Focus on trees

At Heale this week, I was reminded of the presence of many great trees. As the season turns and the colours change, there is an opportunity to look at the bones of the garden. The more you look, the more you realise how many trees are around you all the time.

We had some tree surgeons in lightly pruning some dead wood from a huge Cercidiphyllum japonicum, the Katsura tree. The tree was planted around 1900 by the 9 Japanese Gardeners who came to design and layout the Japanese Garden. This part of the garden has the River Avon running through it, meandering really, with various paths and gives a beautiful tranquility. The soil is very wet and grows many Hosta, Fern, Bamboo, Petasites, Skunk Cabbage (still one of my favourite plant names!) to name a few.

There are many trees, including Salix (Weeping Willow), Liquidamber styraciflua, Acer, Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Tree). I must do a full inventory one day! The Katsura is also known as the Candyfloss tree and I am told it smells of burnt sugar/candyfloss when the wind blows as the leaves turn vivid yellow. I cannot wait until next week to see the yellow leaves (but HG says they don't last long so if the wind blows between now and Thursday I may miss it all for another year!). Right now the leaves are a pinkish/yellow.

We spent a lot of time clearing up after the tree surgeons, shifting wood to the fire in the fields and raking leaves.

Amongst all of the tree work we went round in circles edging, weeding and composting all the many shrubs/trees in the area of garden known as the triangle, a mixture of meadow and long grass with many plantings, Magnolias of many varieties, Euonymus, Malus, Cornus, Rosa (want to say 'erbert but it is Edric)......

We cut Dahlias from the veg garden, stunning blooms looking fresh as they were soaked with rain.

We spent time sorting Greenhouses, removing Pelargoniums from the terraces to inside for the Winter. Inspecting White Fly infestations (of which there are many, little critters), taking cuttings, pruning and tidying Brugmansia and Datura which have been in pots near the house. One looked particularly fine yesterday with huge trumpet flowers (looks are deceiving, this one is poisonous and hallucinogenic - don't want to go near any of that ta). Although it could be useful, Wikipedia has just informed me "Several South American cultures have used Brugmansia as a treatment for unruly children, that they might be admonished directly by their ancestors in the spirit world, and thereby become more compliant". as a mother of two, it could be worth a go!

Another great week in the great outdoors, so many adventures.