Week 2
If anyone asks how much it has rained this week, all I can answer is, “A lot.” It has bucketed, deluged, poured in a way I had not imagined possible. Perhaps that is to be expected, as my renatured land is barely 25 kilometres crow’s flight from the Borrowdale hamlet of Seathwaite, the wettest inhabited place in the country, receiving 3552 millimetres (140 inches) of rain each year[i]. Compare that with the 76 millimetres (3 inches) annually in the Sahara Desert[ii].
I have been sloshing about in soggy walking boots all week and have spent more time drying outdoor clothes on my stove than doing anything useful. As for the plants, it astonishes me that any will survive unless they have flippers. Land is very rain sensitive. Too little and it dries out, failing to nourish the vegetation it accommodates. Too much - this week has been a good example - the ground becomes engorged by rain and topsoil is washed away. I am slightly uphill from the wide expanse of Windermere Lake[iii], although Windermere is not a called a lake in the eyes of linguists. There is only one of those in the entire Lake District - Bassenthwaite. Windermere is what it says, a mere, and mist permitting I see it most days, 30 metres of height beneath me and 400 metres away. I have plenty of houses above, as they reach to the 158-metre tip of the hill I am on. I imagine, especially when it rains, the houses above wash down their toxins and poisons across my land, as the filth heads to Windermere and its whopping 300 billion litres of water[iv]. High phosphorus levels have led to toxic algal blooms, while sewage is being discharged into the water for more than 5000 hours each year[v]. Most of the houses above are owned by Stripy Lawners.
Windermere is 18 kilometres (11 miles) long and the largest natural collection of water in England. It was once treasured as having exceptional fish stocks, largely of Brown Trout and Arctic Char, but the numbers have declined in recent years as mankind has steadily poisoned their habitat. There is no chance, I realise, that fish stocks will improve any time soon as the planet rushes headlong towards catastrophe.
A critical part of my land, indeed all land, is the soil. I spend considerable hours thinking how I might improve it. Soil is best known as earth or dirt, and is a mixture of organic matter, gases, minerals, liquids, and organisms. It is constantly changing and forms a major part of the planet’s ecosystem. Soil is also an important carbon reservoir and very sensitive to both climate change and human disturbance. A single gram of soil contains billions of organisms.
Typical soil is 50% solids and 50% spaces, or voids. The voids allow air and water to circulate, both of which are critical for life in the soil. Compaction, for example when I stamp on the ground, or a farmer uses a heavy roller, reduces the size of voids, and can prevent air and water reaching plant roots and the many organisms, too. Soils have a pH, too, which is a measure of being acid or alkaline. My land is acidic, in common with much of the Lake District, so plants like rhododendrons[vi] and hydrangeas[vii] thrive. They both love acidity.
Hydrangeas come in white, blue, pink, or red and grow like crazy, although there is no sign of them right now. When in acidic soil, meaning a pH<7, their flowers are blue, when alkaline, a pH>7, they go pink or red. It is to do with aluminium, a common chemical in the soil. In acidic soils, aluminium is soluble and can be taken up by hydrangeas. They then turn a magnificent blue. In alkaline soil aluminium is less soluble, and hydrangeas are pink[viii],[ix]. White hydrangeas are unaffected by the pH of soil and stay white if cared for properly. Otherwise they will assume a pinkish hue. This week between downpours I have radically pruned my hydrangeas, as the plant really grows faster than fast in summer and everything within range is obscured. Now is the time to radically cut them back. There is no purpose in being timid.
As for my plentiful rhododendrons, which have been on my land for decades, there are many folk who hate them because they are so invasive[x]. The rhododendron was first introduced into the United Kingdom in the 1700s as an ornamental plant from the Himalayas. If left uncontrolled it will eventually dominate the habitat and exclude almost all plant life, as well as numerous animals. Rhododendron has an extensive root system and leaves that are toxic to many other plants. It also harbours Phytophthora[xi], a pathogen that can affect a wide range of trees and plants, the larch[xii] especially. For me, I like the rhododendron, as its broad and often arched branches make a truly shaded area. They are just what I need for The Mossarium, as mosses love acidic soil, hate too much light, although respond to just a little, and seem happy to be protected by overhanging rhododendron.
To look at my soggy land right now, it seems as if nothing is happening, other than run-off rainwater is rushing by. Yet I know that under my feet the land is preparing to spring into life, despite its thin topsoil and the nutrients that are being fast washed away. The soil is not sandy, but stony with some clay. One advantage of a New Year is that it is simpler to see what is happening. There are no leaves, nor long grass, to hide things.
There is a space at the top of my land that is troubling, indeed I am saddened if I think too hard. Slightly more than a year ago there was a mighty storm, Storm Arwen[xiii], with winds gusting from the north at more than 100 miles per hour (161 kilometres per hour). Prevailing winds normally come from the west and south-west, so trees’ root systems are stronger in that direction to resist unexpected gusts. Storm Arwen’s northerly swing was unexpected, the root systems were unprepared, and so plenty of trees toppled, including a tall Algerian Fir[xiv] on my land. It was a specimen tree, one of few in the country. As it fell it bounced off a yew[xv] - there is not much that will damage a yew tree - and nearly destroyed a smaller mountain ash[xvi] that was left with half a trunk and a single branch.
The fallen Algerian Fir crushed my fence and sprawled across an adjacent road. For a while I thought how I might bring its 20-metre length back to the vertical, as when a tree falls, the roots on the windward side tear, but plenty on the leeward side just fold and stay intact. The roots are still functional. Sadly, I could not think of a way of recovering such a huge tree, so with a heavy heart I knew it had to be a chainsaw. It took a full day to remove the fir, with me nearly in tears. I have placed its wooden slices to one side and have turned portions of its trunk into natural flower beds. I have left the fir’s stump as a sign of respect as I do not have the heart to remove its final trace. Perhaps it is time to create a stumpery. After all, if that is good enough for Highgrove Gardens[xvii], it is surely good enough for me.
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Acknowledgement
Take it from me - none of this would be possible without the help of RSG Horticulture. Rufus, who runs it, has far more energy than me and is full of ideas and skills.
References [i] Wikipedia. Seathwaite, Allerdale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seathwaite,_Allerdale. Accessed 8 January 2023. [ii] Britannica. Climate of the Sahara. https://www.britannica.com/place/Sahara-desert-Africa/Climate. Accessed 8 January 2023. [iii] Wikipedia. Windermere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windermere. Accessed 9 January 2023. [iv] Windermere. https://www.fishinglakedistrict.co.uk/2020/08/05/windermere/. Accessed 8 January 2023. [v] https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/chemicals-sewage-works-septic-tanks-killing-lake-windermere-2156895. Accessed 11 April 2023. [vi] Rhododendron ponticum et al. A huge genus with more than 1000 different species. Used as food plants by the caterpillars of some butterflies and moths. Seen as an invasive species in Ireland and the United Kingdom and is an introduced species. Azaleas are a form of rhododendron. Commonly bloom in the spring but can be seen throughout the summer. Has various health benefits such as being a natural pain killer, anti-inflammatory and its flower juice can lower cholesterol. It is anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, boosts immunity, is liver-healthy and prevents cancer. The national flower of Nepal and the state flower of India’s Himachel Pradesh. [vii] Hydrangea macrophyllia et al. Sometimes known as hortensia. There are more than 70 different species. Fossilised hydrangeas have been found in Alaska, dating from 66 to 23 million years old. Seen in June/July. The underground stem (rhizome) has been used for bladder infections, enlarged prostates, and kidney stones although there is no scientific evidence to support these uses. Hydrangea may be unsafe when used in large quantities. Good nectar and pollen for pollinators. [viii] Wax HA. How pH affects the color of a hydrangea. https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/chiwonlee/plsc211/student%20papers/articles09/haylee%20a%20wax/pH%20affects%20on%20hydrangea%20-hw.html. Accessed 8 January 2023. [ix] Earth Science. Tips for using pH to change hydrangea color. https://www.earthsciencegrowing.com/expert-advice/tips-for-using-ph-to-change-hydrangea-color/. Accessed 8 January 2023. [x] Forestry and Land Scotland. Rhododendron control. https://forestryandland.gov.scot/what-we-do/biodiversity-and-conservation/habitat-conservation/woodland/rhododendron. Accessed 8 January 2023. [xi] Royal Horticultural Society. Phytophthora root rot. https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/phytophthora-root-rot. Accessed 9 January 2023. [xii] Larix occidentalis et al. 11 accepted species. Named by Julius Caesar after the ancient Alpine settlement of Larignum. The larch is a deciduous conifer and turns a glorious yellow in autumn, before losing its needles. Larch on oak was the traditional construction method for Scottish fishing boats in the 19th Century. It is a softwood and burns well. Contains arabinogalactan, which is useful in infections such as the common cold, influenza including swine ‘flu, liver damage and as a boost to the immune system. Native to the mountains of Central Europe and introduced into the United Kingdom in the early 17th Century for timber plantations. [xiii] Wikipedia. Storm Arwen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Arwen. Accessed 9 January 2023. [xiv] Abies numidica. A species normally only found in Algeria, very weather tolerant, and seen at altitudes up to 2000 metres. Now classed as critically endangered. Popular as an ornamental tree in parks and public spaces. Can reach to 35 metres in height (115 feet) with a trunk up to one metre (3.2 feet) in diameter. https://conifersociety.org/conifers/abies-numidica/. Used in traditional medicine as an antibacterial and antioxidant but not much is known about the results. [xv] Taxus baccata et al. Native to UK, as well as mainland Europe, north-west Africa, northern Iran and south-west Asia. Most parts are poisonous, even by inhalation. The lethal dose for an adult of yew needles is 50 grams. The red arils can be eaten but not the seed inside them. Yews can live for a very long time and more than 600 years has often been reported. Scotland’s Fortingall Yew is said to be 5000 years old. Certain compounds in the bark have anti-cancer properties and the original English longbows were made from yew. The tree has a deeply religious association. Squirrels, dormice, and a few native birds appear immune to its toxic properties and eat the arils. The leaves can be eaten by the Satin Beauty Moth (Deleptenia ribeata). [xvi] Sorbus aucuparia et al. Known as the rowan, the mountain ash is a deciduous tree and a member of the rose family (Rosaceae). It is not related to the ash tree. Its red berries are a favourite food for birds and the tree is also used a source of food for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. Reaches up to 12 metres in height and a very hardy tree. Dense wood that can be used for carving. Widely held to be a magical tree that can give protection against malevolent beings. Has been used for sore eyes, rheumatism, asthma, and colds. [xvii] https://www.highgrovegardens.com/pages/the-stumpery. Accessed 9 January 2023.
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