Like a mighty Alder standing tall, the 21st birthday is about stepping confidently into adulthood. This tree represents strength, wisdom, and new beginnings.
 
Alder is a small bushy deciduous tree that produces pretty yellow catkins in spring, visited by early insects. Its shiny green leaves are retained late into the autumn. It has an attractive smooth dark grey bark. The cones are green to begin with but ripen to black and make subtle additions to Christmas decorations. A brilliant tree for water logged areas and very hardy so can be used as a windbreak, especially if coppiced. The timber is used in wet areas, for fencing etc. since it doesn’t rot. It can be used to make high grade charcoal.
 
Description
Alnus glutinosa
Common name: Common Alder.
Native: Western Asia, Europe, North Africa.
Provenance: Unknown
Size and spread (10 years): 9m x 5m
Soil conditions: Particularly suited to wet sites and will tolerate soils overlying chalk.
Planting instructions: Root nodules fix nitrogen from the air making Alder a good colonising tree for reclaiming poor soils e.g industrial waste lands.
Mature height: 25m