Tree of Merit
Ulmus 'New Horizon'
Story and photos by Ian McDermott, Arboricultural Trainer, Birmingham Tree People
urban-forestry.com 43
I don't have to tell anyone reading this about
the impact of Dutch Elm Disease internationally.
It had a devastating effect here in the UK on
our native elms, including English elm (Ulmus
procera), smooth-leaved elm (U. carpinifolia) and
wych elm (U. glabra). Finding a suitable replace-
ment tree for our lost native elms has been
an ongoing task since the 1970s, but the New
Horizon elm seems to be a promising candidate.
New Horizon is a hybrid cultivar, originally
bred in Wisconsin; it is a cross of Siberian
elm (U. pumila) and Japanese elm (U. david-
iana var. japonica). It was introduced to the
UK in 2004 after a number of trees were
donated for street tree trials in London.
The unexpected benefit of New Horizon was
from a conservation perspective. The cultivar
was found in 2017 hosting the endangered
White-letter Hairstreak at the Vauxhall Pleasure
Gardens in the London Borough of Lambeth;
this was the first recorded instance of the but-
terfly breeding on New Horizon in the UK.
The local trials have proven the vigorous nature
of the tree in its establishment period; it has
shown impressive shoot extension/growth.
The vase shape is evident in its early form, and
more established trees are also showing a >>
Ian "Mac" McDermott is,
after retiring from 40 years
in the municipal sector, cur-
rently working as an Educator
and Trainer in Arboriculture
with the Birmingham Tree
People. You can reach Mac
via his LinkedIn page.
'New Horizon' elm on the University of Wisconsin-
Madison campus. Wikipedia by Ptelea CC BY-SA 4.0
Local trials of New Horizon
have demonstrated vigorous
growth in its establishment
period and the classic vase
shape in its early form.
