National Tree Day ’99
Planting Elder Trees as
Shelter in the Oak Wood
21/11/99
We noticed
some tiny elder trees growing under the bird table. How did they get there? A
bird had dropped some seed and the trees had grown. We didn’t want the trees to
grow there so we decided to transplant them in the oak wood, as we needed some
shelter there.
We dug a hole and put
the tree in. Then we put catalogues around the tree. This is called mulching.
Mulching, keeps in moisture, stops weeds and warms the soil.
Next we spread the mushroom compost on top of the catalogues. Worms will travel up through the catalogues and bring the compost down with them. They will make holes in the soil and make it light and full of air.
Next we planted primroses, ferns and campion in the compost because they are woodland plants. We got some bark mulch from the sawmills and put it around each around each plant. We planted bluebell bulbs in the oak wood. First we got the planter, made a hole and put the bulb in. Then we covered the bulb with soil.
When Spring came the primrose was in flower and it looked lovely.
Click here to plant beanstalks.