American basswood, or American linden, is a native tree with great value for wildlife – its flowers are full of nectars for bees, its leaves are food for deer and butterfly larva, and squirrels and chipmunks eat the seeds. This specimen tree is the largest in the state, and casts plenty of shade to enjoy on a hot summer day.

The Cutleaf bigleaf linden was selected for its irregularly-lobed leaves that appear to be cut or shredded. It is a rare tree to find in cultivation anywhere, and the cultivar is usually much smaller than a normal bigleaf linden. Nevertheless, our specimen is the second-largest bigleaf linden in the state and is surely the State Champion cut-leaf cultivar.

This enormous specimen of English yew is the largest Yew in Pennsylvania. This tree appears in photographs of the original farmstead, predating John Jay Smith’s purchase of the land for Laurel Hill West in 1869. The beauty of this giant set against the historic receiving vaults can be enjoyed all year long, but is especially beautiful in the winter covered in snow.

European beech are prominent woodland trees of central and southern Europe and have been bred ornamentally for a variety of forms and colors. including a spectacular weeping form.

On a small island of Laurel Hill West’s Franconia section is a state champion weeping European beech tree. What makes this tree so incredibly huge is the 15-foot girth of its trunk, measured below the lowest branch. The canopy of this weeping tree reaches to the ground forming a shady room in the summer. The smooth bark and twisting, contorted branches are equally beautiful throughout the winter. Enjoy this massive elephant-like tree all year round.

This very unusual weeping form of the Japanese Pagoda-tree (also known as the Chinese scholar-tree) is a state champion tree in Pennsylvania. These cultivars were common in the first half of the 19th century, and this tree likely dates back to the original cemetery plantings.