Trees in full leaf

The Trees of Rosemount Park

 

Introduction

The aim of this page is to guide the reader on a journey through the trees of Rosemount Park. The collection is moving towards completion, with Scottish native specimens augmented by naturalised, choice exotic and ancient types of trees, whilst retaining the existing character of the park.

Tree Map

This PDF Map of the Trees in Rosemount Park will open in a new window. 

History

The park was part of the land of Rosemount House with some of the trees dating back to this time. During the 20th century it was part of a dairy farm. Importantly, it also contains the Friars Well, the source for the town’s Cross Well. Nearby there is archaeological evidence of occupation in the Neolithic /Bronze Age period, including the finding of a bronze spearhead. Next to the park is Rosemount Wood which is the site of the Carmelite Friary (c1280-c1560). Hidden away on the south side of the Union Canal, the park covers an area of about 3 hectares and contains in the region of 300 trees. Being within the Upper Linlithgow Conservation Area, this gives some legal protection for the trees.
There is a line of mixed conifer and deciduous trees along the western side of the park, with a Sycamore dating back to c1800. Some large old specimens feature in the centre of the park, including Beech, Oak, Sycamore, Ash, Lime, Horse Chestnut and a Field Maple. Also to be found are two small copses containing large conifers and deciduous trees, with attractive Scots pine and Corsican pine as well as tall Silver Birch and Whitebeam. There is an impressive line of pink and white flowering Cherries and a relatively recent planting of Limes, Red Oak and Field Maples. Nearby is the location of the lost arboretum of Rockville but there is still an impressive Cedar of Lebanon, as well as a Swamp Cypress, visible from the park.

Further Planting 

In recent years, Rosemount has lost some magnificent beeches and other old trees. In the Autumn of 2019, West Lothian Council replanted these lost trees.
In the light of the already impressive collection of Scottish native trees, numbering over 30 types, Burgh Beautiful has continued to progress to completion of the park’s collection to feature alongside some non-native, but naturalised specimens. The arboretum now contains three of the eight rarest trees found naturally worldwide. The Wollemia nobilis, regarded as critically endangered and only discovered in 1994, Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo) and the Monkey Puzzle, helping to conserve these species.
Mindful of conserving the character of the park, including the sledging runs, considered additional planting to complete the park as a community arboretum is taking place. This involves planting a small number of primitive and long-lived trees such as the Gingko, Dawn Redwood and Giant Sequoia. Additionally, there is a small number of exotic and ornamental trees being planted which give the park a member of each of the tree families. Further trees include other long-lived specimens together with the need for succession planting of trees such as Ash and old Scots Pine which, in time, will be lost. An evergreen Holm Oak, suitable for a changing climate, has been planted to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. This will in time, replace a nearby Ash which will be lost to disease.
Selected examples of the trees are labelled to include both the scientific and common names, together with their origin. Some of the examples carry temporary labels until they are large enough for the standard label.
The canal-side Rosemount Park is known as a ‘hidden gem’ of Linlithgow and provides both an environmental and educational resource.
By reference to the list at the end of the page, you are invited to take a stroll round the park, commencing at the Paper-Bark Birch at the entrance off Friar’s Loan (Friar’s Brae) and following a clockwise direction, finishing at the Maidenhair Tree (Ginkgo).
West Lothian Council and Buglife are developing areas of wildflower meadows with a mix selected for being nectar-rich. The recent installation of an interpretive panel in the Park adds to educational opportunities and appreciation of both wildflower and insect identification. 

THE TREES OF ROSEMOUNT PARK, LINLITHGOW – 2023

 

Native Naturalised Ornamental Ancient

 

 Common NameScientific Namewhat3words LocationOrigin
  Paper-Bark Birch Betula papyrifera mandolin/pulses/bins North America
  Van Volxem’s Maple Acer velutinum var. vanvolxemii haunt/superbly/meanings Caucasus
  Row of Ornamental Cherries Prunus spp. chess/routines/knowledge East Asia
  Common Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna sticky/slurping/pioneered Scotland
  European Larch Larix decidua requiring/clincher/sparkles Alps
  Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis flamenco/variously/agree North America
  Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii conspire/coverings/scanner North America
  Cappadocian Maple Acer cappadocicum uniforms/tangent/revision Caucasus
  Swamp Cypress Taxodium distichum fatigued/impulses/return Texas
  Red Alder   Alnus rubra stole/essays/picnic North America
  Aspen   Populus tremula whiplash/jigsaw/trousers Scotland
  Common Hornbeam Carpinus betulus artist/podcast/shameless Scotland
  Elder Sambucus nigra sprains/cobbles/swan Scotland
  Downy Birch Betula pubescens trudges/hope/handed Scotland
  Common Hazel Corylus avellana fuses/luckier/jets Scotland
  Blackthorn Prunus spinosa ballparks/prance/leafing Scotland
  Holm Oak Quercus ilex trades/rejoined/cheer Mediterranean
  Common Rowan Sorbus aucuparia insiders/labels/dote Scotland
  Irish Yew      Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ onions/however/executive Ireland
  Great Sallow   Salix caprea salad/protestor/draining Scotland
  White Poplar Populus alba Pollution/chuckle/yours Scotland
  White Willow Salix alba alert/fewer/preoccupied Scotland
  Black Poplar   Populus nigra desire/newsreel/gasp England
  Common Osier    Salix viminalis little/arranges/shell Scotland
  Common Ash Fraxinus excelsior geologist/hike/stops Scotland
  Hiba Thujopsis dolabrata shelved/affair/scoping Japan
  Western Red Cedar Thuja plicata duke/newly/verve North America
  Cider Gum Eucalyptus gunnii rhino/nitrogen/cracker South-East Australia
  Japanese Pagoda Tree Styphnolobium japonicum balloons/ditching/tailing China
  Black Mulberry Morus nigra intersect/following/hippy West Asia
  Crab Apple Malus sylvestris executive/skills/broads Scotland
  Common Plum Prunus domestica riverside/music/arranges Caucasus
  European Pine (Scots) Pinus sylvestris variances/trend/mows Scotland
  Wild Cherry Prunus avium objecting/buggy/appetite Scotland
  Corsican Pine Pinus nigra ssp. laricio posting/wiggly/wound Corsica
  Silver Birch Betula pendula mule/dart/hardening Scotland
  Common Whitebeam Sorbus aria elephant/deadline/commenced Scotland
  Cretan Maple Acer sempervirens exhaled/nanny/risks South-East Europe
  Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum dignitary/strongman/ritual Western USA
  Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens fidgeted/flopped/decs California
  Dawn Redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides mincing/decoded/sleep China
  Common Beech Fagus sylvatica floatation/backlog/hubcaps Scotland
  Turkey Oak Quercus cerris sweeten/monorail/incorrect Turkey
  Filbert Hazel Corylus maximus replaying/idealist/against South-East Europe
  Small-Leafed Lime Tilia cordata barks/thickens/professes Scotland
  English Elm (disease resistant) Ulmus minor var. vulgaris restores/passion/outhouse Britain
  Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus tumblers/quest/tame Naturalised
  Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum roofed/myths/archive Naturalised
  Ornamental Willow (Rockville wet area) (Salix v) tadpoles/confronts/twinge China
  Common Alder Alnus glutinosa holiday/princes/modifies Scotland
  Sweet Chestnut Castanea sativa rental/comet/handover South Europe
  Sessile Oak Quercus petraea frock/mixing/monument Scotland
  English Oak Quercus robur receiving/crust/slave Scotland
  Field Maple Acer campestre tags/people/crunched Scotland
  Handkerchief / Dove Tree Davidia involucrata they/stream/scorching China
  Red Horse Chestnut Aesculus x carnea influencing/prouder/cosmetic North America
  Common Yew Taxus baccata easily/compliant/handbag Scotland
  Common Holly Ilex aquifolium water/stub/concluded Scotland
  Box Buxus sempervirens narrowest/grumbling/revisits Scotland
  Chinese Silver Birch Betula albosinensis Fascination Contrived/oppose/just China
  Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla blaze/poetic/tarnished North America
  Cut-Leafed Elder Sambucus nigra laciniata dried/dumps/arriving Scotland
  Wych Elm Ulmus glabra tangling/money/stressed Scotland
  Blue Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica f glauca many/golden/roadshow North Africa
  Deodar Cedrus deodara galloped/hedge/hurry Himalayas
  Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani title/linguists/sundial Lebanon
  Lawson Cypress Chamaecyparis lawsonia hourglass/sweeter/workbench California
  Lombardy Poplar Populus nigra Italica purses/surfer/slowness Central Asia
  Dog Rose Rosa canina layered/enclosing/quantity Scotland
  Red Oak Quercus rubra newsprint/cheered/behaving North America
  Hybrid Sessile Oak Quercus petraea sp. piano/alley/motivator Scotland
  Willow-leafed Pear Pyrus salicifolia nags/voltage/defining Caucasus
  Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus extremely/carbonate/savings Scotland
  Norway Maple Acer platanoides helping/dirt/duet Europe
  Himalayan Hazel Corylus ferox pushing/bags/rural Himalayas
  Monkey Puzzle / Chilean Pine Araucaria Araucana whistle/compose/inhabited Chile
  Wollemi Pine Wollemia nobilis amicably/imprints/shakes Australia
  Ginkgo / Maidenhair Tree Ginkgo biloba shipyards/saturate/headlines China

 

 

CLIMATE CHANGE MATTERS, WITH TREES AND WILD FLOWERS BEING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT

 

Triangle Community Wood


A further Burgh Beautiful tree project is underway at Kettlestoun Mains, west of the Leisure Centre. Almost 1,400 trees have been donated by the Woodland Trust and, with the help of members of the public, planting took place in the Autumns of 2019, 2020 and 2021. Maintenance work will continue to protect the trees from deer and to establish pathways.
If you would like to help with any of our activities, please contact Burgh Beautiful http://lbt.scot/burgh-beautiful