Sycamore trees on site are easily recognisable with their maple shaped 5 lobed leaves. And as we’re in Wales it’s fitting to note that the wood was often used to make Love Spoons. A traditional wooden carved spoon with an intricate design made to give to your beloved. An example of a spoon made in 1667 can be seen at St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff.

Gardd Goch also has many beech trees and is in fact one of the principal species on the internal banked hedges. As it is often called the queen of British trees, it is fitting to have a large population of these beech overlooking the wild flower meadows and grasslands of Gardd Goch.

Alongside the pond an area of alder snuggles a corner of the land at Gardd Goch. Alder trees love the waters edge, with moist ground stroking its feet and pondlife nibbling its leaves. Alder loves water so much that it was traditionally used to shore up canals and river banks.

There are several rowan trees at Gardd Goch, easily recognisable with their orange berries and frondy leaves similar to ash. The Rowan trees appear graceful and lofty. Often held up as trees of protection in history it is rumoured they protected against evil. In Celtic mythology they represent healing, connection and balance.

A personal favourite is the willowy silver birches found at Garrd Goch. Tall and majestic they display gorgeous silvery white bark, a beacon, for those looking for a gem amongst the staple types of trees here. The delicate swinging leaves ruffled by a passing breeze will dance on the ends of pendulous branches. An elegant tree for those who like light open canopies giving many different plants a shady yet bright spot at the feet of these trees.

Blackthorn is a hardy and prominent bearer of long thorns. The dark bruise like bark and white flowers, which appear fairly early in the year, are easily recognised. When Winter arrives a bountiful harvest of sloes can be picked for sloe gin. Brown hairsteak butterflies favour the young blackthorn shoots as a breeding ground.

Hawthorn has spikes again but smaller than blackthorn. As a harbinger of Summer the white frothy blossom is probably one of the most recognised trees in the hedgerow setting. The birds love the bright red haws produced after the flowers have been pollinated. Many birds, moths and dormice favour the fruits and habitat of the hawthorn.