About eight years ago I bought one year old seedlings of various Christmas trees from the NH State Nursery (at $1 each) and planted them in an opening in our woodlot with the hope that some day they would be big enough to cut and bring inside for Christmas decoration. It seems that shade has resulted in trees that are not as dense as I would like. I used the hedge trimmer to give them a good shearing and topped some off to stunt their growth. Later I will give them a little slow release fertilizer. I hope these efforts pay off. If only a few are up to our standaards that will still be enough to satisfy me.
Shade isn’t the only problem to overcome with these young trees. In the fall the deer use them to rub the velvet off their antlers and in the process damage the tree. I had to cut down eight yesterday that were beyond help.
A Tale of Two Trees
These two birch trees have been living side by side in the woodlot for decades. But now, for some reason, the one on the right has died and is being consumed from the inside out by saprophytic bracket fungi.
A New Home For Our Fig Tree
Our fig tree has been in the same pot for several years and there has been very little fruit production, so it was overdue for a new home. I repotted it one pot size up and added new soil, fortified with Osmocote, a slow release fertilizer.
Meanwhile The Dark Hedges Beech Tree Continues To Grow.
New Hampshire Gardening 