I've been Growing trees from seed for two years and have pledged to grow as many trees as i can every year for the rest of my life. This Pledge is of course probably under some sort of guilt based motive, but i think that i should at least put a bit of effort in saving something of our world for future generations.So please have a look at this blog, and if like me you have ever thought that its down to our individual actions to help do something about climate change rather than waiting for our painfully slow, Corporately owned and environmentally inept governments to do it for us, then hopefully this blog might inspire you to do something similar what ever it may be......Small rant over!.
Right then here goes!. Here is a 2 year old Douglas fir tree that i planted 2 years ago. I found the seed trying to take root on the concrete footpath, knowing that the street sweeper would get it later on that week i thought i'd try and plant it in a pot back home. To my surprise it took and hopefully in a years time i will find a spot for it up a mountain or along a coast line somewhere, preferably back home in Ireland.
So, Off to Ireland we go!......
We were back home there at the end of August and i decided to plant my first Tree throne at the top of a mountain that i have been eyeing up for some while now. I roped my Da and my boy into joining me on this expedition. The aim is to plant a Tree throne, which consists of 12 trees at the top of as many mountain tops as i can. The trees should be 2 to 3 years old before i plant them at the top of the chosen mountain. The thinking behind this project is that it take thousands of years for a forest to make its way up a mountain and capture the top. but if i started the process at the top of the mountain the trees could seed that given mountain much quicker and with a further reach as well. The final goal is to mark out the mountain with multiple ringed levels every hundred feet or so and plant along it with a total mix of trees at the bottom and hardier mountain trees like ash and the like higher up in the more shale areas. I have to research what trees would suit and flourish at the different altitudes. Now i know this would be a massive undertaking, but if i don't dream big then whats the point, right?.
The boy and i deliberating where to start our first Tree throne.
We decided that this natural formed circle tucked behind a nice bank of large stone would be perfect to protect from the sever northern winter winds. there was no heather in this patch either but there was at least three mountain Ash growing in and around this spot.
Here we are planting a two year old sycamore tree
The boy knight making sure that i do my job correctly or i'll get lanced.
Sharing the secrets.
We planted Oak, Sycamore, Ash, copper beach, holly, horse chestnut.
Whilst we were planting our trees we we're visited by a beautiful blue eyed horse that expressed some interest in what we were up to then took off in to a mountain cloud. A very magical moment, don't know if what we were doing was endorsed by something otherworldly but i do know this, i Have been coming up this particular mountain all my life and i have never seen a wild horse up there. I didn't manage to get a photo of the horse but maybe it wasn't meant to be....Its Better a memory sometimes ehh.
I will try to make it back to this spot as much as i can to keep and eye on what type growth happens and if this Tree throne idea of ours will work.
Back in Leamington.
Here is about 35 trees that i have grown from seed this year in a small wooden green house that i got recently. I got this greenhouse to keep them of the ground for when the frost arrives in winter and to Appease me other half who will kick my Arse if i don't organise the 200 odd trees that i have growing in pots in our small back garden. Last years winter was amazingly cold and there is talk that this coming winter will be the same so i will try and protect as many trees as i can by lifting them at least a foot from the ground.
JAN 2012
So its the 12th of January and i've been back home to Ireland with the family. I managed to fit a day to go and see how the trees on the mountain are doing and they seem to be bedding in well, and the horse didn't eat them as a winter snack either. It has been a real mild winter here though so the trees weren't exposed to the same harsh conditions like last winter so i still wont know if they can take a hit like that up the mountain.
Back in Leamington and i've been taking a few photos of this years saplings to be planted,...ermmm..somewhere?.
I'm amazed by this Cyprus tree sapling that i only planted last spring. its huge and it's brothers and sisters aren't far behind it. I got the seeds from a lovely little town called cows on Phillip Island in Australia last winter when hooking up with family over there.
I thought I'd show the seeds that i have collected from the surrounding area which i'll attempt to grow in 2012. There is an awesome park here in leamington called Jephson park ( http://www.leamingtonspatowncouncil.gov.uk/?c=92) which has loads of interesting trees from all around the world from which i have been collecting seeds from over the last few years. I have also recently been on a trip to New York and i collected some seeds from central park and from the recently opened 911 memorial site. When we were walking around the site i noticed that there were loads of large beautiful butterflies flying around the oak trees and shrubs. Remembering that butterflies represent freeing spirits of lost ones by some cultures, i thought that it might be a fitting mark of respect to grow seeds from these trees that in some way would help share and heal what had happened there. so they will be planted this spring in marked pots.
I don't know if you can see it in this photograph above, but because of the unseasonably warm winter in these isles the bulbs in our garden seem to have been fooled into believing its spring already. one decided to grow up through the bottom if my chestnut tree pot.
I'm not sure if i have mentioned this before, but i have been able to grow certain tree seeds that i have found hard to grow by planting or just lying them around the base of this avocado plant. Not to sure why putting the seeds in around the base of this plant helps them grow so well. Maybe the right pH of soil, and or the heat of the house or what but since i did this all my house plants have become little grow zones for the seeds i'm gathering. Not to sure my good lady is best pleased about me doing this, i think if she sees another seed in the house she will plant me out the back with them!!.
Pine Cone Find
With Dog.
Out for a run today with the dog and came across a branch from a Lebanese pine tree that had 4 massive pine cones on it that was obviously blown down from the stormy winds of late. This was a great gift because i love these trees and have always wanted a stash of its seeds to grow....So i Bagged'em!.
24th March 2012.
So we started Saturday by sorting out how many baby trees made it through the winter, Of course mostly all of them did and. The Cyprus trees that we got the seeds from Oz a couple of years back have grown the most and seem to be growing faster that the rest of our trees. So Rhys and I re-potted the trees that needed it and started to plant this years batch of tree seeds.
So we got stuck into the work at hand.
These seeds that we are planting here have a bit more of a meaning to them because they are the 10 oak seeds that i had collected from Ground Zero in NYC from last years trip. I collected the 10 Acorns because it was the 10 year anniversary when we visited the place. When we were planting these oak seeds i mentioned to Rhys that these seeds were very special and he asked why?. And this was the first time that i had to try to explain to any child what 911 was all about and i found myself a little lost for words.We talked about how life goes on but we don't forget and by planting these trees on behalf of people that have gone means that we are remembering them. Now i don't know if Rhys understood what i was saying but he seemed to recognise that it meant something to me so he agreed with what i said and that was that!!.
What ever you believe happened that day, before and after.The fact remains that Innocent people lost their lives and they should not be forgotten.
We tagged the side of the long pot and will keep an eye on the special seeds growth this summer.
At the end of this day the Moon, Jupiter and venus, ( i think!!) came out and made it a magic one.
Next step is to give some trees away to people and to start planting the rest around the joint.
