We Made a Wildflower Meadow by Yvette Verner

Author:Yvette Verner [Yvette Verner]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781907448935
Publisher: UIT Cambridge Ltd.
Published: 2018-02-22T16:00:00+00:00

Hazel Coppice

Our local tree nursery is appropriately situated amongst woods, streams and pyramids of fragrant woodstakes. Arriving one damp morning in late November, we collected our twenty-seven hazel whips, one rowan tree and two dozen hedge plants. These all stowed away neatly enough except for the rowan tree which, being ten feet tall, required some intricate bending to fit into the car. With an interestingly decorated rear window and a penetrating compost-heap aroma from the damp straw packing around the tree roots, we drove home through the lanes.

The hedging plants went in first, pleasingly filling gaps along the field boundaries. Having already dug the tree holes, planting proved to be a satisfying experience. ‘Spread tree roots in hole, sprinkle compost, refill hole with crumbled earth, stamp down’, became a rhythmic operation as we proceeded down the eastern tree-line, with variations such as ‘trip over spade’ or ‘collapse on compost heap’ for light relief.

The hazels were about three feet (one metre) tall, with plump little green buds pondering whether to open up in the uncharacteristically mild weather. The rowan was the first ‘standard’ tree we had ever planted: dire warnings rang in our ears about large trees not growing nearly as well as little ones, but we felt this would be an interesting experiment, especially as we wanted it to form the focal point of a new woodland bed. Chosen because of its attractive sprays of blossom and brilliant scarlet berries, this elegant tree is excellent for wildlife (and was once also planted to deter witches).

We fixed the rowan tree to a strong stake, to keep it standing upright in gales until its roots got a proper grip. To help ourselves stand upright once more after this energetic morning, we walked across the fields to the local pub, which may explain why it subsequently took all afternoon just to put in the bamboo canes and fix the rabbit collars around the hazel trees. Although we used canes, the ideal way of supporting a young tree (if you have the resources) is to tie its trunk to a cross-bar at a point one-third the way up the tree. This allows the tree and cross-bar to move together, reducing rubbing of the trees by the ties.

Several trips up the lane with buckets of water the next day confused our neighbours, who could see the logic of watering in mid-summer, but not in a damp November.

During the usual unpredictable mixture of wintry weather, our hazels and rowan tree were evidently inveigling their roots into the unpromising soil, for come the spring they all produced leaves and made themselves at home. Their home had in fact expanded since the autumn, as in March I had dug over a strip of ground five metres wide along the eastern side, joining our original crescent of trees to the new double row of hazels, but leaving a curving path down the centre, where we added two wooden seats. We hoped to be gazing across the meadow from this new spot before long.

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