Sunday 7 October 2012

Give-away opportunity


All this talk of English Oaks at party conferences has been somewhat overshadowed by the imminent arrival of a catastrophic disease affecting Ash trees, which could be imported on Ash saplings from overseas.

Anyone living in my part of the country will wonder why on earth anyone would actually want to pay for an imported Ash tree, as they grow like weeds around here, and are viewed by some as an arboreal pest.

Every year, I have to clean out the gutters on my workshop, and an 18 foot run will always include about 6 little Ash saplings which would wither away in the winter for lack of nutrition anyway, if I didn't pull them up and throw them away.

My workshop is situated in an area called 'Ashley', and it has been known as such since history began. The name denotes a 'lay' (track) or 'leigh' (tract) marked by the bloody things, so you will further understand that there is no shortage of this particular species in the area, and there will be no shortage, just so long as nobody is stupid enough to pay good money to an overseas nursery to import any.

I did some work for the late Lord Weinstock after the storm damage of the 1980s (that storm was an ill wind which blew good for me), and noticed that he had devoted a large part of his large garden to the cultivation of Heather. The house is situated on very alkali soil, which meant that he must have instructed his gardener to import tons of acid soil which Heather needs to thrive, before he imported the actual Heather.

At the back of The Circus, Bath, right next to a museum garden which has been laid out in the classic 18th century manner, someone - about 30 years ago by the look of it - has planted a Eucalyptus tree which towers over it and stays in leaf right through the winter. I am amazed that they did not put a few Koalas in it at the same time, just to give us all a taste of Australia.

There have been many plants which have either escaped the strict confines of Kew Gardens or been liberated by extreme botanists, and are still marching down roads and river-banks on their inexorable way to the coastlines of Royal Albion, so they do not need any help from old ladies with concealed pruning knives in order to colonise foreign lands.

If you hold the view that regional flora should be kept as such and the introduction of species from other areas should be avoided, these days this somehow marks you out as - at best - anti-European, or - at worst - downright racist, even though it is 'only' plants we are talking about.

Have we really reached the stage when it is politically incorrect to complain about the way that the difference between various regions - both here and mainland Europe - is being eroded by the forced introduction of alien species in the countryside and multi-national corporations in town centres?

If anyone wants to plant Ash trees in their area which - historically - has been devoid of them for hundreds or thousands of years, then at least don't buy them from France or wherever. I can give you as many English saplings as you like - for FREE.

22 comments:

  1. Definitely does have something to do with the desire for the exotics. I worked as a horti sort for nurseries in another life. It cracked me up come Mothers' Day when we would get Morning Glory in lovely pink pots, worked into a wire framed love heart. For crying out loud. Have you ever tried to remove that pest from your garden? Just how much do you love your mother?
    We'd also get tree ferns, collateral damage from the old growth forests that had just been knocked down in Tasmania. I refused to sell them, which didn't go down well in a retail environment.

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    1. The seeds from Morning Glory used to make a good (if dangerous) substitute for LSD when I were a lad, Sarah.

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    2. And I loved my mother, but not as much as Oedipus, and not so much as I would have fed her the seeds.

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  2. With indigenous gardening being so awfully trendy darling, one wonders why people still import such things. Ask Bonnie Prince Charlie!

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    1. I canna see the Bonny Wee Lad hiding up a Eucalyptus, somehow. Ned Kelly, maybe.

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  3. Ah! And get your gutters cleaned at the same time! A cunning plan.

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  4. I didn't think any area was short of ash trees Tom - they grow like weeds here given the opportunity - once the 'wings' come down they quickly germinate. Sounds as though it might be worth yur while to grow a lot in pots on your window sills, ready to sell on.

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  5. Elaeis guineensis (oil palm) is the arboreal weed here. I just can't get rid of the bloody things, no sooner have I managed to clear one bit of land and start on the next, they are sprouting again. Untended, they look awful and are a severe fire hazard.

    My farm in southern Angola is surrounded by Eucalyptus. I think it is a lovely tree and the wood is great to work with. My house rests on Eucalyptus posts as they are very termite resistant.

    I thought long and hard what I wanted for the gardens I am busy laying out and decided it would be all indigeonous. I do have the advantage of living in the tropics so my pallette is rich although I was tempted to get in touch with Cro and beg a few sweet chestnuts!

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    1. If the wood - like Teak - was used for marine purposes, then I wouldn't mind so much. That old chestnut.

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  6. I've got loads of Beech if you want to swap?

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  7. Fecking cheapskate! What about some real prizes?!

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  8. And what do YOU want for Christmas, young man?

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    1. You couldn't afford her Tom. And I wouldn't want sloppy seconds anyway, but thanks for the offer!

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    2. I never offered you sloppy seconds. You have to go to Clarke's Village for those. Anyone can afford that.

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  9. I guessed wrong on your title. I thought it might have been a Volvo Air Pump. One careful owner since Istanbul.

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  10. After The Great Storm, in 1987, we went to a garden show at a Horticultural College. They were giving away tiny little tree saplings in plastic cups and we took one home to plant in our garden ..... doing our bit to replace trees that had been blown down. Our sapling turned out to be a Common Alder which is now 90 feet tall and as straight as a die !!
    Thank you for your kind and generous offer but I am going to have to pass. XXXX

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    1. You don't know what you are missing, Jack@... or maybe you do.

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  11. We've had reports of an invasive caterpillar/moth nearby and i think i saw one in my yard as well. For the last year, the state has banned anyone bringing firewood from another state (loads of people like to come camping here in the summer and often arrive with everything they need) in an effort to keep invasive bugs out.

    I was guilty of bringing seeds from some excellent catnip at the old location and starting plants here. I wanted to move some of the other plants from the old location to this one, but have decided not to pursue that.

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