This last winter, tree surgeons cleared over 70 trees from the garden I have just taken on, which on the face of it sounds like ecological sacrilege. However, with over 30 of them being giant leylandii already starting to fall onto neighbouring properties and the rest being an impenetrable tangle of sick and untended fruit trees, no longer bearing fruit, it was a job that had to be done.
The extra light will now allow ground flora to flourish and the remaining trees to grow healthily.
However, I did want to put back some trees into the larger gaps and add to the diversity of tree species in the garden. So I managed to grab a window just before the end of March to plant 17 bare-rooted trees, a mix of Silver Birch, Aspen, Wych Elm, Larch, Alder Buckthorn, Purging Buckthorn (the latter two fro Brimstone butterfly caterpillars) and Scots Pine.
So, for today's blog, let's cut down the words and go to a photo story instead!
1. Dig the hole.
2. Check the planting depth of the tree in the hole, to ensure the ground level now will be the same as when the tree was at the nursery beds. I use a cane across the hole to check this.
3. Hammer in a stake at 45 degrees on the windward side of the hole. I do this before I plant the tree so that I know I'm not damaging the roots.
4. I like to add some mycorrhizal fungi granules over the roots to aid growth. It's amazing to think that we didn't know anything about this powerful relationship between trees and underground fungal networks until only a couple of decades ago.
5. Firm it in so that the tree is steady but not so that you have pummelled all the air out of the ground. I use my toe rather than my heel. Use a rubber stake-tie in a figure of eight to attach the tree to the stake but without risk of rubbing.
Eh voila, with regular watering in year one hopefully these new trees will grow, prosper, provide a home for wildlife, and still be there for decades and decades.
The season for planting bare-rooted trees is pretty much now over, but it is still possible to plant pot-grown trees in the same way. And I tell you, the sense of satisfaction is HUGE!
If you want to drop by my RSPB wildlife gardening blog, it is updated every Friday, and I'd love to see you there - www.rspb.org.uk/community/blogs/hfw