Autumn Blues
Each year my poor and very hungry sandy soil, cries out for yet more organic matter. I can never keep up with demand of course, but collecting all this free organic material in the form of autumn leaves does help enormously. Black refuse bags come in handy here. Making sure the leaves are damp (no problem this year!) before bagging helps them in the process of turning into some of the best garden compost around. A few holes punched into the bottom of each bag completes the process, providing much needed air to aid this vital and wonderful metamorphosis into compost you can almost serve for breakfast!
One very important job has been carried out during this stormy weather however. That has been the much overdue pruning of my much-loved Alder tree (Alder.glutinosa). This took place one damp morning when rain wasn’t actually falling and required professionals to do the job. Apart from the necessity to pacify my neighbours, it was just as important for the garden itself. Around five lower branches were removed, bringing much needed light to the hedge and borders below. It is often forgotten that trees too need maintenance, we have all seen very large trees in or near quite small gardens, often far too close to the house. These cast deep shade, even in high summer. The guys carrying out the work on my tree, related a tale of one poor soul who had to have his kitchen light on all day, summer and winter, just to see his way around in the gloom of a huge Horse Chestnut tree right outside.
Trees are of course a very important and I would say vital part of the urban landscape, but the choice of tree and their
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