Ciaran Burke

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Emergence into a misty evening

The soft mist is relentless, fine droplets rapidly dancing against my face. My initial reaction is to quicken pace, my mission is to retrieve something from my van, the destination a whole 50m away. Just as pull the zip up to its full collar limit, and I grimace in annoyance at the wet world, gentleContinue reading “Emergence into a misty evening”

Spring has arrived

After months of wind, rain, frost and snow… finally we get to feel some warmth and be blinded by the sun! Sitting down after work, sipping some Ethiopian coffee, listening to cattle munch in grass, bees hum and the distant drone of weekend commutes on the distant highways, I am happy that I have allContinue reading “Spring has arrived”

An hour drifts by…

It has been a long day, and a long drive home, but the sun was shining and the air was warm. After having something to eat we wandered downstairs to have a look at the plants. Our collection of pots and the narrow strip at the base of a wall that we have planted getsContinue reading “An hour drifts by…”

Trees from seed

In the autumn we had down seeds of a number of tree species. Now at in the beginning of March, we are starting to see the first signs of growth. One of the first species to appear was Sorbus magalocarpa. we were delighted and excited to see a small seed leaves year from the soil.Continue reading “Trees from seed “

Sow seeds for great trees in future

Autumn is a great time of year for collecting seed, and sowing it. Many tree and shrub species can be sown in autumn, in fact they need a winter chilling before they can feminists in Spring. This requirement for cold exposure is called cold stratification. Leave trays of sown seeds in a sheltered spotContinue reading “Sow seeds for great trees in future”

Autumn kicks

You can hear the light crunch, the shuffle of the fallen leaves, rustling into new formations as feet shuffle through the gold and bronze of autumn’s yearly fall. Kicking leaves and watching them fall again and hearing their rustling call, it is a simple joy. Along the branches, shining globes of brilliant red, the fruitContinue reading “Autumn kicks”