In article , Sacha
writes
Malcolm13/4/04 3:28
$eAFw$6@inda al.demon.co.uk

snip

The acorns produced during the 1976
drought were the result of flowers produced that spring, before the
drought started, which in turn were the result of the oaks having
sufficient energy reserves laid down in summer/autumn 1975 to produce
them. Surely the fact that there were still masses of acorns despite the
drought is evidence that the oaks were coping with the conditions rather
well? If they hadn't been coping, I would have expected them to have
shed the acorns long before they reached maturity.

Well, all I can say is that in Jersey - which is where I observed these
particular trees - the drought lasted from early May to October (following
IIRC a dry spring. We often have a drought in Jersey in February) and
never before or since have I seen so many acorns on oak trees anywhere.

It was clearly a great seed-setting year.

our Eucryphia amazed us by blooming profusely in January. We
wondered if it was too early or too late - wrong on both counts. It was
dead a couple of months later. The abundance of flower/fruits is to ensure
survival of the species.

I assume you mean January 1977.

I meant January of last year.

Ah, I thought you were still discussing 1976!

In which case, could it not have been
that, having got its seasons in a muddle, the plant died within a couple
of months *because* it diverted its energies into flower production at
the wrong time, not that it did so because it "knew" it was dying?

No, because it did not die in '97. It died after blooming in January of
last year. Ray, who known this garden much longer than I have, said he had
never

I'm now completely lost. What has '97 got to do with anything?????

OTOH, following the drought at the end of last summer, our mimosa tree
bloomed better than it ever has, thus supporting the 'stress' theory even
further. So far, it's still alive!

I'm delighted to hear it.

You will often see recommendations to keep plants in pots or situations
where roots are restricted, for example. This is because it causes them to
fruit or flower better. A lot of people recommend such treatment for fig
trees, for example.

That's not quite the same, though, is it? We were discussing the
production of flowers and fruit by wild-living trees, shrubs, etc., not
the artificial conditions forced on them by gardeners who have
discovered that if you restrict root growth you also restrict overall
growth.

Neither the oak trees, the mimosa nor the Eucryphia were restricted in any
way. I used the examples above because they mimic natural stress.
Several people have commented to us that they have never seen the gorse on
Dartmoor in such bloom as it is right now; nor so many primroses in the
banks and hedgerows, so many daffodils growing wild etc. etc. and last
autumn was abnormally dry and prolonged. Tonight, without mentioning our
discussion here, I asked one lady what she put all this down to "oh, the
hot weather last year, dear" was her immediate answer. She's 86 and has
gardened a bit in her time.....

There's nothing wrong with a bit of hot weather when it comes to helping
plants grow.

--
Malcolm