Beginnings are always small

JAPANESE MAPLE

When you have big dreams it’s natural to want to make them happen straightaway. But, as a wise person once said, patience isn’t in the waiting, it’s in how you deal with having to wait. And Japanese maples have this all worked out. These little trees grow in the mountains, where the pace of life is slow, winters can be hard, and it’s not a great idea to overstretch yourself. In time, though, they grow up to have stunning autumn foliage and an effortlessly elegant shape.

Patience is a virtue

YEW

Patience, planning, and taking time to reflect on our experiences is an important part of figuring out where we’re going. The yew is the wise old grandmother of trees – it is traditionally associated with magic, and is thought to be able to live for up to 2,000 years. It’s hard to tell exactly, though, because yews are coy about their age – older trees are hollow, so we can’t count the rings. Part of the secret to their longevity is that they are slow growing but develop extensive root systems in which they can store nutrients in case the tree is ever damaged. So, like the yew, go slow, and feel free to be slightly mysterious.

Draw strength from others

ASPEN

Making the effort to connect with those around us can bring powerful results. The aspen knows there’s no prize for acting like a tough guy who doesn’t need anyone – in fact, belonging to something bigger than themselves is key to their strength. Each straight-trunked tree may look like a tall and proud individual, but under the surface it is part of a single organism, connected by their root system to all the other trees in the stand. If one tree is closer to water or important nutrients, it can share the goodies with the rest of the gang.

Ask for help when you need it

ELM

The elm is not embarrassed to ask for help when it finds itself in a tricky situation. If it comes under attack from caterpillars, it releases pheromones to attract parasitic wasps, who then lay their eggs inside the caterpillars and neutralize the threat. We often think that self-reliance is the key to success, but the elm knows that you don’t need to try to handle everything yourself. Sometimes you just have to call in the wasps.

Adapt to your environment

AMERICAN BEECH

Ever let life’s little niggles get under your bark? The ancestors of the American beech did. This tree started out in the tropics, where annoying little plants called epiphytes would try to grow in the cracks of its trunk. So the American beech developed a lovely smooth bark and the epiphytes were out of luck. Consciously work on developing an even, calm exterior and you’ll find your personal epiphytes will roll right off.

Be authentic

HORNBEAM

It’s sometimes difficult to be wholly ourselves in every situation; there’s often a temptation to change who we are to please the crowd. Learning to be authentic means accepting and enjoying the bark we’re in. Trees don’t waste chlorophyll trying to be something they’re not. They focus on their own growth without worrying about what everyone else is up to. Take the humble hornbeam: It doesn’t grow particularly tall, or produce fancy flowers or delicious fruit. But it’s been around for many thousands of years, growing strong and solid, without expecting a round of applause.

Always have a Plan B

BLACKTHORN

You never know when there might be a herd of hungry goats or a moth infestation just around the corner, right? So it’s always good to have a backup plan. Even trees like the blackthorn – which, if you’ve ever been caught by one while collecting sloes for gin, you’ll know are very much All About Thorns – have a second line of defense in case implanting a big barb into someone’s skin doesn’t work. If a branch is snipped, they release “wound hormones” called jasmonates – a master regulator that then mobilizes all the other chemical defenses and repair systems the tree has at its disposal.

Love where you live

WILLOW

It’s hard to thrive if you don’t take care of your immediate environment. The willow doesn’t put up with a messy riverbank or a grubby river – it shores up crumbly soil with its root system and turns pollutants in the water into fertilizing nitrates. Self-care can start with something as simple as lovely new bed linen, a special lunch, or a stabilized riverbank.

Bask in the sun

MOUNTAIN HEMLOCK

Serotonin is nicknamed “the happy chemical” because higher levels in our brains correlate with feeling positive and calm. Scientists are not sure why, but they think that our brains release more serotonin when we’re out in the sunshine. There’s certainly no doubt that spending time outdoors is vital for our well-being. Trees can’t survive without sunlight, and those like the coniferous mountain hemlock need lots of it. So when you’re next thinking of staying inside on a sunny day, consider this: If the mountain hemlock had legs, it would use them to take it to the sunniest spot it could find, every time.

Find your happy place

ALDER

We all need different things in order to thrive – the trick is to find what works for you. Some of us bask in full sun; others love the challenging conditions of a windy mountaintop. Most of us wouldn’t feel like our best selves if we stood around in a swamp all day, but this suits the alder down to the ground. Its secret is the bacteria that live in its root nodules. The tree supplies the sugars the bacteria need; the bacteria supply nutrients missing from the waterlogged soil. The result is that the alder flourishes where other trees can’t.