NURSERY
Trees and shrubs are the foundation of our agricultural system; we have a large varied nursery and specialise in mature potted plants.
TREE AND SHRUB NURSERY
In years gone by, Derry Duff (meaning black oak in Irish) would have been covered with trees and we are working to recreate this historical landscape, planting hundreds of trees and hedgerows each year. This is offsetting carbon, increasing biodiversity, preventing erosion, slowing water run-off and creating wind breaks for the blueberries. Instead of hiring a marquee for our wedding, we built a large Kader greenhouse and since then have used it to propagate a wide variety of plants, vegetables, trees and shrubs. We have beehives which help with pollination and produce honey.
FRUITING TREES AND Bushes
When we first planted our blueberry fields, to reduce the time and resources needed, we spaced the blueberries at 50cm. Now that the bushes are large and mature, they are becoming overcrowded. This means that each year, we thin out the plants and so have mature organic bushes for sale. These plants are approaching their full productivity and within a couple of years in the right site, could be producing up to five kilos of fruit per year. We also have organic aronia plants for sale both in 4 litre or 10 litre pots and as bare rooted plants. Over the years, we have grafted hundreds of apple trees and are gradually increasing the size of our orchards. We grow a range of traditional Irish and modern varieties, including both eating and cooking apples.
AIR ROOT PRUNING POTS
We have had great success in using air root pruning pots. They have allowed us to raise from seed and plant out as semi-mature trees, species such as holly, that are normally difficult to transplant. The novel egg carton like construction deflects the growing root tips into the air through holes in the pot wall. This prevents the roots from spiralling and becoming ‘pot bound’ and increases the density of the root ball. In response to this air pruning, the plant sends out more lateral roots forming a healthier, highly branched root system, so that plants can be kept in pots longer and plant out with greater success.
DIVERSE RANGE OF SPECIES
Our stock includes native and non-native trees such as mountain ash, holly, alder, oaks, Scotts pine, sycamore and exotics such as gingko biloba, fig, giant redwoods and monterey pine. We have shrubs such as; eleagnus, forsythia, American elder, sweet bay and fuschia. Building on the advantages of the air root pruning pots, we specialise in larger, more mature trees and shrubs, ideal for quickly establishing wooded landscapes or mature gardens.
BUYING MATURE PLANTS & TREES
Many of our plants are to be planted out around the farm and our nursery is still vey much a work in progress but we do have a large number of medium to large shrubs and trees for sale. If you are keen to give your garden or landscape a head start and purchase well established trees or shrubs, grown in air root pruning pots, please contact us to see if we might have what you need.
Cuibín, Derry Duff, Bantry, Co. Cork, P75 PD60, Ireland | +353 87 8540586