Tree pruning in winter

Happy New Year to you all. 2020. Isn’t that the most pleasing symmetry? I have great hopes for this year.

Well, all gardeners do. And aren’t we just the most irksome optimists? We forget the hail storms that wiped out the crops, the heatwave, the drought, the snow damage…I can’t say 2019 was a stellar year in this garden.

But we soldier on. And in an effort to erase the traces I offer you the most brutal haircut ever performed on an oak.

This is, or rather was, the most marvellous oak tree that loomed over the courtyard. The snow brought down so many branches that it had to be reshaped.

And believe me, I didn’t look. Nicolas wielded the chainsaw and in a matter of minutes the poor tree emerged.

From every angle it looks ghastly. Only spring will prove whether it will leap back into life and growth.

The plum trees in the soft fruit orchard were more summarily pruned. One to the ground. Sorry plum. there is an oak tree beside it that I would prefer to see thrive.

And the second one had just a few branches lopped off. We need it for the job it does to disguise the wires.

Job done. Now all I need to do is hack all the branches into chunky bits and get ready for the big event of 2020. The first great thing for this garden of the year. The chipping machine comes next week.