Post by rgsp on Apr 16, 2012 17:13:56 GMT
We planted one acre of mixed native hardwoods in 1988, and the trees have grown quite impressively. The woodland floor is taking longer to sort itself out, but it's coming...
I expect many would recognise this as an aconite leaf, but less would realise that it's the single leaf typical of the second year after germination. That's all that happens this year. Next year there will be several leaves, and the year after (the fourth since seeding) there may be a flower.
And who realises that these are first year aconite seedlings? Nothing else appears this year, and these ones are already going a bit yellow before the whole thing goes dormant until next spring.
We've had cowslips coming back patchily for 10 years or more, like this one:
... but this
has been grown from what is supposed to be true oxlip seed. Oxlips like Suffolk woods, so maybe these will "take".
Wood anemones are beginning to do quite well, and spread by their runners. It would be nice if they set some seed and spread by that too, but that may be asking too much
I've left the piece-de-resistance until last. These are definitely orchid leaves, and equally definitely not deliberately sown or planted. We did given a clump of local orchids from an old lady's garden (along with a large lump of soil to import the appropriate mycorrhiza), but they are quite a long way away. Don't suppose it will flower for several years - but it's there!
I expect many would recognise this as an aconite leaf, but less would realise that it's the single leaf typical of the second year after germination. That's all that happens this year. Next year there will be several leaves, and the year after (the fourth since seeding) there may be a flower.
And who realises that these are first year aconite seedlings? Nothing else appears this year, and these ones are already going a bit yellow before the whole thing goes dormant until next spring.
We've had cowslips coming back patchily for 10 years or more, like this one:
... but this
has been grown from what is supposed to be true oxlip seed. Oxlips like Suffolk woods, so maybe these will "take".Wood anemones are beginning to do quite well, and spread by their runners. It would be nice if they set some seed and spread by that too, but that may be asking too much
I've left the piece-de-resistance until last. These are definitely orchid leaves, and equally definitely not deliberately sown or planted. We did given a clump of local orchids from an old lady's garden (along with a large lump of soil to import the appropriate mycorrhiza), but they are quite a long way away. Don't suppose it will flower for several years - but it's there!
