It is pretty clear that, whatever happens, the wood will not just stay as it is now. The question for us is to what extent we intervene in its development. I must say, I am pulled two ways: regenerating the ancient woodland; and dropping choice exotics into it. I wonder if both can be done; and I suppose they can, if one is fairly rigorous about where the dropping is done.
Of course, there are huge temptations: draping clematis or climbing hydrangeas or climbing roses over dead stumps; introducing perennial flowering plants into the woodland: aquilegias, geraniums in the open spaces, astrantia, anemone; putting the odd exotic tree or shrub under the protection of the tree cover: rhododendrons, mainly; and adding exotic trees: liriodendron, swamp cypress, whatever else might survive the long and sometimes harsh, but perhaps less harsh than formerly, winters.
Then there is the temptation of growing things to eat, particularly soft fruit.
Obviously, we have already interfered with the landscape quite a lot. So I don't feel embarrassed at the idea of trying some of the wild daffodil types in a drift on one of the raw banks, or putting an exotic tree or shrub near the house.
I have mentioned bog plants for the places where raw peat has been exposed. I am also wondering what might survive on the dry banks. Miniature wild magenta gladioli, anyone?
Any ideas or opinions out there?
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Not to have a sudden change at your boundary, so fewer interventions, the further you get from the house.
Do you have a copy of Beth Chatto's "woodland garden" or have you seen the garden itself? My copy is in London or would drop round with it
Yes, we have the Chatto book. Irritating style but some nice ideas. My book will be about what deer don't eat and what will survive the conditions you shared with us at New Year.
Native woodland is my preference---none of these immigrants like swamp cypress, lest they take over ;-). Yes, I know we've only been in Scotland 34 years!
Lateral thinking here- how about plants that will add more flavour to the venison when you shoot them- sorry- accidentally run them over.
Swamp cypresses don't swamp things, you know. They just like growing in swamps and when they are really happy and damp they grow knees.Which do admit must be fun. As for Kate's idea - not a bad one; but funnily enough deer are said not to like things with a pronounced scent or flavour. Maybe this is why.
I have been watching a lot of Ray Mears recently so I like the idea of planting things that could be eaten should you be cut off from Waitrose for two months.
I do so agree about growing things to eat, as I have said elsewhere. There may be an issue with extreme cold in the winter, of course. And not growing things for the deer to eat in our absence. So anything in that line would probably requre fencing.
Neeps, potatoes, kale, .... (all in a suitably authentic lazy bed of course)
I was thinking of the unassuming sort of stuff that turns out to have tasty leaves once softened over a bonfire or tubers that roast nicely. The program is known as " Ray Mears pigs his way through the countryside " in our house. All sedges can be eaten apparantly.
Ursula is probably replying to the earlier thing about what will survive a Highland winter.
I thought the point about eating things found in the wild was that they were wild. Remind me of the difference between sedges and rushes. We have a few of what I think are the latter. Also a fungus or two, and unproductive blaeberry bushes
Its probably a case of recognising what stuff could be useful in emergencies and making encouraging gestures. Sedge leaves are V shaped in cross section. You make a sort of flour out of the seeds I think.
I think if I am seen walking about making gestures at vegetation people will think I am odd. You can come and do it for me.
(odder)
I would think that if people do not currently think you are odd ,they are unlikely to think any the worse of you .
What, not for waving at plants? If you think they would not think that is odd, you must know some really really odd people.
BTW -If it is still there , try BBC Iplayer search for The Trouble with Crime part 3. Series was filmed in Oxford and that particular episode shows a woman who is very well known to me.
to make things grow what you really need are morris dancers - I don't know if any sides specialise in dancing on slopes though I used to know some who would dance underwater
are there any Scottish morris dancers?
Or Bhangra dancers
Paper today had a rhapsodic artcile about cloudberries which grow on bogs in Sweden
We don't seem to be able to get even blaeberries to fruit. Cloudberries would be nice, I must say. Three deer passing through today, getting ready to hide here from the guns later.
Wasn't Cloudberry one of the Little Grey Men? I didn't realise it was a real plant
Not just a plant, a whole new commercial opportunity..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/6009978/Arctic-cloudberry-recipes-Northern-lights.html
And a little grey man too. What were the others? Dodder - a parasite I think. Sneezewort - not sure what that is.
I would be pleased if we could manage blaeberries and raspberries but I must say cloudberries seem a vg idea.
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