Colette O'Neill

Coppicing Trees and Making Space at Bealtaine Cottage

It’s amazing how quickly trees grow.

A mere eight years and here I am today thinning and coppicing, pruning and pollarding to make enough space for the fastest growers.

The permaculture plan of planting trees is ongoing.

Many were planted over the course of the winter months.

Most were grown from seed here at Bealtaine Cottage, or sourced locally.

All these thinnings will be sorted to use in the wood-burning stove, either as kindling or small logs.

The rest of the material will be added to the compost heap, ensuring that every bit from the land is a harvest!

All this work today has left a lovely spot in which to sit, protected from the weather and listen to the life that is all around.

Already the sunlight is casting dappled shade onto the earth that was last walked upon almost eight years ago, when I planted this area out.

For eight years ago this was a barren, windswept piece of land in front of a rather sad and decrepit cottage…

And now there exudes a snug, cosy and very happy aura around Bealtaine Cottage.

Embraced by Nature and loved by all who make the journey.

9 comments

  2. it’s a lovely and inspiring story that i am so happy you share 🙂

    i’m having a very pleasant evening catching on your posts after being offline for a few days. it’s good to see that bealtaine cottage is still thriving.
    i hope the butterflies are back with you now, i’ve seen a few fluttering around catkin cottage and have felt much relief.

    warmest blessings xx

    dorothy

    Reply

    • There is the odd one or two, but not in the numbers of previous years. I am hoping for a sort of, “Indian Summer,” effect which may bring them out…fingers crossed!
      Colx

      Reply

  3. Do you happen to have a photo of what your cottage looked like before you started all of your labors? That would be a very fascinating “before and after” shot! It is also clearly amazing how much your trees have grown in just 7 and 8 years! It so makes me want to make a garden similar to this myself!

    Reply

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