Trees extend autumn season

Linda Hellyer is curator of the rose garden at Dunedin Botanic Garden.

There are many wonderful trees to be viewed in Dunedin Botanic Garden and at certain times of the year some of these trees really catch your eye. Two larger trees worth a mention, particularly at this time of year with their spectacular display of golden leaves as they change colour are Liriodendron tulipifera and Ginkgo biloba.

The tulip tree or yellow poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera, is one of the last of the deciduous trees to change colour and lose its leaves in Dunedin Botanic Garden. A very long lived and fast growing tree to well over 35m, it is not a tree you would plant in a small home garden. It has tulip shaped greenish yellow flowers in spring.

The ginkgo tree, Ginkgo biloba, has been called a living fossil. It is one of the oldest living seed plants and is therefore seen as one of the wonders of the world. The tree reaches adult age at around 30 years then can live to well over 1000 years. It can reach up to 40 metres in height with a 9 metre spread which makes it a great landscape tree for large parks and gardens. The leaf resembles the shape of a maidenhair fern, hence one of the common names “maidenhair tree”.

Both of these trees can be seen in the lower botanic garden grass areas surrounding the rose garden.