As the first trees are due to be despatched to the customers that have ordered the 3 litre trees during week commencing 11th September we thought that it would be a good time to set up a Wollemi Pine Web log. We are interested in anything you have to say about this fascinating tree and your experiences of the tree.

 

 

Let us know when you see the first apple green growth, the first polar cap, and any pest and disease problems that you may encounter. This is very much a learning curve for all of us. The very first tree planted out in the UK was planted at Kew Gardens in May 2005. We have a vast amount of knowledge from the trees that have been growing in Australia for the last 12 years and also from the hardiness trials that have been going on in the meantime but this will be the first time that the tree has been widely grown in the UK and Ireland. These will be the first trees on ‘the road to recovery’ for the Wollemi Pine.

 

I have visited the Wollemi Pine planted at Westonbirt twice this year already and I am always pleased to see the amount of people that stop and look at the tree. Having been working so closely with the tree now for nearly a year (I must admit initial I was under whelmed by its looks) it has really enchanted me with its character. It has such an ancient past that I am still finding it difficult to comprehend. When I visit the Arboretum I stand and try to imagine that I am in an ancient rain-forest with the thought that a Dinosaur could come lumbering through the bushes at any moment. I think the position of the tree on Specimen Avenue is ideal for this reverie.

 

I’m also really looking forward to the first true signs of the Cocoa Pop Bark but I think I have still go about 5 years to wait even for the tree outside the Orangery at Kew to show this unique feature. The first tree to produce cones in the UK will be a superstar amongst the Wollemi Pines already planted but again I think we probably have 5 -6 years to wait for this as well. I will make a pact with myself now to visit the first tree in the UK to reach sexual maturity. It might not be the oldest tree or the largest trees. In the words of Tony Kirkham Head of Arboretum at Kew “these trees stick there fingers up at conventional horticultural rules” so it could be one of the 18 month old trees that we send out in September that could surprise us all and reach puberty early.

 

If you have any comments on the trees you would like to share with us please feel free. Tell us where you have seen the trees whether it be in the UK or abroad. Also if you have relatives in Australia let us know what they think of this new Australian icon will it give The Eucalyptus, Kangaroos, BBQs and Mel Gibson a run for their money?

 

To purchase your very own Wollemi Pine visit www.wollemipine.co.uk