Tree Identification

Hi all,

Just moved into a new home. We have a huge tree in our garden but don't know what it is can you help identify it?
Also, does it look healthy? It seems to be dropped so many needles daily im sweeping the path every week. See photo for needle fall.

 

Firstly you will get a steady drop of needles all year round, although evergreen the individual needles wear out and drop off, you tend to get more in spring, you also get the cases off the fresh shoots in spring.
I have half a dozen Sitka spruce in my garden, however I sweep up once a month at most and stack them for a year or two and use as an acidic mulch for ericaceous plants, if you don't have the space just tip them around the ericaceous plants.
I think it's rather nice looking, but for an accurate identification and to check it's health I'd get an aboriculturalist to have a look at it, also check with the local council to see if it's protected.

 

Looks like a Cedar to me, True cedar that is some type of Cedrus.

Possibly Atlas Cedar or Lebanon Cedar.

 

I wonder if it's been "topped" at some point in the past?

 

Its a lovely tree to look at, it was partly what sold to house to me, decorating it at Christmas. Unfortunately the amount of needles we have pulled out of feet and the number of branches that have broken off means we want to take it down and replace it with a new tree. We are in a conservation area but the tree is not protected so as long as we plant something else we can take it down.

 

It doesn't look like it has. To be honest it doesn't look like the majority of the garden has been maintained for a good few years. We are currently tackling ivy everywhere, ‍ such a shame as its a beautiful garden. One day we will replant everything!

 

How were you going to get the fairy on the top let alone afford the tinsel?

 

Trainers solved that problem for me.

 

Hahaha we live next to a farm, they said they would let us use their cherry picker to wrap some bulbs round. I think the fairy lights might be a little small!

 

A handsome tree.
Looks like Larix decidua..common name Larch.
Pic above is enlarged,trimmed original.

My pic below showing a cluster of Larch needles coming from the one peg.





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If you have the space I wouldn't get rid of it, all trees have some kind of down side, either leaf fall or honey dew from pests, acorns dropping Etc.

 

We haven't quite decided yet, it definitely needs a short back and sides if we do keep it. The roots are getting very close the house now and lifiting the garden. Could we potentially dig and cut some of the roots before they get to the house? Sorry if thats a silly question, I've come from a new build so I have no idea what you can and cannot do.

 

Well if its close to the house then maybe it will have to go, I was assuming the garden was big enough to take it.

 

Yes I thought it might be larch, which is why I wondered if it had been topped. They generally have a perfect christmas-tree shape. I used to have one in my garden, but it had to go because it was far too big for the space. The neighbours hated it for dropping needles and masses of those tiny little cones.

 

Surely a Larch would have dropped all its needles last Autumn?