Sunday, November 23, 2008

Here's what I did with twiggy and friends



OK - so I haven;t been back to the county and probably won't get there for another month or sop. But here's what I did with all the twigs I brought back earlier this week.

These photos didn't align themselves as I had hoped but that's ok for a first attempt! Wanted to write about how I'm trying to protect some young shrubs from the varmints this winter. For the past two years when I've gone to the County in spring I find my corkscrew hazel has provided several meals to what I'm guessing is rabbits - the fattening buds are bitten off. The plant has grown back - just takes longer and doesn't get as big every year as it should. This year I cut off buckthorn branches and shoved them into the ground around the witch hazel. I hope the thorns will deter rabbits (and, possibly, deer) just as they detered cows and sheep in the 19th century when the shrubs were brought over from Europe to use as hedgerows. Hate them buckthorns - but that's a subject for another post!

I tried the same thing here in the city this year too - bringing back buckthorn branches (ouch!!) to surround two varieties of big leaved Magnolia I've grown from seed. Last spring I went out to the allotment garden where I'm growing them and their buds had been nipped off too. This year, thanks to I think how wet it was, they grew like crazy - adding at least two feet even from the new shoots below the eaten tops. I have to start thinking about digging them out and finding a spot to put them in the County! I'll try to get some pix next weekend and post them here.

No comments: