Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglas fir
The grand and beautiful Douglas fir is a native of northwest America and hails from the same climate as the giant redwoods: mossy, rainy and cool. It also prefers an acidic soil and so in the UK the most spectacular forms are found on the west coast of Scotland, which best mirrors these conditions. Its Latin and common names recall an era of British plant hunting: discovered by botanist and naturalist Archibald Menzies on Vancouver Island in 1791, it was introduced into the UK by botanical explorer David Douglas in 1827. One of the tallest trees in Britain (at over 60m) is a Douglas fir that grows on the Duke of Atholl’s estate near Dunkeld. They are brilliant timber trees – tall, narrow and straight in trunk – and have been planted en masse throughout Scotland in particular, but their good looks and dramatically drooping branches have earned them places in many of the grand and mossy west-coast Scottish gardens.
1 Bark
When young, the bark is grey green and has a citrusy scent. As the tree ages, bark takes on a rich brown and becomes elaborately corky and craggy, with horizontal grooves.
2 Needles
The flat, soft needles have rounded tips and are distributed all around the stem. They have an intense resiny citrus scent when crushed.
3 Cones
The cones, which hang down from the branches, start life green then turn yellow, pink, and finally light brown and woody. A three-pronged bract protrudes from each scale.
4 Terminal bud
Buds are distinctive: reddish brown, scaly and pointed. They look a little like fat beech tree buds.
5 Silhouette
The central trunk is tall and straight, and the branches swoop down then up. The foliage hangs heavily from each branch, in pendulous swags.