[A Forest Tale] Quercus ilex - Jan

[Jan]

I was going to enter yet another Trident forest but decided to bite the bullet and get on with something using plants that have been waiting in the wings for a purpose for a while now.

I've had these evergreen oaks for a few years and it is time that I did something with them so I will try them as a mixed species forest, not sure what else will go into the mix, depends on the composition and what suits. I have some Puncia Granarum Nana -Pomegranate and some Ginkos - I'll just have to make it up as I go along.

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I have not decided on a pot or layout for these as yet and will await a sunny day to start putting together a "plan" (shuffling pots) with what is available.

[Jan]

I've decided to go for a remnant forest on a rocky outcrop with this one so the next decision was to choose the primary rock so that I could assemble a group of similar composition to complement it in the setting.

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After due consideration (procrastination?) I settled on the heavily eroded Rock 1, and assembled a group to make a start on the composition.

[Jan]

Over the weekend I bared the roots and made positioning decisions with the possibilities they presented. I settled on a blue tray pot - the deeper, brown, rectangular pot I had been considering would make the setting I had in mind look top heavy and the end forest a bit much for me to move around.

I "tried the trees on for size" with the rock and settled on their positions, wove some roots together to accommodate the closer placement of the group of three and started assembly. The group of three and the opposing single were settled into their new home by evening.

Sunday it was raining so I rigged up a "tent" out of plastic so I could continue. The bones of the setting were coming together. I added a cotoneaster to the base of the "cliff" on one side and two pomegranates were tucked in on the opposite side. Two small rosemary's were sourced and added to give a bit more "understory".

20200921 Holm Oak Mixed Forest front (2r).jpg

20200921 Holm Oak Mixed Forest cotoneaster side (2r).jpg

20200921 Holm Oak Mixed Forest pomegranate side (2r).jpg

I was wanting to create a "lookout" at the top of the cliff to compliment the story that I have in mind for this setting and after considering various options, I settled on a simple set of stairs with a bit of a landing at the top. The shale stair treads took a bit of finding (looking for similar thickness and surface areas) but I am happy with the result (they put me in mind of the stairs on the island where Rae found Luke Skywalker, though my "Fairytale" is far removed from "Starwars").

20200921 Holm Oak Mixed Forest back (2r).jpg

Lucky I have a trusty assistant to relocate the Forest so I could take a few images (I am trying to only buy smaller, more manageable pots - this pot has been around for a long time).

I've been watering and misting the leaves to help with the transplant shock and the smaller branches that I removed have been put in as cuttings to eventually add a few "saplings" to give more bulk to the forest. Even though there are five trees and nine plants in the setting I don't want to have an even number of oaks in the composition. The trees will need further wiring and ramification over time but I'm happy with the start I've made.

Jan.

[MJL]

Crumbs - what an effort thus far! Firstly - well played for rigging up a tent to protect yourself from the elements! Second- fantastic creativity and loving what’s going though your head as you put the scene together...
That’s what this fun competition is all about - thanks for your enthusiasm Jan and pushing yourself into new territory - loving where you are taking this.


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[boom64]

Looking fantastic Jan, all the elements have a lovely fluid look. Cheers John.

[Jan]

Hi Jan,
Thank you for your question. You can post a tale anytime you like! You may indeed inspire others - with your take! While I will try to keep track - if you do post a take now or early - please also cut and paste into your final entry too. Just to make it a little easier to attribute to the entry. Cheers, Mark

Thanks Mark, here is my "tale" so far, I may tweek it a bit for the final posting but here goes.

I looked for thin marble to use for the stairs and the floor of a ruined temple that I had in mind for the clifftop but ended up going with something more of a rustic lookout with a Mediterranean planting so decided to try for a Mediterranean "tale".

His sandaled feet felt the cool of the stone steps he had climbed after his early morning sparing session with Patroclus. From the vantage point, flanked by the edge of the oak forest that crowned this high point on the island, he considered his choices as he watched the vessel riding in on the tide. Odysseus, King of Ithaca and envoy of Agamemnon, come to persuade him to join them, as expected.

The decision was already made. He’d still make Odysseus work hard to convince him, after all, he strongly disliked Agamemnon, was contemptuous of Menelaus, whose wife had run off with the Prince, Paris, and was indifferent to their goal of retrieving Helen and expanding Agamemnon’s conquests. He had already called his Myrmidons to make ready to sail for Troy.

Thetis, his mother, had spoken against it, argued that if he stayed his destiny was to marry happily, have a family and live a long life, but if he chose to go, prophesy foretold that he would die young achieving everlasting glory, and his name would live forever.

Achilles.

[Jan]

Curses and knashing of teeth! One tree of my grove of three major trees in this setting has decided to die. The others are thriving and have put on new growth.

I'm still debating what to do with the dead tree,

strip it back, (removing bark, dead leaves and small branches) and leave it as a natural feature,

use it as a "dead tree" and grow a small vine up it (would have to source a small, mederterainian species vine),

replace it with a group of smaller trees/saplings (from the same species cuttings that I have striking),

replace it with another mederterainian species tree (I have a semi cascade cotoneaster of suitable size to replace it).

The cuttings have not "batted an eyelid" since being put in to strike so I'll be able to add a "grove" of smaller trees/saplings to give more of a "Forest" look to the setting, Possibly with most of the saplings on the side of the steps with the single tree?

Decisions, decisions.

[Jan]

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This is the plant I'm thinking of replacing the dead Holm Oak with. It has an interesting root growing from the trunk of the plant that may be able to have a suitable rock inserted (yeay, I get to use some of my rock hoard ) into the gap betwen root & trunk to give it a more rugged appearance and it has another exposed root in the pot which may be able to be used in the composition. Root down the cliff face, or part of it?

Possibilities.....

We're having soft weather at the moment so I might swap the dead Holm Oak and the Prostrate Cottoneaster soon to take advantage of goods growing conditions to get it established while the weather is kind. Must check the Holm Oak cuttings for roots to see if they will be included in the repot/update of the setting this time 'round.

[Jan]

While it's cool I decided to change out the dead Holm Oak and replace it with the Prostrate Cotoneaster.

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I made the mistake of doing a bit of pruning to suit the frist planting angle (but this will not be a major problem - with a bit of TLC this plans should settle in and power on in spring giving new branching options). I was still not happy with it - I'd gone with the obvious choice of letting it cascade down the cliff face but this "cluttered" the front of the forest and detracteded from the setting for the planned "tale" which used the stairs and clifftop as a lookout/viewing platform.

I deliberated until the following day then made the planting angle change and am now much happier. This plant would not have made a great "stand alone" cascade but is a beilevable addition to this windswept clifftop. The trunk is of a similar size to it's neighbouts and, with the addition of a bit of wire on that straightish section to turn in back in towards the outer edge of the cliff and the side of the planting should be a good "fit". I had bought the plant for the cascade pot to use with a differnet plant. The cotoneaster had continued to develop in a training pot but really never had enough "presence" to be a stand-alone cascade.

I was pleased with the position of the cononeaster root on the cliff face (the lower root on the cliff). The trists and turns it had developed above groiund in the training pot worked well with the texture of the "cliff" rock. Having already been exposed it matched in well with the exposed Holm Oak root above it.

The Holm Oak cuttings have developed reasonable roots and, in spring, will be added to the rear of the "group of three" and the rear/side of the single Holm Oak planting to (hopfully) look like saplings continuing the "forest".

[Jan]

Thinking "out of the box" for Mothers Day, my daughter sent me some "Fairy Garden" furniture. While I'm not a fan of ornaments and don't usually have them in my pots, this bench seat is a good "fit" for the platform at the top of the stairs in this forest.

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[MJL]

Thank for the update Jan, no drama with ornaments my end - if they add to the scene, why not.


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[Jan]

Still looking for a suitable aged plant to replace the one that died but in the meantime the soft season this summer have allowed these maiden hair ferns to show up in the moss.

20220205_140926 Fern in the moss.jpg

[MJL]

Beautiful Jan!

As an aside, I was just asked a question from someone who has a composition that will change across seasons and whether they could submit their final entry in four parts to capture the essence of their planting and associated ‘tale’ through the year. No dramas my end… so that person is going to submit their entry with a four-part Haiku ! Cool.

Again, whatever works until the comp’s end in 2023.


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[shibui]

Still looking for a suitable aged plant to replace the one that died but in the meantime the soft season this summer have allowed these maiden hair ferns to show up in the moss.

Pretty confident that's not maidenhair fern or any fern. Could be Dichondra repens or there's another creeping plant that has a rounded, kidney shaped leaf but I cannot remember the name.

[KIRKY]

I think Neil’s on the money looks like Kidney weed.
Really like your planing Jan. what time of year do you take your Quercus cutting? Fresh hard wood cuttings?
Cheers
Kirky