What's your favourite tree?

I’ve got three and I’ve been trying to grow each from seed:

1. Dawn Redwood because it has an incredible backstory, it is a true redwood contrary to popular belief, and It easily grows where I’m at.
2. Giant Sequoia because they are massive, it is also a true redwood, and it can allegedly grow where I’m at.
3. Cedar of Lebanon because I grew up in one of the many U.S. towns of Lebanon named for the trees as referenced in that religious book and I remember the original Cedar of Lebanon referenced in that story I linked.

Unfortunately, I can’t get the Giant Sequoias past a few inches tall while even acknowledging their infamous 20% germination rate. The Cedar of Lebanon seeds I can’t even get to germinate but I also haven’t found as much academic literature on cultivating them from seeds.

Shoutout to the Ginkgo Biloba for being one of the OG trees, also.

American Chestnut. Have a few seedlings we planted in the front yard. Super excited to be part of the process of restoring them

We have a big maple in our yard and more through the neighborhood. The sound of wind running through their leaves is very calming.

Love me a magnolia tree

Araucaria species. Because of their shape. They are the best.

I also really really like Magnolia trees, the large grandiflora ones ( those with the large glossy leaves and white flowers). I mean the flowers are amazing, but the way their trunks develop in very large specimens is so good, those semi buttressed roots and aerial offshoots hanging down are crazy amazing.

So yeah, araucarias and magnolias.

Weeping willow trees. We had one at my childhood home. When it was sold, the new owners tore it out. I was very sad.

I’m going to go with white oak. The wood is very versatile; it’s strong enough for load bearing furniture, it’s hard enough for tabletops, it steam bends quite nicely, it’s just a joy to work with, looks wonderful under an oil finish, and it lends a nice flavor to whiskey.

Whatever tree grows fastest in my region 🌳🌳.

• they provide shade after 10 years
• fast growth removes CO2 from the air
• block vision
• root system stabilizes ground
• wood can be sold after 30 years, replant

So anyway, I love those dark maples with the leaves that are so blue they’re almost black in certain light. I call them goth maples.

Picture:

Despite being really really invasive here in Europe, I love the Staghorn Sumac.

It’s very pretty, with great flowers and soft furry branches (like antlers). You can make an amazing “lemonade” from the fruits and you can eat the shoots raw.

And eating the shoots raw is a great idea, because it branches out like crazy. If your neighbors have one of these, you’ll soon have half a dozen too.

They also grow pretty fast, and the wood is super pretty (and super curvy, so you won’t be making any boards out of it)

Willows. They feel so incredibly relaxed, like they just don’t give a shit.

Mango tree!! 🥭🌳

It’s big, it provides plenty of shades, it’s unassuming, and most importantly it has mangoes!!

Everything about the Gingko tree is pretty cool