Seizing the moment!

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My partner is especially fond of cherries. And neither of us is keen on mowing the grass (bear with me here!) So we tentatively decided a while ago that we would dig out some of the grass and plant a row of cherry trees instead. Of course we only have a certain amount of space, and only about a third of that gets anything like enough sunshine. But we thought we’d try planting a row of three smallish ones just below our patio. Late last summer I saw that a reputable supplier had a special offer on fruit trees, so I picked three varieties and ordered one of each. They were supplied as bare root trees so they wouldn’t be dispatched until the trees became dormant, in late autumn. When the time came I received a message to say they were on their way. We started getting ready, marking out where to dig. But then the weather turned cold and when the trees arrived it was too frosty to plant them. Instead we had to stand them all in a big bucket and just cover the roots with a bag-full of compost. That was in November and they have been in the garage ever since, because as soon as the cold snap ended it started raining, and raining. Then we had another frosty spell, and then more and more rain. With our heavy clay soil the garden was a slippery mud-fest. And of course the daylight hours are short which makes it even harder to find a suitable time! Finally, on Wednesday, it wasn’t raining, and the ground was surprisingly un-muddy even after a couple of days of heavy rain. And it now doesn’t go dark until 5:30 or so. My partner finishes work (at home) at 5pm so I asked if he could give me a hand as soon as he was free. He’s not much of a gardener but he is good at digging holes So promptly at 5pm we rushed outside, dug a hole, mixed in a good dose of compost and a sprinkling of bone meal and planted the first tree, with a stake to hopefully hold it steady while it settles in. Then on to the second and we repeated the process. Just managed to get that one firmed in before it was just about too dark to see. But in 40 minutes we got two of them planted! I was glad we took the opportunity and rushed out because after that it started raining again and has been pouring down yesterday and today. The third tree is still awaiting its chance. I just hope they are still alive after the long wait. It’s hard to tell from a bare stick but I saw a tiny hint of a green bud on each tree so I’m hoping for the best. All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2024.