Another mystery plant

[StarbucksSmarterSister]

Any ideas? It appeared last year and is back. No flowers, no more than a foot tall.

Thanks.

I have been leaving bundles or sage and oregano in a trug outside my house. DS likes a herb garden but we can't eat them quick enough! I would love cooking apples! Despite our next door neighbours each side having massive apple trees, we've never had one!

Offer them the herbs in exchange for a few apples?

Please, all those suggesting planting in the wild, don't do this! Firstly, the oak tree (or whatever plant you're thinking of planting) may not belong in the habitat that you plant it in (even if it grows wild in the UK elsewhere), and may contribute to degradation and eventual loss of that habitat.

Secondly, even if the plant is of wild origin, and is appropriate to the area, if it's not local it will bring in genetic material that isn't appropriate to the area.

Either find some group that is looking after a park or other greenspace which isn't a nature reserve, and offer it to them, or do as others have suggested and put a "free to a good home" tag around it's neck and leave it at your gate.

Or you could try to bonsai it.

Mere How do you think the original trees arrived here ? The birds dropped the seeds that's how, no one told them not to. They still do it. there's no such thing as 'bio security'.

There are thousands of species bought here by the old explorers too. Not all of them beneficial I grant you but we still grow lots of plants successfully that weren't 'meant' to be here. An oak is an amazingly beneficial tree, it has more wild life in it than any other. We NEED more trees on our planet fgs.

The Forestry Commision are the ones who should stop bombing the environment with bloody pine trees. GROW MORE DECIDUOUS TREES i say.

Yes - Quite a lot of the work done at local nature reserves actually involves taking out trees to allow light in, and clearing unwanted saplings. I'm nurturing a tiny holly which was in the wrong place which hopefully will go back somewhere because we want more of that (native type obv not a garden cultivar) , but I don't think our site wants more oaks. One part willows will be thinned, somewhere else more planted to create damp willow scrub for willow tit habitat.

And I'm not sure a tree would be a good idea in a graveyard without careful consideration of where its roots might go.

An oak might be welcome somewhat but not everywhere.

I was agreeing with mere, obv.

The forestry commission is growing more deciduous trees nowadays, but their job is at least in part to run wood farms, we do need timber.

Errol it's strange I tried to grow 2 fig trees at different times unsuccessfully. One has seeded it self and is growing away, it has chosen a site that is too shady IMO and there were a few baby figs in the spring which have just dropped. I don't get it. I suppose it has been too dry for it.

Of course the forests need managing for all sorts of reasons. But to get OTT about the odd tree in the wrong place is silly.

Like the Australians, how can you have a whole country that is 'biosecure'? it's weird. you'd end up shooting every bird that flies over.

The point is it would be much better to have it in the right place than somewhere random where it might have to be removed.

There's a massive difference between plants and creatures which arrive naturally versus those brought in by mankind, in the past without any thought for ecological systems.

Well how to differentiate between them? I'm sure the effects of both CAN be negative sometimes and obviously vice versa. But on the whole IMO man's contribution is far worse,. there are efforts (in some areas) to improve it now I just hope it's not too late

I live on the edge of a forest OP - you can send it my way and I'll find somewhere for it