We have three little trees …

Cherry

By Rhiannonw

Tue, 03 Oct 2023
  • 669 reads
17 comments
 

We have a little yew tree –
dropped by a bird? – it grew:
we moved it to a safer spot,
and told the girls that yew
has leaves and berries poisonous
– the're for the birds, but not for us.

We have a scraggy hazel tree
and some years we had got
so many nuts, though one year none,
suddenly they all were gone!
– we think a squirrel took the lot .
But now it’s aged, we have a low
gifted seedling we hope will grow
fruitful,
but this year neither have nuts on show.

We have a little fig tree
brought when the parents came
here to live. It spread too fast
became too vast
and was chopped down
but grew and thrived again,
surrounding plants no longer stressed.
Among the hand-like shiny green
leaves, a few small pear-like figs
can now be seen.

 

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Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Thank you for sharing your poem about your garden trees Rhiannon. I hope you have more luck with the nuts on your Hazel tree in the future, squirrels deifinitely love them, I'm still continuing to sweep the empty shells off the path.

Our neighbour has a fig tree, they're certainly hardy trees, which is why yours probably grew back. But it sounds like the Yew tree is doing well. I hope you have continued success with all your trees.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Jenny. We are a bit concerned about the hazel trees, as there seems possibly to be some blight hindering the buds maturation this year. But they do add interest, and tasty nuts when we get them. One year we still had some when the next lot came I think! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Great IP response Rhiannon. I have a fig tree and it is ENORMOUS, but I can't bring myself to cut too much because it's so beautiful - leaves and fruit

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you. Yes, the leaves and fruit are very beautiful and unusual, and it does thrive, doesn't it. My in-laws must have been very fond of it to bring it with them when they came to live with us. I think maybe they had been given it as a little cutting and had enjoyed seeing it take and start to grow. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you for the cherries for my trees! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by marandina on

"... and was chopped down

but grew and thrived again.."

I hope that's an allegory for the Sycamore Gap tree that was felled. 

 

A lovely poem, so well done, Rhiannon. Paul 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you, Paul.. The sycamore gap tree regrowing would be quite a different thing , sadly. At least, it would take a very long time to grow as big as it was. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

i believe that trees, like us, decline with age. Several of my fruit trees are determined to survive but a Victoria plum tree, that for many years produced succulent fruit galore, has given up the ghost and the damson tree seems to be struggling, a 'dason in distress' so to speak.laugh The cherries are OK but the birds are quicker than me.

Luigi x

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

We haven't got fruit trees, though we have huge orchards around here. It must be lovely to have fruit from your own trees, even if a few. A few years we had a lot of apples from the Care Home, as they were being left to drop in the car park and be driven over! But this year they are very low and last year the activities lady did get them used! They have a walnut tree there too that one year was abundantly falling and no-one interested - except us! and they have blackberiries! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Enjoyed this, Rhiannon. I've managed to keep two flower boxes alive this summer, which is a personal achievement in my world. 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Thank you. They must have given pleasure.

My daughter-in-law who enjoys pottering, but feels herself no expert, used to say, 'Well, some survive and some don't!' I think maybe particularly thinking of some presents of indoor plants that have been forced in hot-house, but it it true of others! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

I'll remember that saying and use it myself! 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

smiley!!

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Enjoyed your tree stories too :0) Our neighbour is growing hazels, but has not had nuts so far, and his fig tree has had only one small fig, so might be too North here, I don't know - he is a very good gardener! My Mum sent me what she thought was a bay tree seedling, from her garden, but the leaves are rubbery and shiny, and the flowers are white, and it has grown so huge in our very shady garden that I am sure it is a laurel, though she doesn't believe me :0)

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Both have white flowers of sorts don't they? But I guess laurel leaves are poisonous aren't they? And Bay gets called Bay laurel doesn't it, but is quite different. I don't know it at all. Very confusing! I feel very ignorant. it sounds like a shady plant to have around anyway! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

You are not ignorant about anything, ever, I think!
The important thing, about whatever it is, is that bees like the flowers and it is growing in a very dark bit where nothing else wanted to!

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

I can assure you I am not well up on garden plants and trees! But I'm glad you have a bee-feeding tree! Rhiannon