Trees from Parc National de la Vanoise, France

armybloke · August 30, 2011

I have been fortunate to travel and this time I stayed in Courcheval. Not for the skiing but for the mountain walking. On my travels I came across many fabulous trees and associated fungi. I have posted a taster on here but an album of sorts will reside in my profile for those more curious. Juniper and pine grew no more than a foot high at 9000ft but as you went to lower altitudes the giants prevailed. What I did find was that the trees were bigger in size in comparison to those of Uk and this i felt was climate led. The oaks grew taller and more statuesque than those of UK. Great avenuse of Planes adorned the roadside for miles upon miles with girths that would out-shadow those of Hyde Park yet they all appeared in good health and without much maintenance.

the French like to play with their trees, almost experiment and that is certainly reflected at Disneyland where the horticulture and arboriculture would befit any palace or chateau. Pollarding, pruning and shaping their trees to 'fit' the landscape is also obvious. An apple hedge, silver birch hedging, almost any tree turned in to a hedge. Pleached Horse Chestnuts edged the roadsides of Troyes as I stopped enroute to witness. Adorable scenery and many a stunning wild flower meadow too. I shall post some interesting fungi on a new thread for those of you with a passion for identifying and sharing in them. Enjoy .... :thumbup1: