The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Wildlife => Topic started by: Floyd on October 03, 2013, 05:16:33 pm
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Up here in the Highlands I have noticed that there are very few of the above.
Not sure if the long winter and the dry spring has affected them, but could be terrible for the birds.
Are others seeing this, if so better get the feeders out.
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Seem to be plenty of both in our bit of Powys .... though no damsons or plums again this year.
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Never, ever seen more hawthorn berries as this year! must be a regional thing.
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Loads of both down here. And rosehips galore. I've even left some brambles for them. :excited:
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We've got loads of rowan berries but no haws - didn't have any blossom either :tree: Elderberries not ripe yet but loads. Lots of rosehips too.
No mirabelles but loads and loads of golden gage, plum and damsons.
We put some food out for the birds right through the summer so the adults can use all their hunting time to feed babies, but it will soon be time to up the amount. Today is like a dull but balmy summer's day - pretty unusual for October here.
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Loads of Rowan berries here near Aboyne, I never saw so many. But no hawthorn berries. young damson tree had fruit tho. Buckets and buckets of rose hips...
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Yep, lots of both here. We were new to the house last year and I was worried the rowan trees were on their way out because their fruit was so poor but they're loads better this year. And, yes, loads of haws - was thinking of looking up recipes for them.
H
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Loads here in Fife, rowanberries, brambles, wild rasps (gone now), crab apples, hawthorn berries, rosehips, apples, plums.. after a dire year last, it's been amazing this year!
I'm going to try and grow a few berries, put some rowan in the freezer for a couple nights to see if I could get them going, as I've none actually on the holding. Everything else on the property now and hoping to get some more going :fc:
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You might get a sapling - I'll check the ones I have in the front paddock.
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Had to look up what mirabelles were. ::)
I think we have a tree with fruit like this in our neglected little orchard. The tree is really quite big and healthy looking but only bears a handful of fruit each year and often so high that it's not worth struggling for. Asked neighbours but no-one knew the name of it .... though thought it was edible. Did try them and I'm still alive.
How would you encourage the tree to fruit more? Probably asking in the wrong place but will give it a go ;D
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I too looked to see what Mirabelle's were and I think they are very similar to the tree we have, its a cross between a cherry and a plumb. Last year there were loads of fruit but not much at all this year.....:( the Rowan are full of berries and we do have a good load of apples and 2 or 3 pears, but as for foraged fruit, way too much around.....
Lots of plants in our garden have mildew this year, its due to not much rain or wind so the leaves get coated and its not washed out, well that's my theory....... :thinking:
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We have plenty of Rowans here but our Hawthorns refuse to flower so therefore no berries. A friend nearby has flowering Hawthorns and theirs are cascading with haws.
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Had to look up what mirabelles were. ::)
I think we have a tree with fruit like this in our neglected little orchard. The tree is really quite big and healthy looking but only bears a handful of fruit each year and often so high that it's not worth struggling for. Asked neighbours but no-one knew the name of it .... though thought it was edible. Did try them and I'm still alive.
How would you encourage the tree to fruit more? Probably asking in the wrong place but will give it a go ;D
It does sound like a Mirabelle. If it has a plum type stone then it will be. I don't think it's a cross HGL, just called cherry plum because when it's ripe half the trees have bright red fruit (the others have yellow fruit.) I think it's a true plum which originates from somewhere towards Russia....'over there somewhere' ::)
Ours seem to be sporadic fruiters, and I think that's why they're called Mirabelles. You don't tend to notice the fruit before they're ripe, then suddenly one day they are absolutely covered in beautiful glowing red, ripe fruit, which taste like plums.. They flower a bit early so if there's a frost or chilling wind then they won't set much fruit, although in general they are amazingly hardy.
We haven't tried pruning or pollarding ours, but the fruit being so high is awkward. I think that maybe if you follow the timing rules for pruning plums it should be ok. They are not on a rootstock so any regrowth will still be Mirabelle.
For jam, removing the stones takes forever, so any for home consumption keeps the stones in. It makes a lovely red jam - even the yellow ones.
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You might get a sapling - I'll check the ones I have in the front paddock.
Thanks, that'd be great!
Do mirabelles taste like cherries or plums? I'm thinking of getting a cherry and more plums, wondering if I might combine the ideas and get a mirabelle instead..
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The ones I have taste more plumb with a hint of cherry :innocent: ..the only down side is the stones are hard to dislodge as they are small fruit!
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Thank you FW.
I saw a similar looking tree last year when out and about and it was absolutely covered in fruit ..... the tree was much shorter than ours though.
We haven't got round to sorting our teeny orchard yet but will attempt some pruning when we do. It is very neglected. When we moved in we didn't even know it belonged to us or that it was a little orchard until neighbours told us. We have cleared the brambles and suckers but that is all.