......are poking their noses through the soil! Yesterday, I went to pick up
one of Ray's presents from the Agroforestry Research unit at Dartington and
I was talking to Martin Crawford who runs it. We discussed an article in
one of yesterday's papers which quoted someone in charge of London parks
(IIRC) who said that the worry is that with these mild autumns and winters,
trees aren't getting a rest before bursting into bud again. This was about
the many trees in London which, apparently, still have leaves on in mid
December.
Martin plants many different kinds of fruit trees as well as nut trees. His
comment was that he sees a drop in their fruiting (or nutting ;- ) when
the above conditions occur. Presumably they need a period of dormancy to
give of their best the next season and in these milder weather temps,
they're not getting it.
BTW, for those interested they have tours of this unit at Dartington and
below is a link to info on those and courses:
http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/courses.html
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In message , Sacha
writes
....are poking their noses through the soil!

We had some beautiful allium christophii (father's day present):
magnificent the first year, then all different - large, medium, small -
last summer, but the minute the leaves poked up every bit of them (just
the leaves) was devoured by slugs. I suppose that must mean that that
will have been the end of them?

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

On 17/12/05 14:58, in article ,
"Klara" wrote:

In message , Sacha
writes
....are poking their noses through the soil!

We had some beautiful allium christophii (father's day present):
magnificent the first year, then all different - large, medium, small -
last summer, but the minute the leaves poked up every bit of them (just
the leaves) was devoured by slugs. I suppose that must mean that that
will have been the end of them?

Well, it won't have done them any good but there's a faint chance they'll
try to reappear, or that some of them will, I suppose. I'd put grit around
each one the minute you get a sight of it, if I were you. And after this,
I shall do the same to ours tomorrow! Ours are Globe master, I think and
we've had them in for two years. They've done very well and come back
pretty much the same each time. But the bed their in is raised with a stone
wall around it and they probably drain well and don't sit in too much cold,
wet soil during the winter.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Sacha" wrote
.....are poking their noses through the soil! Yesterday, I went to pick
up one of Ray's presents from the Agroforestry Research unit at
Dartington and I was talking to Martin Crawford who runs it. We
discussed an article in one of yesterday's papers which quoted someone in
charge of London parks (IIRC) who said that the worry is that with these
mild autumns and winters, trees aren't getting a rest before bursting
into bud again. This was about the many trees in London which,
apparently, still have leaves on in mid December. snip

I noticed last week we had catkins on one of the hazels.

--
Sue

Klara wrote:
We had some beautiful allium christophii (father's day present):
magnificent the first year, then all different - large, medium, small -
last summer, but the minute the leaves poked up every bit of them (just
the leaves) was devoured by slugs. I suppose that must mean that that
will have been the end of them?

I can't wait for next year!! I had allium christophii which are now
dried in a vase in the veranda. For next year I went mad, the soil's
perfect for them as I discovered, and I've planted the caeruleum ones,
sphearocephalon, allium hair (weird thing this one) and the fantastic
carinatum pulchellum. And don't worry, nobody knows how latin should be
pronounced except the romans and they aren't around to argue ;o)

On 17/12/05 18:06, in article
, "Sue"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote
.....are poking their noses through the soil! Yesterday, I went to pick
up one of Ray's presents from the Agroforestry Research unit at
Dartington and I was talking to Martin Crawford who runs it. We
discussed an article in one of yesterday's papers which quoted someone in
charge of London parks (IIRC) who said that the worry is that with these
mild autumns and winters, trees aren't getting a rest before bursting
into bud again. This was about the many trees in London which,
apparently, still have leaves on in mid December. snip

I noticed last week we had catkins on one of the hazels.

Yes, all of ours have them, too.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Sacha" wrote ((snip))
This was about
the many trees in London which, apparently, still have leaves on in mid
December.

Not only in London, Sue and I were commenting on it just last week, still
some trees and shrubs (our wisteria) with green leaves that should be
totally bare by now. Very strange considering the frosts we've had.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Sacha" wrote ((snip))
This was about
the many trees in London which, apparently, still have leaves on in mid
December.

Not only in London, Sue and I were commenting on it just last week, still
some trees and shrubs (our wisteria) with green leaves that should be
totally bare by now. Very strange considering the frosts we've had.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

I thought it was just me that thought things were a bit weird.. A large
beech still has some leaves and the odd twiggy bits that have fallen
recently show distinct signs of buds that appear ready to burst.
The old faithful Gunnera which was mulched and covered with its own leaves
(as per textbook instructions)has pushed through already with that
characteristic pink crown.
It's the sort of things that the Cornwall crowd usually boast about but I am
in West Yorkshire on the side of the Aire valley with winds that can freeze
the walls off a churchyard.

On 18/12/05 1:25, in article , "Janet
Baraclough" wrote:

snip

I wonder what longterm effects this could have on UK gardens. Some
plants need a chill period to trigger flowering, and can't be grown
where winters are too warm (alpine bulbs, and I think apples?).

Definitely apples. The chap at Dartington Agroforestry mentioned them
specifically.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

agreed, it is very strange, our jasmine on the west facing wall is still completely green, the frost seems to have hardly affected it

In article ,
(Sacha) wrote:

who said that the worry is that with these mild autumns and winters,
trees aren't getting a rest before bursting into bud again.

Erm, this new-fangled global warming seems to have blown a fuse this
year? We've had a lot of frost for the last month or so.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/