English elm has almost vanished without trace. Is there hope for this legend of British landscape?
Entire avenues of English elm were felled across the UK due to Dutch elm disease. But new varieties could offer hope for this timeless tree
8 March 2021 • 6:00am
Blenheim Palace is just one of many historic estates laid out with English elms that was changed forever by Dutch elm disease
Credit: Alamy
It is crunch time for the English elm. Having been almost wiped out by disease, these magnificent trees, which were once such an important visual element of the British landscape, are now just a distant memory for the over-45s. Yet trials coming to fruition give reason to hope that the elm might again take its place in garden, hedgerow and wood.