no help for that tree but deer guards are reasonably easy to come by on 't'internet should you want to persist with the grazing in future years. Or just a few fence posts and some stock fence.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Thanks everyone! Sheep have had their woodland holiday cut short. They've most likely killed off a group of young crab apples too but the quince tree is safe so I guess I'll forgive them in time. Who'd have thought sheep were such incredibly efficient killing machines - the muntjacs pale in comparison. Still, that's gardening for you. Two steps forward, one step (or more) back... Very philosophical. That's why we love it, right?
My dad has an old apple tree in his garden that's dying off now but recently it has resprouted from below what I assume is the grafted point at the base and the new shoots are tall enough to be making their own apples. The tree is now making 2 different types of apple. Maybe yours might do the same in the spring since the root stock will still be strong so all might not be lost for that tree. Same with the crabs, they should bounce back from grazing surprisingly well.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Update: would you believe they have now started on our monkey puzzle?! (Before you ask, we didn't buy it - it was here when we moved in - recently banished to the paddock as my son wouldn't let us get rid of it altogether.) Here's the prime culprit easily breaching my first efforts at defence...
Looks like he walked right through defence. You should spend some time around Welsh mountain sheep. There isn't a barrier made that they can't find some way around.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
An illustrated lesson in how hill and moorland sheep farming maintains the open moors and hillsides that are an important feature of our landscape.
Is that a quote from the NFU? Conservationists might argue that the sheep do more harm than good on the hills. There's been a marked change to keeping Welsh Black cattle on the hills around here in the last few years. I'm not sure if that will be a long term trend but a few less sheep in mid wales would do the landscape the world of good.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
An illustrated lesson in how hill and moorland sheepliving lawnmower farming maintainsdenude the open moors and hillsides that are an important feature of our landscape. a green desert where the natural woodland/heathland environment that should exist across the UK
To be fair though a lot of our wading birds like curlews rely on grazed moorland to maintain their preferred breeding habitats and if that turned to heath it would be a big problem. The thing with sheep is though is that they're adept at grazing everywhere not just the flatter bits. I think cows are preffered as they are more selective grazers as well poaching up the ground more than sheep. So you get better wet areas and more heath and trees on the steeper slopes, plus diversity of stock for the farmers of course.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Posts
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Who'd have thought sheep were such incredibly efficient killing machines - the muntjacs pale in comparison. Still, that's gardening for you. Two steps forward, one step (or more) back... Very philosophical. That's why we love it, right?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.