It’s National Tree Week this week, where the Tree Council says that between 21st November and 2nd December you should plant a tree – because trees matter.

OK – so:

1. Do we get a medal for planting 30 trees on day 1 of national tree week?
2. Is the fact that all 30 are indigenous and local a “brownie point”?
3. Is the fact that I have crow’s feet for hands and DMs hands are still in shock something that a nice person from the Tree Council could come round and sort out for us?

Yep – it’s true – we’ve planted 30 trees today – I’d dug 17 holes - yesterday (4 – well, gimme a break, it was pissing down) and the day before (13), DM dug the remaining 13 holes today while I started at the very beginning and planted 30 trees. They were delivered yesterday evening and propped up against our front door when we got home from Truro.

The routine: Dig hole, put in sapling, spread out roots, add stake, add rabbit protection, add four shovel-fulls of Emma and Jim’s horses’ poo (well rotted of course), back fill with soil from hole then top dress with upside-down turf, water then cover with weed control matting.

I could do it in my sleep!

Today I’ve planted:

10 corylus avellana maximus (Kent Cob or Hazel Nut to you)
5 corylus avellana maximus purpurea (Purple leaved Kent Cob)
5 Fagus sylvatica (common beech)
5 Castanea sativa (sweet chestnut)
5 Fraxinus excelsior (common ash)

There are 5 more of each of the last three to plant tomorrow then another 13 plants, yet to be delivered so we get a bit of a rest before tackling the last lot.

This Acer Palmatum leaf isn’t of course indigenous, nor did I plant it today but I just decided that it’s be a good idea to freeze one of its leaves in a bowl of water and photograph it (for some reason best known to me, and I've no clue why it seemed like such a good idea at the time). So, its only relation to the plot of this story is that it’s a tree part and it was in our garden until I so rudely plucked it from the tree and froze it.

I too think trees matter – and after these 60 trees are in, I have a new project, which is to put in a small “orchard” of Cornish fruit trees….and I’m as excited as an excited person to discover that Cornwall County Council also think trees matter because they’ve got a list of Cornish fruit tree suppliers on their website, in fact, they’ve got their own Cornish Orchard campaign – so I now think they are cool too!

Last year's photo was the produce of a special type of tree