Every month Julie, our Tree Nursery Manager, brings readers a blog post all about our nursery, plants, gardening and more. For the June edition, Julie explores the patriotic colours of red, white and blue and has a few exciting updates from our tree nursery!
Whether you’re an avid gardener or nature enthusiast looking for inspiration, or simply interested in learning more about what’s happening at our nursery, we’ve got something for everyone in this monthly blog series. So sit back, grab a cup of tea, and join us as we explore the wonderful world of trees and gardening at Emmaus Cornwall!
The month of May
The month of May has been a riot of patriotic colour of red, white and blue in the hedgerows with the Red Champion, the feathery white plume of Cow Parley and Blue bells set against the backdrop of lustrous green. We have now been blessed in glorious sunshine!
Star plants this month
My two-star plants for this month must be the Scarlet Pimpernel and Speedwell. I let this wonderful combination of wild plants grow in between my border plants at home and in my other floral displays. They make excellent ground cover without smothering my plants and one advantage of this is that they protect the ground from drying out.
Another common name for the Scarlet Pimpernel is the Poor man’s barometer because it opens when it is sunny and closes if cloudy. It is a plant of arable fields and disturb ground, but in my opinion a great addition to a flower border as they are annuals and easy to remove if you do not want them in a particular spot.
Common names for plants are wonderful and Speedwell does not disappoint, it is a plant of roadside verges and it is meant to speed you well on your journey – a good luck plant. From a gardeners point of view, it can be a little annoying if you do not want it growing in your lawn but a great addition if you are looking to enrich your lawn with more wild flowers. I personally love this little plant and the combination of the two is quite beautiful:
The Nursery Site
This month, there has been quite a lot of activity on the nursery site with the water now on and the site levelled for the poly tunnel.
The trees on the shelter belt
We have been looking after the trees in our newly planted shelter belt. It’s so vitally important that they are cared for in their first few years of establishment. We have achieved this by using green waste as a mulch around the trees. This does two things – retains moisture in the soil and suppresses the weeds around the trees, allowing them to get the best possible start.
Mulching the Tree Line
Additionally in the nursery site, there are trees growing that all need looking after so we have mowed between the rows, which enables us to weed the trees that are heeled in. This will be an ongoing affair throughout the summer months!
Ready for volunteers
Everything is slowly coming together on the site and we are now gearing up to invite volunteers to work on the site. If you would like to volunteer with us at our nursery, check out this page to find out more and enquire online.
Out and about – visiting the Eden Project
Recently I visited the Eden Project where there is a Horticultural Therapy Centre on site. They work with several different groups of people and there is the opportunity to study for an RHS Level 1 exam if the client wishes to. It had a lovely laid-back atmosphere about the place and a sanctuary for anyone’s wellbeing.
The above picture is a glimpse into the future when the poly tunnel on our site will be up and running! We are now in June – a time for making hay, collecting bee swarms and enjoying the warmth of summer.
To find out more about our tree nursery or to volunteer, check out our Emmaus Community Trees page.