Yesterday I planted two trees and I am so very excited about them!
Last Summer DH and I took a drive to Warragul, which is about 35 mins from here on a very windy(twisty), windy(blowy) and picturesque road along ridge tops most of the way; and we stumbled across these gorgeous trees. They have been planted as street trees and there is a lovely single specimen in the park also. We were lucky enough to see them in full flower when we were there and fell in love with them.
Last Summer DH and I took a drive to Warragul, which is about 35 mins from here on a very windy(twisty), windy(blowy) and picturesque road along ridge tops most of the way; and we stumbled across these gorgeous trees. They have been planted as street trees and there is a lovely single specimen in the park also. We were lucky enough to see them in full flower when we were there and fell in love with them.
The tree is very shady and cool to sit under on a hot day (as we did).
The flowers were a complete surprise to me as I had never seen anything like them before. Pink on the outside and yellow in the centre and about 20cm long AND completely stunningly beautiful.As soon as we got home I scoured the internet to try to identify them but had little go by and then I had a brainwave. I rang a local nursery to ask if they knew what they were. The nurseryman told me that he knew exactly what they were as he had been the one to supply the council with them about 10 years ago. They were Pink Horse Chestnut trees.
Finally after moving around some mounds of topsoil (from our excavations) we were able to decide where we wanted to plant them and I ordered them from my local nursery.
I didn't know what to expect when I picked them up but was delighted to see that they were quite big, very healthy and strong. They were about 1 metre tall and as thick as your wrist at the base with enormous shoots along the trunks' lenghts.
My nurseryman informed me that they are Red Horse Chestnut, a deeper shade of pink really and not red so I was okay with that.
It turns out that these trees grow larger and faster than the ones we saw in Warragul which is just fine by me. We have plenty of room for them to spread.
Here is a picture of the nuts which are sometimes called 'conkers'. Children in England would play 'conkers' with them.The Horse Chestnut tree, whether it be white, pink or red, is reputedly one of the most popular trees in England. I can certainly see why.
Thanks Melody for hosting Tuesday Treasures
For more wonderful treasures please take a look at Melody's lovely blog:
The House on the Side of the Hill.
For more wonderful treasures please take a look at Melody's lovely blog:
The House on the Side of the Hill.
The chestnuts are beautiful Bronwyn and will look lovely when they are in flower. The conkers will be fun too. I always covet the cooler climate plants because we can't grow them in Queensland. Happy stitching.
ReplyDeleteI remember playing conkers as a child. Great fun
ReplyDeleteWow, they are stunning. What beautiful trees. Can you roast and eat these chestnuts? I would be interested to know.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week.
It is such a beautiful tree and the flowers are stunning. The grandies will have fun with the conkers too.Looking forward to seeing yours in full bloom
ReplyDeleteOh wow... it really is so beautiful..... I enjoyed the information about them too....
ReplyDeleteHugz
I loved playing conkers as a little girl in England. I'll have to get some from you when your beautiful trees fruit. They are going to be magnificent.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely tree. I like the way the flowers go up and the leaves go down :)
ReplyDeleteBrownyn I want to thank you for solving a mystery for me as just last evening we were out for a drive and came across a tree in full bloom near the road side so I asked Bill to please stop so I could see it closer and take a picture , it turns out it is a chestnut tree just like yours .The chestnut trees I am most familar with have the white blooms so I did not recognize this flower but did say to Bill it looks like a chestnut leaf . Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI grew up around horse chestnut trees but do not remember such wonderful blooms. I know you will be pleased with them for many years.
ReplyDelete