IF you are super-rich and impatient— or old and anxious for results—you may wish to plant outsized trees to give your garden an air of instant maturity. You won’t be the first to do so: in about 1470BC, the Pharaoh Hatshepsut sent her ships to bring large trees of frankincense from the horn of Africa to her temple at Deir el-Bahari, across the Nile from Luxor. They survived because they were transported with their rootballs intact and were well-watered until firmly established and growing again.
Those two requirements—minimum root disturbance and attentive aftercare—are still the key to success today. Gardeners are usually told to be patient and plant small trees, because they have a better chance of taking root and getting away happily. Trees grow much faster than most people think, after all. But there is no doubt that mature ones give structure to a garden immediately, so the urge to acquire them for a new garden is understandable. Many are the nurseries offering a service that includes moving, planting and establishing them. Losses have always been inevitable—English oaks, for example, are notoriously difficult to transplant —but the task of a good specialist is to minimise failure.
Tree-planting techniques have improved over the centuries. The roots of trees awaiting transportation were being undercut as early as the 16th century. This enables smaller new roots to develop that will help the tree settle into its new life. When Capability Brown was laying out landscapes in the 18th century, the cost of planting his clumps and shelterbelts with semi-mature trees was generally accepted, at least by his wealthier patrons.
Denne historien er fra February 16, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 16, 2022-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery