Baobab Trees Open at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

Habitat: In or near baobab trees open trees in open country Voice: High-pitched twitter Nest: Breeds in colonies; nest a rough pad made of any material available; also said to make or use an oval nest and to close entrance with thorns; nest placed in bases of fronds of palm trees or in baobab trees open trees

In a rustic garden the trees should be fruit trees wherever possible, or at least blossom trees of some kind. Apples, pears, plums, and cherries will all help to create the right atmosphere, as will nut trees such as hazel or almond. If there is space for a large tree, a Walnut might do.

Many trees lend themselves to artistic pruning, which is another means of reducing the effect of dappled shade. With practice it is possible to remove whole branches cleanly instead of crudely cutting off their ends, producing a shapely, balanced tree with a smaller, more open arrangement of limbs. Note that this can be tough, even dangerous work, and you may prefer to employ a professional tree specialist or a very experienced gardener. Since evergreens create permanent shade, they frequently make it impossible to grow plants beneath them. Deciduous trees let in winter light, but the choice of species makes an enormous difference. Those that come into leaf late create better Lighting conditions beneath their canopies. Acacia, for example, does not begin to sprout until late spring and even then its foliage is frail and lacy, letting in a fair amount of daylight until it is fully developed in mid-summer. Large-leaved trees such as catalpa also open late but when they do they produce a dense canopy of foliage.