Clive Edwards tells us all about the English oak tree
THE English oak has always been seen as the national tree of England and its great height, age and strength has made it the king of the English forest and a symbol of endurance.
The oak has been recorded in British history since the interglacial period around 300,000 years ago.
It was the most common tree in our forests about 5,000 years ago and still is today. It is probably the best known native tree and although found in mixed woodland throughout the UK and on many British lowlands, it is most common in the south and east.
It is an important feature of the English landscape, renowned for its longevity and noted for its distinctive leaves and acorns.
Traditionally there have been four main uses of oak. The most prominent is as a timber tree. Oak was particularly used in ship building in the days of wooden ships.
Its timber is also used in buildings and for furniture while the bark was historically used for tanning leather, the acorns for fattening pigs as they are a rich food source and like many other trees, the smaller branches and twigs were used for firewood or charcoal making.
Because of our long history with oak trees, they are often used in ceremonial or commemorative plantings, for example, every school in Lincolnshire was given an oak tree to plant to celebrate the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday.
The oak tree has a long history of folklore throughout Europe. It was sacred to many people, including the ancient Greeks, the Norse and the Celts. It was often associated with the gods of thunder as oak was often split by lightning. This is probably because oaks are often the tallest tree in any area.
More recently oak was the sacred wood burnt by the druids for their mid summer sacrifice. In fact, the word “druid” means “oak man”.
In modern history, tradition has it that Charles II hid in an oak tree at Boscobel when pursued by the Roundheads. Since then, children wear oak leaves on May 29 to commemorate Royal Oak Day.
The mature English oak tree supports a larger number of different life forms than any other British tree. This includes up to 280 species of insect. Its deep grooves, are ideal for all sorts of insects to hide in.
The vast array of insect life found in the oak tree means that of all British trees, it supplies the most food for birds such as tits and tree creepers.
Oaks through history
The tree has featured on British coinage, including the sixpence and shilling. It also has medicinal properties, as an antiseptic, used as an aid to haemorrhaging and diarrhoea.
Thousand-year-old oak logs have been removed from peat bogs, as solid as the day they were lost there.
The River Severn has oak breakwaters still in use today, believed to have been created by the Romans.
Would camellias be happy in large pots kept inside a conservatory for the winter?
Certainly. This is the best way to prevent frost and icy winds from damaging their delicate spring blooms. Move the pots inside in October and return them to the garden in May when the risk of severe frosts is over. The conservatory needn’t be heated, but a temperature around 7-10°C will make them flower a couple of weeks earlier. Keep the roots moist, preferably with rain water, because camellias dislike the calcium often contained in tap water.
Did you know?
Hawthorns used to be called “bread and cheese” because country people often added the young leaves to sandwiches. The young early spring leaves of the beech tree and those of the lime tree make excellent salads.