Looking through a garden design journal recently I read a prediction that there is going to be a renewed interest in planting evergreen shrubs and conifers as the fashion for the new perennials and grasses wanes. Style statements are always taken with a pinch of salt, so imagine my surprise when I spotted one of the most unusual conifers on the planet waiting to be collected from Harlow Carr’s Plant Centre! A baby monkey puzzle tree, sitting on a trolley, in its two litre pot. Perhaps a conifer craze is just around the corner?

Monkey puzzles - or Araucaria araucana to give it the Latin name - leave people with mixed feelings. The drooping branches that resemble a monkey’s tail are tightly covered with stiff dark green triangular leaves that have a spiny tip overlapping each other to cover the whole branch. The spiny leaves are repeated all the way around the trunk, especially on young trees. The overall appearance can be seen as strange, alien-like, some would say reptilian. Others regard the look of the tree as majestic and more than worthy as an ornamental tree. We have one fine specimen here at RHS Garden Harlow Carr. Planted in 2004, within a set of historic gardens, it celebrates the Victorian heyday of commercial plant hunting and the introduction of a most curious tree to the West.

Araucaria araucana is native to central southern Chile and western Argentina, is evergreen and can grow to 30-40 metres in height. Young trees have branches furnished right to the ground but with maturity these are shed to leave the familiar umbrella appearance of the adult tree. Hardy to -20 c it is therefore well able to cope with climate conditions in Northern Europe. Described as a living fossil due to its extreme longevity, the national tree of Chile is also regarded by some Native American tribes as a sacred tree, providing a food source from the seeds which can be eaten toasted or ground into flour. Timber from the tree was traditionally used for construction in mining and shipbuilding, but the monkey puzzle has now been granted protected conservation status as a threatened tree due to dwindling tree populations.

The tree was known to Europeans from as early as the 1600s but it wasn’t until 1795 that the resourceful plant hunter and naval surgeon Archibald Menzies brought back young monkey puzzle plants to England. Simply known as Chilean pine, it was the striking look of the tree that encouraged Menzies to pocket the seeds, prepared as a dessert at an ambassadorial banquet in Chile. Back on board ship he planted the seeds in glass cases on the quarter deck and so managed successfully to transport five young plants back to England; three plants went to Sir Joseph Banks at Kew and the other two to private collections.

Araucaria araucana was seen as a prized horticultural specimen so it wasn’t long before the great Veitch nursery in Exeter sent the intrepid plant hunter William Lobb to South America to collect large quantities of the seed for commercial sale to discerning gardeners. One such purchaser, Sir William Molesworth, was unwittingly responsible for setting the stage for a new name to be given to this strange new plant. Upon displaying his new and unusual tree to dinner guests, a friend Charles Austin remarked that with its spiny leaves the tree “would be a puzzle for a monkey to climb”. From then on the “monkey puzzler” simply became the “monkey puzzle tree”, duly to become the height of fashion in town and city gardens during the Victorian period.

With thanks to Malcolm Dewar, Horticulturist at RHS Garden Harlow Carr

Jobs for the Week

* Weed through and mulch flower beds

* Clean and sterilise water butts

* Make the first cut on lawns at a high setting

* Water pots with spring bulbs if the weather is dry.

DIARY DATES

21 March: RHS Free Tuesday Visitors have the chance to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the RHS’s inspirational four gardens in spring - for free!

25 – 26 March: Mother’s Day Weekend Join us on Saturday and make mum a scented lavender bag or bring her for a walk in the garden on Sunday to enjoy a free hand massage from 1pm – 4pm and learn about aromatherapy. Take in the spectacular spring bulb displays – from daffodils and hyacinths to scillas and trilliums – and perhaps a coffee and cake at Bettys Café Tea Rooms next door. Normal garden admission applies.

Until 28 March: Bath House Gallery – Wool & Textiles Showcase Pop along to the historic Bath House at RHS Garden Harlow Carr for the cosiest event of the year! Discover work by talented local wool and textile artists, from wonderful things to wear to gorgeous gifts for your home. Embroidery, felt and leather work will all be on display. Normal garden admission applies.