Dear Sibe,

A few weeks ago I switched on to a gardening programme on UKTV Style when a couple had formed their own arboretum. They were talking about a 'Candle Tree' which was their favourite and I can't find anything about it or where to purchase. It had 'rigid' branches and the 'candles' were a red/brown colour that were formed along the branches. When the sap was rising it came out the top of the 'candles' and ran down the sides which looked like molten wax. I do hope you can help.

Patricia Howell

Our gardening expert replies

Hi Patricia.

Your question really brings to light the problems of using common names for plants as opposed to the botanical name. If you looked in almost any gardening book available in this country you would not find 'Candle Tree' listed. Even if you carried out an extensive internet search I suspect you would only come up with a couple of references to the tropical tree Parmenteria cereifera which has fruit which are candle-shaped. This is a native of Central America and apparently has a strong apple smell! There is also another candidate for this title, Dacryodes excelsa which grows in Grenada and is used for making furniture.

I do not recall seeing the gardening programme to which you refer but I doubt the arboretum you saw was a collection of tropical plants!

The fact that the garden owners called their favourite tree a 'Candle Tree' when almost no one else calls it by this name is not very helpful to viewers such as yourself and it is not surprising you cannot find any information or places to purchase this plant.

I must admit that your question had me stumped for a while and then I remembered one of my friends who is a great conifer expert talking about the origin of the idea of using candles on Christmas trees. The penny then dropped and I realized that the plant you were looking for is probably Abies koreana - a variant of the traditional - yes, you've guessed it - Christmas tree!

Otherwise known as the Korean Fir (the correct common name), Abies koreana is an extremely attractive medium sized conifer reaching about 6ft after ten years and ideal for almost any modern garden provided you have a fertile moist soil.

Abies koreana is very notable for its cones, which are always borne upright and appear from a very early age, in fact, when the plant is still only a few feet high.

The leaves are quite small - about 2 cm long - and are dark green on top but bright white underneath. The cones are violet/purple coloured (up to 3in long even on small plants) and persist on the tree for a long time, and are quite a feature.

Both the cones and the tips of the shoots exude the 'wax' that you mention. This is a resin or latex-like substance. The colour of this varies from greeny-blue, rich blue on some plants in some situations and even red/purple on occasions and is extremely attractive in its own right. The colour varies according to where the plants are situated and the stage of growth.

Abies koreana is widely available so I do not think you will have any problems locating a good plant - just don't try lighting the candles...!

Happy gardening,
Sibe

Met UKTV Style's Gardening Expert, 'Sibe'.