30/05/2026
Well, today we will be cutting down the only mature tree in our garden.
I love a silver birch, and over the years I have probably planted hundreds (including seven multi stemmed examples in our front garden).
We’ll be really sorry to see it go, but time has not been its friend. Large sections of it are dead, branches are splitting and bits dropping off.
As we’re about to (finally!) start work on building the design for our own garden it seems the time has come, so it’s out with the protective clothing and the chainsaws.
The loss of a mature tree is a little like losing a friend… suddenly there will be a huge gap, but, unlike losing a friend, this can be a great opportunity too! I’m really excited about the opportunity this will provide for a new tree, in addition to the other trees in the design.
We already know we’ll be planting some of my other favourite trees, Amelanchiers and Prunus serrula (the Tibetan Cherry). These are both trees whose size is appropriate for a domestic garden. But the silver birch is in the northwest corner of the garden, which means it never casts any shade into our garden. This means I can plant something that will grow much bigger…. Currently thinking I might go for a Liquidambar, a tree whose autumn splendour is unmatched in my opinion.
