by Avery Brayden

The wild service tree has a similar range to that of the whitebeam, though it does not extend as far north and east. It requires a mild climate and thus is found in hilly country only up to 500 metres. Ideal conditions arc provided by limestone soils and sun-facing slopes, though in Britain it is often found on clay soils.

A comparatively small tree, it grows to a height of 10 to 20 metres, and develops a dome-like crown with erect branches and thorny twigs. The bark is furrowed in squares. The alternate leaves have a stalk almost as long as the blade. The abundantly borne white flowers appear in April and early May. The rounded fruit is borne on long stalks, and is yellow-green when ripe. The wild pear has deep roots and favours light, deep soils.

It needs a warmer climate than the apple, and usually grows on the margins of forests and on sun-warmed slopes up to an elevation of 400 to 500 metres. It may attain an age of 200 to 250 years. The wood is hard, fine-grained with a pink tinge, and is used to make furniture. The fruit is eaten by birds and forest animals. The leaves of some trees turn bright red in autumn.

The crab apple is a Eurasian species, south-east Europe being the chief centre of its distribution. It is much more frost-resistant than the pear and grows farther north. In central Europe, it occurs in hill country in mixed, broad-leaved woods, mostly in stands of oaks, where it has ample light, even near the forest floor.

The crab apple is a small tree growing to a height of only 5 to 10 metres. It has a broad crown and grey-brown bark that peels off in thin scales. The flowers, borne in clusters, arc usually pinkish outside, white inside, with yellow stamens, and open one to several weeks later than those of the pear. The fruit is a small greenish yellow apple, sometimes flushed red, with a short stalk and brown, drop-like seeds.

The crab apple thrives best in moist fertile soils, and requires ample light for good growth. It is the main species, and has given rise to many cultivated varieties. Fruit-growers to this day use it as a frost-resistant dwarfing rootstock for grafting the garden varieties. In the wild, its fruit is eaten by forest animals, and many of its lovely, richly coloured, flowering forms are frequently planted in parks as ornamentals.

About the Author:
In garden planning, a visual barrier is often desirable for shelter and privacy. Plants themselves from a temporary screen, serving to separate two areas of the garden.