make sure to let the park authorities know.

Mike Wilcox is the author of Auckland’s Remarkable Urban Forest (Auckland Botanical Society, Auckland, 2012), which describes the trees and forests of Auckland and includes those in parks and reserves, on campuses, school grounds, cemeteries, and at historic homesteads – it’s a great book and highly recommended reading.