We've planted a lime tree up in Rosendal near the bee hives. This is because lime trees provide a substantial source of food for bees. The flowers also smell wonderful and can be used to make a tisane called tilleul. Lime trees can live for hundreds of years and grow up to 40m tall (but maybe not quite so big up here in the Nordics). The young leaves and the buds are edible but we're hoping the deer and elk don't take a liking to them. Our specimen is planted in a well-drained sandy soil (on a moraine ridge) racing south-east.
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We decided to plant a windbreak in front of the polytunnel and chose Populus tremula 'Erecta' - aspen - for the job. This variety originates in Sweden and is suited to this latitude. It grows quickly and vigorously and is happy in any kind of soil: clay, sand, chalk even. Our are in thick clay - but we dug deep holes with the Avant and filled them with earth. The trees are also ornamental: the leaves tremble or rustle in the wind creating a shimmering effect. In the spring, aspen carry catkins and the leaves turn golden yellow in the autumn. We planted them 2.5 metres apart which will create a hedge in a few years time. The maximum height will be about 12 metres. The trees will filter the wind rather than create a barrier.
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