Multi-stemmed trees are pretty impressive. Although they have just one single root system, they produce multiple stems, and this offers up a few distinct advantages.
For starters, a multi-stemmed tree will provide more of a visual impact than its single-stemmed counterparts. Each stem will produce its own covering of foliage, giving you a much thicker and wider canopy. This also means that they’re better for providing shade and sheltering wildlife, which also makes them more environmentally friendly.
While some trees will naturally grow multiple stems, multi-stemmed trees are, more often than not, created through the use of skilled coppicing techniques. This involves strategically cutting the tree back to encourage it to produce more stems from its base. As a result, turning one of your existing single-stemmed trees into a multi-stemmed specimen is no easy feat. Instead of risking causing damage to your existing trees, you would be better off purchasing a new multi-stemmed specimen instead. Here are three to consider:
The Glauca Grass Tree
Native to Australia, grass trees are definitely unique when it comes to appearances. Even a single-stemmed grass tree is enough to instantly capture a person’s attention, but they become infinitely more show-stopping when grown with multiple stems.
We stock a variety of both multi-stemmed and multi-headed Glauca Grass Trees. What’s the difference? The multi-stemmed trees are just like we’ve already described – multiple stems protrude from the tree’s base. Multi-headed trees are a little different – they only have a single stem, yet this splits into multiple heads. Either way, both won’t fail at adding some instant drama to your garden.
The Yucca Filifera
There are over 40 species of yucca out there, with each one looking significantly different. However, today, we’re focusing on the Yucca Filifera, because this variety has the ability to produce astounding multi-stemmed specimens.
Again, we stock several here at our nursery. Our multi-stemmed yuccas vary hugely when it comes to shape and size – after all, this is the beauty of allowing a tree to grow in a looser, multi-stemmed manner. Whether you’re looking for a young and small multi-stemmed sapling or an older and more established specimen, you’ll find it with us.
The Olive Tree
Olive trees are most commonly grown with a single stem. This allows olive growers to make the most of the space that they have available since a single-stemmed tree is easier to train.
However, multi-stemmed olive trees definitely have their place too. Not only will you experience all of the multi-stemmed benefits we’ve already mentioned, but, come harvest time, you may even notice larger yields than that of a single-stemmed tree.
Summary
It’s easy to see why multi-stemmed trees are becoming increasingly popular – they give you the visual impact of multiple trees, yet with only one root ball that needs to be planted. If you’ve been looking for a new feature tree to fill an empty space in your garden, a multi-stemmed specimen is well worth considering!