We went to visit Becky and Neil in Bristol at their beautiful home and the boys were able to spend time with Connie.

We spent lovely hours in the garden and I had bought a Ginkgo Biloba plant for Becky called ‘Lil Matthew’ from the RHS Tatton show earlier in the summer.

It’s a slow growing variety and knew it was one of Becky’s favourite trees, so this was a perfect gift for her. I also bought a more upright bush type for myself which I will train and prune to suit the space that it is in.

This is where the Gingko Biloba was grown (the website is a really useful place to look for more information) - National collection of Ginkgo biloba & Cultivars

niwaki

The Japanese call this method of pruning ‘niwaki’ which translates as ‘garden tree’ - a little like bonsai but in the ground so that the tree is kept in the boundaries of its space within the garden design . This could be to frame and compliment buildings or to give the illusion of space as in a mountain scape idea. This is a really interesting site to learn more about it - http://www.niwaki.com

Many cultures around the world have controlled the natural growth of certain plants for the benefit of creating an aesthetically beautiful environment, or for the production of more flowers and fruit.

We do it here in the west with trees cut to shape to make hedges or screens, and also with fruit trees to increase yield and reduce disease or outgrowing the space so harvesting becomes easier and more efficient.

And so as Becky and I were enjoying a cup of tea in the sunshine in the garden, the conversation quickly turned to the plum tree..

to be continued in part 2….