TALKING TREES

With the permission of the editorial committee I hope over the next few years to give the people reading this magazine a taste of the trees that have grown on Coll in the past and will in the future, as these wonderful gifts of nature bring joy and life to many other insects, birds and animals. I class myself as a tree hugger, but that doesn't mean I will sit in front of a bulldozer that is about to pull a beautiful living symbol of past history down. My answer is to go out and plant more. Where one tree is pulled down, I replace it with two.

HAZEL

To start with this underestimated tree may seem strange but that is the history of Coll. The story goes that when the men of Mull came across the strait to Coll to gather hazelnuts, that is how Coll received its name. The students and natural speakers of Gaelic know that Coll means hazel.

It is known to have grown for about 10,000 years in the highlands and islands of Scotland and the wood is used for so many things. Some of the trees can grow thirty feet high with a two foot diameter and, if coppiced, grows straight so that the wood can be used for making wattle fences and sheep hurdles. Strips of the bark are used for basket making, pegs in thatch roofs, creels and the strong stems make wonderful walking sticks.

The male catkins form in the autumn and can be seen throughout the winter until in Spring they look like lambs tails and tassels hanging from the branches. The female flower, although small, is a bright red star that turns when pollinated into the hazelnut that is a delight to eat. The druids even saved the nuts for winter feed similar to the squirrel by hiding them in the earth and digging them up when needed. Cattle are thought to increase their milk yield if given the leaves of the hazel. Dried leaves make a comfortable bedding for young goats.

If you want to grow something different in your garden try a contorted form which is twisted and weird, and is terrific for flower arranging, or the coppered hazel which has a really beautiful colour.

ROWAN

Growing in stunt form by the lochs it is interesting to see that these trees have been brought in by birds. The flowers and the fruits are different in colour. Some are bright red berries, others are quite dull. There are some nice ones at the Roundhouse and others cling to rock faces on Fasach. Legend has it that it is bad luck to cut or dig up one of these members of the Sorbus family. It is also meant to keep the witches away.

Insects love these trees and the berries in the Autumn are usually devoured by the redwings that pass us on their migratory route. The leaves are pretty with the individual seven to fifteen leaflets. The wood can be used for small hand tools as it is very hard and spinning wheels were originally made of it.

The berries, although they look poisonous, are not and they make the most delicious jelly to go with venison. I have the recipe for those who are interested.

For something different in your garden try a Whitebeam which, when tickled by the breeze has a silver back to the leaves. Glendarroch has some Chinese rowans which are more delicate looking, with their serrated tooth edged leaves.

JUNIPER

Now this is an interesting one on Coll, as it loves to follow the contours of the ground and rock face. There are some wonderful examples in the East End and at Caolas an Eilean. Sadly the ones at Arinthluic are only skeletons after a burning a few years ago. It is a difficult one to take cuttings from and the seeds, if you find any, take two years to germinate. Being a conifer it does not lose its needles in the winter and it is nice for a piece of colour. The berry is an ingredient for gin and the wood gives off a pleasant odour when burnt. Also it is smokeless.

For your own garden there are so many different types that also have different colours from dark green to light blue and golden yellow. The one most people seem to like is Blue Star which is a compact blue form and looks nice with heathers.

SYCAMORE

To some, this tree is what is known as 'non- indigenous, but as the ones at the Garden House are over 200 years old, I think that we can safely say that it is a local tree. Full of life it will grow against constant wind forces and the dead wood is good on the fire. The amount of bird life in ours is incredible. Where holes have formed willow warblers and tree sparrows make their nests. The cuckoo roosts at night there and the small shrew loves the seeds which helicopter down from the canopy when ripe.

The wood can make mellow violins and is used a lot in veneers. The tree is not recommended for the small garden as the roots grow as far as the branches grow, and next to your house or walled garden, there will be damage to both.

You will find this tree in many other places on Coll now as it has stood the test of time.

ASPEN

This is a member of the poplar family but this has a Latin name of Tremula which means it trembles in the wind. The autumn colour is a nice washed out yellow if it gets a chance to have leaves here at that time of the year. Growing to some twenty feet like the one at Gordonlea, these trees can be a good windbreak for other trees. Do not let them grow too old as they can crack and it is best to cut them back to keep the wood young. The seeds are like white wool and loved by the finches. As this tree has suckers they are used a lot on the mainland to keep river banks from walking. Its wood can be used for making boxes and veneers and in America it is used a lot in the pulpwood industry.

For the big garden there is a variegated form which does not grow so big.

There are many other trees naturally growing here on Coll. Some others have been imported, but they all form part of a beautiful landscape.

Pat Graham