Spring Is Coming…

…. Though it is hard to believe as I write this on a chilly August day. The garden is showing signs of waking up from its winter slumber. The Tui tree – Prunus campanulata- is in full blossom. Aptly named as the Tuis spend most days sipping nectar from this tree no matter the temperature. The Hellebore are flowering profusely. Bumblebees are becoming quite active especially in the Tree Lucerne (Tagasaste) and new leaves are beginning to appear on many perennials.

The Nursery

There are plenty of signs of spring here too. New perennial seed has been sown through August, with some seedlings pricked out already and growing on for sale. Many of our popular plants multiply well through division and most of these will be available much earlier than seedlings. Especially the Achillea, Asters, Leucanthemum, Symphytum, Hylotelephium and Helenium. Our gorgeous Heirloom tomatoes have been sown. We will have seven varieties available from early October. New this season are a few tubers of our favourite easy to grow Dahlia. These are available now for a short time.

With so many plants out of stock during the winter months, plus the frequent additions at this time of year, I decided that a ‘New Stock’ category might be useful. Hopefully this makes it easier if you are waiting for plants to come back into stock or if you are just looking for a new plant treasure to add to your collection. Have you been waiting for a particular plant to come back into stock? You are welcome to email us. We can make a note of the plant and email you when they are available again.

Winter Gardening

This winter I finally managed to prune all of the fruit trees – a first for me. Usually, some trees get attention while many miss out, so it felt like quite an achievement to have them all done. The list included apples, pears, quinces, olives, figs, currants, grapes, and various berry fruits. Most of the roses were pruned too. The real challenge will come in summer, when I’ll see if I can manage the same for all the stone fruit – many of which are in desperate need of a good prune.

Silvopasture and Coppice

Back in 2014 we began planting the farm as a silvopasture system – integrating trees with grazing animals. On our very flat land, simple row plantings proved the most practical for stock management, while also giving us flexibility for future uses. At present, cattle graze between the rows, and some trees such as tagasaste and white mulberry are used as fodder. But the system could just as easily support food crops like corn, squash, or beans.

Our tree species were chosen for a wide range of purposes: shelter, firewood, nuts, fruit, bees, birds, animal fodder, and timber. This winter, timber – particularly the potential for coppicing – has been a major focus of our research.

Coppicing has always fascinated me. The idea that you can cut down a tree and it will regrow – often with multiple stem – and repeat this cycle for hundreds of years is a powerful reminder of nature’s resilience and generosity when we work with it. In the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, coppicing has seen a revival, while here we’re only beginning to explore its possibilities. Much of this winter has been spent reading, planning, and equipping ourselves. Tool handles are likely to be some of the first products, but there’s also some hazel waiting to be crafted into frost covers and climbing frames. For anyone interested, Mark Krawczyk’s Coppice Agroforestry is an excellent deep dive into the subject, and for YouTube enthusiasts, I recommend anything by Ben Law.

The hardest part of our foray into coppicing has been taking the plunge to actually cut down a mature tree – especially ones we’ve planted ourselves. (Though I can’t claim much credit here; the plantings have been Pete’s labor of love.) We’ve started with trees of poorer form, or those that would likely need thinning anyway to give others more space. I’m quite liking the idea of a little hut down the farm made totally out of our own timber, right down to the bowls and spoons – though I suspect my granddaughter has first dibs on a tree house, along with some strong design ideas of her own.

Happy gardening,

Louise