Spring Newsletter
Well, it’s fair to say the first three months of 2023 and the start of year two for Rymer Trees has been rather busy for the team!
At the beginning of January we welcomed Lizzie as a permanent team member in the role of Assistant Nursery Manager. Having spent the previous six months helping out, Lizzie has become a vital part of the team at Rymer Trees and will be assisting Harry in his role as Nursery Manager.
As our team here at Rymer Trees grows, so does the number of trees we produce. Last year saw over 340,000 seeds sown, covering 16 species. This year that figure will be nearer to 600,000 and covers 32 species. Alongside the selection we grew last year, we will have more naturalised and British native tree species and a few better suited to hedging. Castanea sativa, Tilia cordata and Rosa canina are just three of our new additions for this year.
We have already made quite a start on those 600,000 seeds, having sown over 130,000 of those including Ilex aquifolium, Castanea sativa and Quercus robur. This week we have moved on to sowing Acer campestre, and whilst we are diligently sowing these seeds, the Holly and Sweet Chestnut are beginning to emerge.
Emerging seedlings of course means that our irrigation system now kicks back into regular use, which in turn means we are very thankful for all the rain we have had throughout March. Our rainwater harvesting tanks are brimmed full and we are hoping the weather is a little kinder to us in 2023, with some more regular rainfall than last year to keep our tanks topped up.
2022 was exceptionally dry in the UK, especially in East Anglia and the record temperatures had us running the irrigation multiple times a day in the summer and early autumn. That weather dried out the sandy soil Rymer Trees sits on and puddles are not something we are used to seeing.
However, the meteorologist didn’t get that memo for our inaugural open day on March 17th and it was one of the wettest days we have had here! The rain did not stop, the puddles appeared and at times, the noise of the rain on the polytunnel was a little deafening! But despite this, we had a great day with a fantastic turnout. We’re so grateful to those that came and we really enjoyed connecting with people from across the industry. Tony Kirkham gave a fabulous talk and plenty of fantastic ideas and opinions were exchanged.
We look ahead to the next three months of continuing to sow, focusing on nurturing our emerging seedlings and expanding the nursery to include some stock to be grown on for bare root. We are also finding that as more people become aware of our growing nursery, we are being approached with some exciting opportunities which we will update you on in due course!
Thank you so much for your continued support, we wish you a fantastic Spring season,
The Rymer Trees Team.