I’ve decided I’m going to plant a spindle tree

My little wood is pretty full now. In fact, there are parts of it where I should probably do a bit of thinning. Some of the most interesting and bio-diverse parts of a woodland are actually the spots where there are no trees. The woodland glade has an ecology of its own.

However, earlier this year, a tree came down in a storm, an old hawthorn, and I cut it up for firewood. I’m finding it hard to resist the temptation to plant something in its place, particularly as it was on the windward side of the wood where shelter is important. November is the best month of the year to plant trees in Ireland and November is just around the corner, so I really have to make a decision.

There is one species of tree which I love and which I think would do well on my lime-rich land and I haven’t got one. I’ve now decided I’m going to plant a spindle.