Monday, August 06, 2007

The Memory of Tree's

The Lavatera flower under the Fir tree, mum called it a Monkey Tree but I cannot find it on google that looks like that.

The Squirrel getting into the photos again climbing up the Hazel tree.

An Acorn suspended between the glowing leaves on one of the hot sunny days. The leaves are from an Oak tree. I googled the differences between Hazel and Oak trees. The leaves are the clue :)

The Hawthorn berrys loved by the birds, and taken back by me to try to get some of the seed to germinate. It attracts 148 insects I read and is used traditionally as a stock fence in the country with its sharp spines. This Hawthorn had grown into a medium sized tree.

The next door garden had this Pear tree which partially overhung the fence. It was at the middle of the White border.

Two Apple trees had been trained up a wall, and leant towards the right. I wander if having two different species close together guarantee's pollination and the production of fruit. They were very nice to eat too as I tried one. I took the pips for an experiment to try to get one to germinate. The chance of it bearing fruit is 5% I read. I will try anyway as I managed to germinate an apple pip when I was living in Bristol. It always make a special plant if you can germinate a seed you have acquired from something you eat. I succeded with Asda bought Beefsteak tomatos and grew three big tomato plants last year :)

The Gnarled twisty Bark of the two apple trees. Where one ended and the other began I dont know. They needed some pruning I think, and maybe the smaller apples removed so it could grow reasonable sized fruit. I thought of apple sauce, apple pie, and Apple wine.

The Apple trees Gnarly stems..

A silver Birch trunk visible through a gap in the green by the Shed. It was a very light colour and attracted me to photograph the secret tree trunk.

A view of the left hand side of the garden with a Fir tree, and Holly tree in the middle.There were maybe eight species growing in the Garden behind.It was a substantial sized garden to support that many tree's. A lot were left after the area was developed. Old tree's have a charm and a history, and even the builders left them alone. They built around them.

The Monkey Tree? Mum said it had flowers that looked like monkey paws before.If anyone can identify this tree I'd be happy :)
Beautiful Ornate Bark on this Birch tree I think. I loved the way it looked, would have touched it if it had been closer to me.
The Same tree in Profile looking up at its slender trunk, and airy leaves. It is quite stately but not overpowering as it lets light through its branches.

The End of the Garden with the Silhouetted tree's. The Hawthorn, the Hazel tree, A Birch tree that had self seeded in the corner bed, and the Monkey tree. A large Dog Rose bush Scrambled all along the edge of the Fence using the tree's to get Upwards into the light and air.

The Monkey tree with Blue sky. A perfect day of doing Mums Garden with all the birds, bee's, and squirrel watching me. I found it quite hard to photograph tree's. I know very little so I am doing more research into the Native British tree's. Part of my RHS course is to Identify from a list of about fifty tree's. I want to get a book with a key for identifying the tree's.

The blog post title is an Enya Album. I wander if she means her memories of trees (like Horse chestnuts dropping Conkers, or Watching Sycamore seeds drop like Helicopters), or that the Trees have memories of all the life that has happened around them as they grow slowly.

I spent the Evenings watching the Waltons on DVD. The original first series.It was nostalgia for me of Sunny Sunday Afternoons watching the episodes. They were just as good as I remembered, and seem timeless in their simplicity, and honesty.

Thats my Cheltenham memorys of tree's :)

7 comments:

Philosophical Karen said...

Hi Snappy, your Monkey Tree looks like a type of pine. And what you have shown as a hazel nut is I think an acorn among oak leaves. It's nice when the builders leave the trees and build around them. It makes such a difference to a neighbourhood.

Anonymous said...

Snappy, I enjoy your blog. Your part of the world is so different than mine. Keep up the good blog.

Your Mum is gorgeous. You are a lucky fellow to be allowed to work in her garden. Does she have a dog? I hope not as it will run over all the lovely flowers you have planted for her. Dogs usually run the fence to patrol their territory.

Lisa from Indiana, USA

David (Snappy) said...

Hi Karen, Thanks for looking at my photos and leaving a comment.I know the monkey tree looks like a pine.Its funny when gardeners name plants and give the wrong name.At least blog photos give us a chance to identify them.
I have Hazelnuts? Acorns? on the computer desk.I took mums word that it was a Hazel tree.
I have to do some tree research :)

David (Snappy) said...

Hi Lisa from Indiana,She was lucky to see me after a gap of about two and a half years.In her old house we both did the garden.Sharing a passion has made us closer really. She does not have a dog, but they are looking for one.Her garden is a traditional British garden with Hard structures, lawn, and shrubs, and the borders on the edge of the grass.
Im glad you enjoy the blog, and thanks for your comment.I love new people dropping by, and taking the time to leave a thought or two.
Maybe you can blog your part of the world to show me how different rural Indiana is :)

Naturegirl said...

Loved this look at your trees Snappy! I have NOT seen a hazel nut
tree since I was a child and your image brought back a flood of memories for me! Good memories...I remember getting those little hairs stuck in our wee fingers as we peeled the nut's furry skin back. I also love to admire trees and their trunks and yes if only they could talk the history they could share with us...it always saddens me when I see an older tree cut down for what ever reason...but I suppose it was their season.hugs NG

David (Snappy) said...

Thanks Naturegirl,Im glad you have memories of trees too.Im not sure if it is a Hazelnut I photographed and collected (on my desk now) but as i said Mum called it a Hazelnut tree.They are small the Nuts,Im sure Acorns were bigger.These green nuts have their helmets on and an odd shaped casing.
There may have been an Oak tree growing besides the Hazel.
Tree's are under rated, and they could tell us a lot of local history.I was reading a book about British Woodland and it said how you can do detective work by whats growing in the woodland floor, whether the trees had been coppiced, or pollarded. Whether Animals had grazed beneath the Trees based on whats growing.
My Hazelnuts will sit and dry then I can photograph them.
The hospital has cut lots of trees down to build the new hospital, but they are supposed to be planting two new trees for every one felled.The trees support a huge amount of wildlife and birds, and create a nice healing environemnt for patients, visitors, and staff!

David (Snappy) said...

I have changed the Photo Caption now to say Acorn Karen..you have keen eyes.Its funny becuase I read its the Celtic tree month of Hazel.
It will be on my wishlist, because the Hazlenuts are what gave the Salmon its knowledge in Celtic Mythology after they dropped into the water.