Have you planted any trees, bushes or flowers?

[Willtheymakemegoonthemeds]

I used to love a tree in someone's garden when we went past. recently their neighbours have cut the overhanging branches back to the trunk. So its now half a tree. this made me sad and I was thinking about all of the big trees that have disappeared from my childhood memories.
So I'm trying to think of the ones that I could grow. and that others have grown.

I have planted 3 fruit trees in my life.
I want to plant more.
My parents have planted a hedge in their old house which is still there and let their hedge in their new house grow to nearly 10 foot all around. So they haven't really grew trees but they have in a way.
Grandparents have lined their huge back garden with fruit trees. Easily 20. maybe more.

Have you planted anything?
Would you consider planting trees/ bushes/ flowers on wasted green space such as grass verges? or on communal/ council land?
A neighbour has planted loads of beautiful flowers on the grass verge outside their house and it makes me so happy when I walk past.
I am considering doing the same.

I might pretty up a roadside verge with cheap annuals, but you’d have to stay emotionally unattached in the knowledge that it’s not your land.

I do get a bit hmmph about people who extend their gardens into publicly-owned land. Often what looks like “empty” land is council ie publicly owned fir a specific purpose - such as access to a watercourse or as flood prevention or nature conservation. I used to work as a planner and one of my main tasks was following up on unauthorised encroachments onto public land by adjacent private individuals, requesting that they be removed and the land reinstated.

I planted about 10 shrubs and a griselinia hedge in our first garden. In our second, I planted 11 trees of various types. In our current garden, so far I've planted 24 trees, I think, mostly fruit and nut, plus there were already about 25 well established trees (in the 50-70 foot range, half conifers, half deciduous) and about 100m of old, dense mixed hedgerow along one side. I've also put in a good few shrubs, and there were already a lot. It's half an acre of garden and I intend to have only a small area of lawn out the back, eventually, with everywhere else densely planted with various things. I love it. We always have loads of birds around.

I've planted 2 red robin trees in my garden this year and a lavender shrub in a planter.
I already have a big oak tree. I love trees!

“Would you consider planting trees/ bushes/ flowers on wasted green space such as grass verges? or on communal/ council land?“

No. Because round here such land is not “wasted” - the council have planted lots of trees in suitable locations recently, but many grass verges are actually being left as long grass deliberately, or need to be clear for highway safety. If people want to do something with council permission, having agreed appropriate species etc then fair enough - but just taking over a piece of land you don’t own is not on.

I think you have to be careful planting trees on public land but I love it when. I see grassy patches outside peoples homes planted up with flowers. My parents road has a small park on it and people plant their any spare flowers around the border.

Well I was watching a couple of TED Talks about a man in Arizona in USA and he cut the curb and dug out sidewalks to create little 'gardens' which gave shade, produced fruit and harvested rainwater. He did it illegally, didn't ask permission but now his city have made it so these sidewalk rain catching gardens must be included in new estates built.

Another town in England grew fruit trees and food on council owned land. They are famous for it and brought lots of tourism to the area. Now all of the GP surgeries and police stations around their contact them and word is spreading.
Apparently the crime rate has dropped significantly in a decade.

Lots of stories like this. The phantom tree planter in Yorkshire (i think) is celebrated. I think that's cooler than Banksy.

There was a tree I liked looking at from my front window but it was chopped down. The one I liked seeing from my bedroom window as a child is still there though. I planted a birch bark cherry in my garden and it's doing well. There's a house I see if I drop the kids at school and at a certain time of year it's beautiful with hollyhocks and lupins

We are hoping to get a grant to do this next year. Trees are awesome. Loads of research into their benefit, not just in terms of climate change and biodiversity but in terms of our wellbeing and immune system. I could quite easily become an actual tree hugger.

@Theyellowflamingo

“Would you consider planting trees/ bushes/ flowers on wasted green space such as grass verges? or on communal/ council land?“

No. Because round here such land is not “wasted” - the council have planted lots of trees in suitable locations recently, but many grass verges are actually being left as long grass deliberately, or need to be clear for highway safety. If people want to do something with council permission, having agreed appropriate species etc then fair enough - but just taking over a piece of land you don’t own is not on.

Definitely disagree. I have seen lots of Ted talks and read lots of article stating that the best way to go about it regarding council land is asking for forgiveness rather than permission.

The lady who did a Ted talk from Todmorden (the place that grows loads fo food in communal/ council areas) said that the council would often refuse to give permission but if the area was already panted up they would 'okay it'.
Apparently the council have saved loads of money in her town because volunteers do the work for free, crime rates have dropped. Also people care more about their local area. Apparently the council run meetings discussing what to do with xyz land 10 years ago had low attendance and the council could do anything, nobody cared. But now the meetings are full and people will complain if council land is brought by private companies to develop.
Also lots of community centers and groups have had more intake and people are setting up groups to make jams or stuff like that.
Overall a few people 'taking over council land' have changed their community in a way they could never have imagined.

its inspiring.

@Suspiciousmind20

We are hoping to get a grant to do this next year. Trees are awesome. Loads of research into their benefit, not just in terms of climate change and biodiversity but in terms of our wellbeing and immune system. I could quite easily become an actual tree hugger.

Me too. I hope this feeling spreads!

There are loads of options and a lot of support for community gardens etc to be set up. Maybe something like that? I worked with quite s few of these in the past.

We had a big problem in several reserves I worked with: what looked like scrappy «waste» land was actually of relatively high native species and biodiversity value… or at least it would have been if the neighbours could be stopped from planting random exotic / invasive garden species in it 🙄.

I've planted half a dozen scented flowering shrubs in my garden, but I am not allowed trees over a couple of metres high.

Well, anything is cooler than bansky -- but the phantom tree planter is the coolest!

And those are great reference stories.
TY for this.
I have just had to cut down a diseased rose bush today, and am very, very sad.

We've planted lillies, and rosemary, and will plant more roses next year.

No room to plant a tree -- but will search for a place!

Great post, @Willtheymakemegoonthemeds ! 👍

I wouldn't plant trees, but my children and I have wild seed bombed a small patch of long grass near our house and I hope some flowers grow there.

In my own garden I have planted many flowers and shrubs and trees - apple, Holly, red robin, beech, California rainbow and a mystery one but it's growing very well. I don't really have room for any more

In Luton, the council have planted up roundabouts with wild flowers, much nicer than my local planted ones with pansies/geraniums/daffs, it’s only very rigid.

Ive planted 2 photonias, an apple, a plum, loads of foxgloves/hollyhocks this year. I’ve put in beebombs but sadly all they’ve produced is forget-me-nots which go black and horrible, so I’ve put in poppy and cornflower seeds for next year.

Yes.
In my old garden there's a Holly and avocado.

In my current garden I've got a sycamore (which I will keep small), a rowan or Ash which again I am keeping small and I've put buddleia and a forsythia in.

I've chucked loads of wildflower seeds down in my estate too. If only 5% pop up it'll be worth it.

We plant continuously. We also dig up and cut down. But for every one we get rid of, because it is too big, in the wrong place, or just worn out, we replace.

Of the big trees, we have removed a sycamore, nightmare seeds, and replaced with a silver birch. We took down a very old apple tree, but replaced with two crab apples. We have additionally planted a cherry, an almond, and a liquidamber, which is spectacular at the moment.

The cherry is not doing well, after 12 odd years, so we will soon take that out, and replace, probably with another liquidamber.

We have an old self seeded oak in our hedge. We could take it out, but it is now 20 odd feet high, and full of every kind of bird and insect. Would break my heart to remove it, so there it stays. We have a full hedge, some old privet, which is huge and thick, and some newly planted laurel and firs. We are now completely 360 degree surrounded by hedging. DH hates cutting it, but again it is full of wildlife.

I have lots of plants and trees in pots in my own garden but I wouldn't plant anything on public land because I'd hate to see it get pulled up.

In Irish towns and villages it's really common to have a tidy towns committee who plant flowers in public spaces. Groups also run community gardens so I don't feel the need to do secret planting in my area.

Not on land that didn’t belong to me, no.

I’ve planted lots of flowers, bushes, shrubs and a few trees in our own garden though.

I have planted as many trees as my smallish garden will feasibly allow (so 3 new ones to add to three pre existing ones, as well as a mixed native hedge. My front garden also has 2 trees, a new hedge & loads.of shrubs all packed in,.now one of only a few in my street - many other people's gardens are being ripped up and turned into even bigger drives, then complaining about the flooding. I sort of 'adopt' other trees & shrubs that I enjoy seeing on my walks round and get very despondent when they get chopped down one by one, latest casualty being a glorious purple lilac. I shall miss its scent.

I planted a few extra hedge seedlings on council land outside my house, we're talking twigs.very soon got a threatening letter and order to remove. There are some.very twitchy curtains around here with tarmacked drives!

What an odd question. Wouldn't anyone with a garden plant trees and flowers?
I love my garden and it's filled with beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers.
I plant the verge outside (country lane) and often pop spare bulbs in the lane.
Lots of neighbours do this around the village so there is usually a good show of daffodils around in spring.

My mum is a guerrilla seeder as she is a prolific gardener. So anything she grows that seeds and then grows easily, she collects the seeds and has a pocketful when she goes out, and she sprinkles them around the place. She says she loves it when she sees a little patch of hollyhocks, poppies or nasturtiums on a piece of wasteland or verge and thinks “ha, that was me!”

“changed their community in a way they could never have imagined.

its inspiring.”

Around here what has happened is people destroyed deliberately planted wild flower/long grass meadow areas (intended to support invertebrates) on the verge outside their homes to plant pansies/annuals. Apparently it had looked “messy” and they had no idea that they’d destroyed a habitat. Because you know, they’d blundered in with their size tens and good intentions planting stuff willy nilly on land that didn’t belong to them.

Similarly we had someone try to plant trees once on the neighbouring estate - just random trees with no thought as to the eventual size of them, the mess from their fruit etc - just saw an “empty” bit of green space and thought they’d fill it. Trees swiftly removed.

@Theyellowflamingo

“changed their community in a way they could never have imagined.

its inspiring.”

Around here what has happened is people destroyed deliberately planted wild flower/long grass meadow areas (intended to support invertebrates) on the verge outside their homes to plant pansies/annuals. Apparently it had looked “messy” and they had no idea that they’d destroyed a habitat. Because you know, they’d blundered in with their size tens and good intentions planting stuff willy nilly on land that didn’t belong to them.

Similarly we had someone try to plant trees once on the neighbouring estate - just random trees with no thought as to the eventual size of them, the mess from their fruit etc - just saw an “empty” bit of green space and thought they’d fill it. Trees swiftly removed.

Well perhaps the council should have been a bit better at communicating their plans so people knew what they were doing.

Asusual in life most problems come down to poor communication.