Victoria Clare wrote in message 8.209...
(Nick Maclaren) wrote in news:cgmstl$iu9$1
@pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk:

In article ,
JKS wrote:
As a rough calculation my 3 silver birch trees produce about 1 billion
seeds a year

Birches are a pain in the neck in several
ways, but are beloved of Town Planners and Garden Designers. There
are probably more in the south of England now than there have been
at any time since 7,500 BC.

It isn't just the seeds, but the flowers in spring, and the way that
their roots get everywhere. I like birches, but you can have too
much of a good thing, and we do :-(


Well, tell them to up with their roots and start walking this way. Birch
is my very favorite tree of all time, and apart from a handful on a couple
of the old mining spoil heaps, there are none at all around here.

Right in front of me as I type are several acres of conifer plantation: I'm
just dreaming of what that would look like in the autumn if it were all
birches....


Victoria

Ive got a sizable goat willow tree about 2 yards outside of my garden.
Nice enough tree, not especially pretty but is apparently very good
for wildlife - they been in the uk since the last ice age I was told.
Unfortunatly this year in early summer it produced masses of fluffy
white downy seeds which ended up covering my garden like a blanket of
cotton wool - no kidding it was inches deep in places. And of course
they all germinated - Ive been weeding the damm things all summer and
they're still coming up, the worst ones being in the pots with cacti
in them.
Sigh

Hopefully next year the wind will blow in the opposite direction and
will carry them off down the valley.

Mark