A couple of helpers cleared the sycamores and Norwegian maples that had grown up again along the lane at the bottom of the garden. Now you can once again see some of the other interesting trees and shrubs in this part of the garden, below the composting area:
At the opening of my garden as a Permaculture LAND centre in the spring, I was given a present of two sweet chestnut trees, a grafted Marigoule tree and a seed propagated Marigoule. Sadly, the grafted tree died but I planted the other tree yesterday next to another sweet chestnut that I think came from a woodland in Southern England in the early 2000s and was planted here in 2008. It has to my great surprise survived even a really cold winter when its roots were frozen solid for almost 4 months and temperatures below -20C:
It’s been a long wait, but I can finally taste a few mulberries….both my bushes which are about the same age started producing after about 15 years, although neither tree had been looked after and had been more or less left to themselves. Both are in shady parts of the garden. I hadn’t really believed that they would produce berries, hence the neglect! I think they are both white mulberry / hvitmorbær (Morus alba), but one has red berries. I did have a purple-berried white mulberry at one stage so it could be this!
I had almost given up that my mulberries would ever flower and then I noticed a plant the other day, that I planted in 2008 (11 years ago), from seed sowed in 2002 in flower!!
It was sown as Morus alba “Purple”, so we’ll see what colour the fruit are!
Perennial vegetables, Edimentals (plants that are edible and ornamental) and other goings on in The Edible Garden