We have excuses. There is so much work to do that we never finish it all. The scourge of the fens laid me low for months. But in truth there is no excuse for killing a tree. Not for me. On the other hand I am no genius tree doctor. It is true that I have nursed specimens back from the dead, but we also have casualties. A Witch Hazel that we planted dropped dead in a week. There is a spot in the Old Orchard which has so far killed a Mullberry and an ornamental crab apple. We can't work out why.
Each year we pot up a dozen tiny self-set trees which go to repair the hedges. But we missed a couple of Silver Birches in the front yard. When we came to move them, one was three feet high. The other five. Our only chance to dig them out was early summer. We should have done it sooner and it was a massacre. Both seem to have died in their new spots. Time will tell. Meanwhile the Tree Gods are angry and will have their revenge on me.