Tree planting, no ceremony

I don’t think HMQ would be seen in weather like this. Or else there would be a lady in waiting at least holding the umbrella over One’s head.

I’ve come in for soup and a defrost and a feeding of the fire.   Outside it’s cold and damp and a bit wet.   Perfect for planting trees. Well the cold bit isn’t ideal; but the bare root trees from Cochet must get into the ground.

I can’t believe I didn’t write a post yesterday on the 12/12/12, but I wrote to Lauren and Sarah. And I wrote a cheque for these trees.

I drove down to Aubenas to pick them up and have a chat with the great man (three staff members working like mad to get the orders for the bare root trees out).

Frederic Cochet is our man in the Ardeche who breeds local fruit trees for every altitude, soil condition and type.   He finds old breeds and revives them and generally has a website that makes window shopping a dream.

I lost two apple trees this year to the cold or the conditions (or me); so I was determined to replace them with the better sort. I can’t work out how to replace myself.   Hence Cabassou, Cousteau Vincent, Rose Superieure and Transparente de Croncels. All very exotic, but actually all very local. Ardeche or Cevennes.

Fifteen euros fifty for each tree, execpt for the Cousteau which is a three year old scion, and a bit more expensive at 25.   I have put three in the orchard with the rest, and have one to go either in the east garden (which I am renaming the Quince Garden in the new year) or up near the other apple to the left of the barn.

I haven’t decided because I’m too cold to think.

I also bought a variety of kiwi fruit called a kiwai that is smaller than a typical kiwi, but can withstand  much colder conditions. Down to minus 25C.   And self fertile to boot. Which is a relief as I had already invested enough in the trees.

And then for the last purchase; 30 strawberry plants to refresh my declining crop.

And naturally if I was going all the way to Aubenas, why it was just another hour down the road to Andrew’s.   In Ardeche terms, just next door. So lucky me, I had a great lunch in les Poujols; collected my forks and treasures for Christmas (can’t tell you what it is in case The Recipient is reading this blog) and came back at 530pm just as the sun was beginning to set.

And now the internet has obliged me by oozing back to life. It has been erratic for hours.   Which is not such a bad thing as I was actually able to read this month’s Gardener’s Illustrated magazine cover to cover. That’s something I rarely get time to do before handing the magazine on.

The fourth apple tree, after much pacing and worrying, is in the east garden.

I planted it in between the fig and the walnut in some rather unexciting soil.   But with a boost of Root Grow (please don’t ask me to type the words beneficial microrhizhal fungi, I really don’t know how to spell it), a bucket of water and then a handful of Growmore.   When I can get to the last bucket of compost in the cellar I’ll add that too.   But I was soaked by the time the last tree went in.  

And the strawberries; so I dragged in three loads of firewood and called a halt to the outdoor day.

But I almost forgot: here in an action shot of a recycler. A car load of branches.

Every autumn the rural council staff come through parts of our region and prune all the branches and small trees from the sides of the main rural roads.   This is to help keep the roads clear from our ever encroaching oak and chestnut forests.

They then leave the branches in neat piles (I love that) on the sides of the road, and a few months later, the chipper comes through and turns all the branches to mulch.

I decided to help myself to some of the thinnest of the branches up near the Meillet’s farm and do my own chipping before the scheduled February mulching date.

I was day dreaming about this huge chipping machine dropping its tonnes of mulch onto my garden beds all the way to the market as I drove up.

But it’s just a daydream as I may be away on the miracle day this process occurs.   So meanwhile….