Simpson’s in Fordham were running an autumn 20% off sale. The only issue I have is that I still have plants in pots from my last visit to Twenty Pence Garden Centre. Although, they had some great sized field dug silver birch and yew trees, time to be reasonable and only buy what I have time to plant.
One thing that any Old Vicarage needs is Christmas trees in the gardens.
The wrapped rootball of the Pinus Sylvestris (the one at the back right of the van) looks OK. have a look at the later photos when the sacking is taken off.
It may be small but it is well rooted.
picea pungens ‘Super blue seedling’
The picea pungens potted up, ready to go out.
I will probably leave it in the pot for a few years, until it is large enough to be found a permanent home in the garden. I’m thinking of having several Christmas trees planted around the Summerhouse. Turn it into a bit of a Santa’s grotto. I have electric in the summerhouse, so could light the area.
In front of the old staff door with the Christmas lighting on the porch and the wreath on the door.
One of the other new arrivals, a Nordmann fir, the night before planting. This is for the side of the house that faces the church. Hopefully, in several years time, it will be large enough to put some lights on.
The new Nordmann fir is replacing last year’s that expired. Although they are sold as pot grown, you can see when you remove from the pot, they have been dug up recently and placed in a pot. Last years didn’t have much root on it.
This year’s Nordmann fir in situ. Like last years, not much of a rootball when taken out of the pot. Hopefully, it will survive as it has not been taken into a centrally heated house..
When it grows, it should prove a good focal point from the sitting room each winter.
The last one to be planted was the Pinus Sylvestris. You can see from the first picture (it being placed in the van) that it looked like it had a fantastic root ball. Once the sacking was removed, you can see the extent of the root damage. It had quite clearly outgrown its pot!
A closer view of the rootball.
Just to confirm, this tree was half marked price, so if it takes, it is a bargain.
What was left of the pot cut off.
Hopefully, this tree will grow up to twenty-five metres in height over the next fifty years. It is far enough away from the summerhouse, to allow this and some of the other trees to gradually blend the summerhouse into the woodland area.
The tree is planted into is one of the wilded areas which is cut twice a year. The intention is to gradually plant these areas up. This area also has lots of Winter Aconites which come through at the beginning of the year, and carpet it in a bright yellow carpet.
The closest brick building is the stable block. This is a good distance and there will be no issue with root or even if it fell in later years in a storm.
The Old Vicarage B&B, Little Ouse 
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