Trees in St Francis Park (park near Sainsbury's)

[MrDude21]

Growing up in ED I used to play in the small park near Sainsburys (st Francis park) and for many years me and my friends/siblings have said the trees on the small hill and the tree near the playground are very big Christmas trees (because of the looks and shape)however, it has got me thinking about what types of trees they actually are and where they came from and why they were planted there specifically?

Does anyone have any tree knowledge or know the history of the park and anything about those trees? I have been curious for many years and would like to know more about them now..

I posted a picture I found online however it is not very clear (sorry)

Thanks

[Blackcurrant]

They don't have the conical shape of Christmas trees (Norway spruce). Not entirely sure but I suspect they are young cedar of Lebanon as they have long boughs with hanging foliage and spreading out as they grow. When mature their branches form a shelf like pattern and are very beautiful, so sometimes planted as ornamentals in parks. I could be wrong..

[Vik]

I don't have knowledge of the trees but the park is not very old at all, it was created at the same time Sainsburys was built in the early 1990's, before that, all of the land was sports fields, so I suspect Blackcurrant is correct in that they were put in for the ornamental value.

[Locana]

My Dad won a competition in the 1990's to name that park! We lived on St Francis Road..

[rendelharris]

Looks like a Chilean Pine, aka Monkey Puzzle Tree, to me.

[tomskip]

Its not a monkey puzzle. It's some kind of weeping cypress, there's one outside the library too.

[Blackcurrant]

This is the foliage. The needles grow in distinctive clusters. I'm pretty sure they're cedar of Lebanon, judging by other pics of the foliage on the internet.

http://i68.tinypic.com/zv6jd3.png

http://i68.tinypic.com/29c78me.png