Our story starts two year ago in the autumn of 2023 when Jaz (from the Saving Devon's Treescapes team at Devon Wildlife Trust) arrived at the Exeter community garden with germination containers, root trainers and advice. It was then over to us.

Our garden sits on the perimeter of the University campus and, as autumn progressed, we watched as the seeds on the trees along our boundary ripened.  The berries of rowan and hawthorn, the nuts of chestnuts, hazels and oaks and the ‘helicopters’ of the maples (which we now know are called samaras) were ready to collect.

We settled the oaks and hawthorns into pots and trays and left them over winter in a sheltered spot in the garden.  The remainder demand winter cold (or stratification) to break dormancy in order to germinate, so we mixed them with sand and put them into the fridge for 12 weeks or so, until they started sprouting - what a thrill to see those little green shoots.

All of our seeds germinated apart from the hawthorns, which are still in their tray - we’ll see if they germinate in 2026.

In the spring of 2024, when the seedlings were big enough, we potted them into the root trainers.  Meanwhile we set to work preparing the nursery bed into which they would eventually be planted.

At this point the ground was compacted grassland.  So we skimmed off the couch grass and dug the soil just enough to plant several rows of potatoes, hoping that their dense canopy would suppress the weeds.  This method did indeed seem to work and in the autumn of 2024 we were able to plant our saplings into weed-free, friable soil.  

That soil needed covering and the trees needed protection from any cold snaps winter might bring, so we set off with wheelbarrows to gather the fallen leaves of oak and beech from nearby streets.  These we mounded onto the nursery bed - a very cosy duvet.  Once we had set up netting as protection against the deer, we were able to sit back and watch as the plants grew….and grew.

The dry summer of 2025 caused no problems - our soil proved water-retentive and the leaf mulch was still in place.  No watering necessary.

Our trees, some 70 of them, are now mature enough to be moved on and we have now found homes for them.  In the new year many will be going to a smallholder near Yeoford and we have two more small, local landowners interested in taking the remainder.

We are all agreed that our small part in Saving Devon’s Treescapes has been immensely worthwhile.  Not only have we been able to contribute trees to the Devon Wildlife Trust project, but we have also developed our own skills and knowledge which will make us better wildlife gardeners.