Scions and transplants - Free in the UK

Winter time is time for tidying and taking cuttings. If anyone in the UK would like me to post some scion or cutting material to you let me know what you would like and I'll post them off to you.....just 'pass it forwards' as you get the opportunity.

I've been doing some overdue pruning and tidying, including this poor apple tree that was damaged in a summer storm this year;



So I have a lot of Worcester Pearmain scion material! Also Tom Putt and up to 6 other selected varieties of apple.

I also pruned my Invicta gooseberry bushes hard so have plenty of cuttings from that.



Ben Sarek is my favourite blackcurrant. They aren't the bird's first choice, so I get to harvest most of these. I also have Bellorussian black, and at least 2 other varieties.

Cuttings are also available of a nice large flowered elder, originally from Solihull, but growing well here. Although not setting fruit here, it did further South.

I've cut back hard my willow windbreak, so have lots of the sort of whippy willow people use for willow domes (although my cuttings will be much shorter so I can post them!). I also have some purple willow and a vigorous unknown hybrid with large leaves that is ideal for coppicing for fuel.

I can dig up some blackthorn suckers, apple mint, skirret, 1 year old Angelica plants (they should flower this summer), my good summer fruting raspberries, Turkish rocket, marsh woundwort. I also have lots of babbington leek bulbils.

If I've mentioned anything elsewhere you'd like, just let me know and I'll see what I can do!

If I was still living in the UK would have taken you up on your generous offer!

Been picking blackcurrants for cordial making and the berries on your Ben Sarek look huge. They would be much easier to pick than the no ID varieties growing in our community garden.

Megan Palmer wrote:Been picking blackcurrants for cordial making and the berries on your Ben Sarek look huge.

They can be quite big - The first to ripen are almost like cherries, although normally a bit smaller. Nice blackcurranty flavour, not as sweet as some, but when they are ripe I can eat them neat as I pick them  

Cherries, plums and willow scionwood - hopefully on their way in the post tomorrow

Cuttings arrived safe and sound, thank you Nancy! ☺️

Our ground is still rock solid under ice but I look forward to planting the willow in it's new home and eventually trying my first grafts when the weather warms. 😁

Thanks for letting me know K. - that's great!
If they don't take we can try again next year, but willow is generally pretty easy from cuttings.

It's taken me a while to get around to posting but the weather (and ground) warmed up enough for us to plant the willow cuttings, in front of our chickens as you can see!

Keeping an eye on the tree to try and judge the right time to graft, don't think it will be long now! ☺️

Some of my cherry plum are already flowering! - no wonder it doesn't set much fruit - there aren't many insects at this time of year. I was hoping to graft some plum/damson to that, but it does seem a bit early.

Hi Nancy, I've only just spotted this, but if you still have any gooseberries or blackcurrants we'd be interested - they've been on our list, and we haven't got round to sourcing any yet. Thanks, Rachel

Rachel - send me your snail mail adress in a 'purple moosage' (hit the envelope on my profile page) and I'll send you some down. It may be a little late for them  to root. I've probably got some extra blackcurrants already rooted from last year, but can send you a variety of cuttings others and gooseberries to try anyway. I've been sticking them in up here, and still have a bit more pruning to do. The forecast is pretty good on Monday so I can see what I have then.

We watched a few videos and read a bit before diving in to our first grafting attempt!

Topworked all 5 types of scion (thanks for your generosity Nancy!) onto our pollarded ornamental Prunus tree. It was definitely a novice attempt (as you can see from the bits of bark we sliced off 🫣) working with baby strapped on and chickens underfoot!

Chickens got to enjoy picking over the bits we removed in the process ☺️

Will post again when we see how they are getting on 😁

Exciting! Fingers crossed that they work - nothing lost if they don't. Well done. Even if only one takes, you should have a new useful tree!

Thanks Nancy for all the cuttings from your gooseberries and blackcurrants. They’re in the ground and hopefully take. It’s helped me solve the “what do we do with the small front patch” problem (at least as a starting point). The rest have gone into temporary homes where they’ll hopefully be happy till the autumn and I can find permanent locations for them

Yay! Thanks for letting me know. It's nice to see them in their new home - looks a pretty sunny patch (considering the time of year) so you probably have lots of possibilities there - little food forest in the making....maybe some mulch and a strawberry groundcover?
The currants should transplant OK once they have rooted next year. I gather blackcurrants actually do better if transplanted and planted slightly deeper in their new position. I hope they take well fo you

The willow has woken! Apologies for the rubbish photo, my camera was insistent on focusing on the mulch 🫣 but hopefully you can see green bits!

Thank you so much Nancy ☺️