Father Christmas came early for us at Organic Hedging and Trees with the delivery of our first certified seed for the 2020 crop. I was surprised that the seeds were ready for sowing during December but was assured by our nursery advisor that they were safe to sow. It is likely that the holly seeds were collected as long ago as 2017. During the past 2 years these seeds would have undergone precise warming and cooling processes before being delivered to my door. Tiny white sprouts were visible emerging from each seed and as the light and warmth spread so they moved to and fro.
Continuing my classroom learning (better late than never at all) I’ve been reading about how easy it is to encourage certain trees to propagate by taking cuttings. A little late in winter to experiment with this method I nevertheless had a try with poplar, weeping willow and hazel. I’ll let you know how I got on – finger and toes crossed!
Our small nursery team are working extremely hard to keep up with the lifting of our bareroot trees for customers. The frost slowed us for a brief period but with the additional help of my teenage grandchildren now school has finished for Christmas we are back on track. Although, a word of caution – some teenagers keep strange working hours, require regular food breaks and intermittent naps 🙄😂