Planting on almost solid rock!

[Spruce Pirate]

I suppose somebody has to like it!

 

It's made me a fair bit of dosh over the years, but I still hate it.

[Lyncombe-climber]

It's a pain in the ass !!! Luckily we've got none. YIPEE. But tricky site this one. Ecologically and landscape.

[Spruce Pirate]

Hazel? I remember collecting nuts for seed years ago from what was basically a scree slope. It wasn't solid rock, but there wasn't much soil around, more or less loose rock.

 

I've seen Scots pine and aspen growing out of rock faces before now.

 

Any indicators to tell you what woodland type it should be if its ecologically important?

[Lyncombe-climber]

We already have a 10 acre hazel coppice on 7yr rotation. Then one half of the woodland in Douglas fir. The other half ash and oak.

[RopeKnight]

Plant what is indeginous and growing on the same rock type.

Evergreen or deciduous?

I think you will have best luck plugging pockets with soil and planting bare root stock and lots of em.

Here in Southern Ontario on limestone outcrops I see eastern White Cedar with Arctostaphylos uva-ursi., juniperus virginiana, Prickly Ash, Aromatic sumac as best choice.

Your planting will start off as a Bonsai of sorts and the limiting factor will always be water but over many years with accumulation of organic matter will support larger and more enduring species.

Best of Luck.

[renewablejohn]

Anything of the juniper family seems to grow in the smallest of cracks

[Flint]

I'd think your best chance would be to go with a pioneer species, something that is already abundant in the area? Birch or rowan for higher ground, Alder for wet sites, aspen might also be a possibility.

[penfold]

might sound a bit odd but what about beech? Seen some big ones down in hampshire on the hangers.

[Lyncombe-climber]

might sound a bit odd but what about beech? Seen some big ones down in hampshire on the hangers.

 

Worth a few nicely spaced between the birch I suppose. Could look quite nice actually.

[detritus21]

I.ve done a removal recently which was an oak in the same site were sycamore and birch