From little acorns.......

[ogwen]

Probably a stupid question . But is it leagle to pick up an acorn from the wild and plant it in your garden?

If it isnt do you need quite a big garden for space for it to grow? Or would it be best just to leave it?

Im asking because I'd like to plant one of our british trees in our garden and oak is one of my favourites.

Thanks anyway.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by ogwen

Probably a stupid question . But is it leagle to pick up an acorn from the wild and plant it in your garden?

If it isnt do you need quite a big garden for space for it to grow? Or would it be best just to leave it?

Im asking because I'd like to plant one of our british trees in our garden and oak is one of my favourites.

Thanks anyway.

I don't think it's a problem, my sister has grown a number of horse cheastnuts this way, but yes they do need space -well eventually - the one in our garden has taken 25 years to get to a really good size, if you don't have much space maybe try silver birch or mountain ash?

[Lance Morgan]

Its certainly not illegal although the owner of the tree is the owner of the acorns. I grew one from an acorn and its in a pot in my garden now about 4 feet high. If you plant it you will need a big garden but they are quite slow growing and can reach 40m with a spread of 20m when fully grown but you and I will be long gone by then.

[Earth Hart]

Go ahead, as long as you've a large garden, though it will take a few hundred years to come to full maturity. Think of all the wildlife that lives in & on the Oak, a multi-storey housing estate. Hope you can pass the house on to your children, and their children.

[ogwen]

Oh right thanks Gill, Lance.

Do silver birch or mountain ash have any seeds, or would you have to get a cutting from them? Just asking coz Im not totally sure what they are. I only recognise them by sight .

I'll go find some acorns anyway

[ogwen]

Originally Posted by Earth Hart

Go ahead, as long as you've a large garden, though it will take a few hundred years to come to full maturity. Think of all the wildlife that lives in & on the Oak, a multi-storey housing estate. Hope you can pass the house on to your children, and their children.

I'll live in the house as long as I can .....but no way am I having kids . I'll let my sisters pass it on to their children

[Lance Morgan]

Both have seeds well catkins and berries respectively. Both are fairly easy to grow too.

[Gill Catton]

hmmm not sure as I've not grown either myself, mountain ash does indeed have berries - bright orange ones, presumably you can just plant them in a pot and leave them out over winter? Oooh and forgot to suggest pussy willow / sallow (Salix caprea)which roots very easily from a twig with some rooting hormone dabbed on the end and neglected in water for a while. Seeds for silver birch ought to be fairly easy to grow, they are usually the first trees to colonize grassland - in heath management they pull up and chuck away lots of seedlings, maybe contact someone to see if you could have one?

[ogwen]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

hmmm not sure as I've not grown either myself, mountain ash does indeed have berries - bright orange ones, presumably you can just plant them in a pot and leave them out over winter? Oooh and forgot to suggest pussy willow / sallow (Salix caprea)which roots very easily from a twig with some rooting hormone dabbed on the end and neglected in water for a while. Seeds for silver birch ought to be fairly easy to grow, they are usually the first trees to colonize grassland - in heath management they pull up and chuck away lots of seedlings, maybe contact someone to see if you could have one?

Thanks . I'll have a go at finding some

[Earth Hart]

The mountain ash or rowan berries make a wonderful jelly/jam, high in VitC they also make fine sauces to go with game & a damn good wine