In honour of Earth Day, we look at a few of the magic tricks
trees can perform in your garden. MONEY WELL SPENT | In the
landscape of memory, trees define the countryside. As the most
prominent and long-lived of all vegetation (think giant
sequoia), they are the one green symbol guaranteed to represent
place. Mention Italy and Italian cypress come to mind. Images of
southern France always include olive trees. The English
landscape, that great affectation, is symbolized by large-scale
deciduous varieties planted in “clumps” (by Capability Brown)
that look from a distance like a single stylized tree. In the
Pacific Northwest, iconic evergreens—Douglas fir, Western red
cedar and hemlock—colour much of the landscape black-green, a
situation that both pleases and perturbs me. Get the whole story