Vikten av att välja ett träd!
Text and images by Låtta Skogh
Past episodes of Låttas tyck & tänk can be found at the bottom of this column!
Planting a Tree – A Small Garden’s Big Decision
To transform a small, flat patch of land into a lush little refuge—where you can bask in shimmering leaf-dappled shade, sipping coffee and reading the paper—you simply must plant at least one tree.
But if you’re only going to plant one, choosing carefully is essential. It’s difficult, since there are so many beautiful trees to pick from. I wanted something with a spreading crown, forming that perfect green umbrella to sit beneath.
The Allure—and Riddle—of Choosing One
In truth, I would most like a great oak—with its beautiful leaves, gnarly trunk, and almost horizontal boughs. Some say that if you do only one thing for biodiversity in your surroundings, plant an oak. Countless small creatures depend on the oak for survival, and with many small animals come birds, and so on—a tiny ecosystem radiating from a single living trunk.
A stately beech would also be lovely, with its smooth silvery bark and perhaps the prettiest shade of early summer. Or maybe a romantic birch, with the most joyful spring budding? And you could do worse than a linden—the classic guardian tree in so many Swedish gardens.
A Small Tree Doesn’t Always Stay Small
Of course, a tree often grows faster than you imagine, and a giant tree in a tiny garden can quickly become troublesome. Its roots claim space beneath the soil, drinking up water the other plants need. Its branches might reach into the neighbor’s yard—and not everyone is equally smitten with biodiversity as you are. Plus, the thick canopy could end up robbing everyone eastward of that precious evening sun.
Luckily, there are small trees, too. If you pick one with a high stem you can walk straight under, its crown feels less overwhelming than those with low, outstretched branches. A globe maple could be perfect for the delightful autumn colors, or perhaps a rowan or a whitebeam for similar reasons.
Blossoms and Bounty
Choosing a tree with pretty blossoms and tasty fruit is another possibility. An apple tree, a pear, or a cherry can give beauty and bounty both. We settled on an apple tree—an ’Aroma’, the classic flavorful variety that’s also Skåne’s own provincial apple. Three years after planting, we reaped our first true harvest this year. Several apples had minor blemishes from visiting creatures, but once we trimmed away the rough bits, there was plenty left for more than one apple cake. And even though the trunk is still slender, it’s steady enough to lean against, just like the grandfather in “Kalles Klätterträd,” sitting beneath the boughs, reading the newspaper in that shifting, dappled light.
Memories Beneath the Branches
Every garden has its story, and every decision branches out into the future—be it a solitary oak for biodiversity, a beech for shade, or, as in our case, an apple tree that can become both a gathering point and a source of sweet memories.
Over the seasons I’ve shared stories of discoveries large and small—from when Grodan Carl Philip flyttar in and new life wriggled into the garden, to reflections prompted by En trädgård full med gropar and the quirks of working with what the earth gives, to those first modest steps in Fem kvadrat gräsmatta. The garden becomes a little greener, and life a little richer with every choice.
What’s Next?
In a couple of weeks, I’ll share more reflections about the garden.
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Past episodes of Låttas tyck & tänk: