It is surprising to me just how much damage is caused to the trees during the summer.This last week we have,unusually, had a wind from the north which with all the trees as leafy as they are going to get, has caused a fair amount of damage.If the branches would break off cleanly it would be bad enough but when they tear a couple of feet of bark, disfiguring the whole of the side of a tree it is disastrous.I had a particularly bad one to deal with right above our greenhouse.It took ages, I had to rope it so that when it fell it did not crash into the greenhouse.In the new border we have a self sown horse chestnut that loses a major branch every year or so it seems.This year it lost another large branch and took out a Cotinus Coggyra Purpurea which was in its way.It did not kill it' but it gave it a major pruning.
While I had the chainsaw and the tractor handy I decided to put the Robinia in the front garden out of its misery.This is a job I have meant to do for at least three years but while there has been life, albeit pretty feeble, I have left it alone.The trouble is it is now under the canopy of a spreading and beautiful copper beech which has left it lacking light and water.The books will tell you that Robinias are ideal for dry poor soil and will tolerate shade- but there are limits and this poor tree has been pushed too far.It has gradually lost more foliage each year and this dry spring has left it with only one branch with foliage.The good news is that it made a super bonfire which burnt all the grass clippings for the last couple of weeks.I hate cutting down live trees but this one was becoming an eyesore.
We have had the best crop of strawberries this year that I can remember.My wife has concocted a recipe using them in muffins which are superb- let me know if you want the recipe!Great just out of the oven but be careful as the strawberry chunks take ages to cool down as my blistered tongue attests.It will be rasberries soon - no wonder I'm not skinny.
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