Rivertrees Nursery

18/04/2026

Lots of aspen catkins in evidence today on a mooch around some local woodlands. These were on a branch that had partially broken off the main trunk and were close to the ground. Fairly sure these are male and are going over having already released their pollen. Couldn’t see any female catkins close by but we did see plenty in another wood although much higher up. Hoping to find some producing seed in the next couple of weeks.

10/03/2026

Rosa canina germinating well. Potted some straight into small cells and sowed the rest in seed trays as I was short on time. This was from seed collected in 2023. There was some germination last spring but a lot more this spring. The seed has been stratifying in a cool outbuilding to break dormancy. Plenty here for hedging plants come the autumn.

03/03/2026

Lots of catkins evident on several aspen in a stand I was looking at today near Nethybridge in the Cairngorms National Park. These are male catkins which emerge earlier than the female catkins. Fingers crossed there will be similar numbers of female catkins which could result in a good seed year. The last one was 2019.

27/07/2025

Great to be involved with this project growing devils-bit scabious to help the rare small scabious mining bee in the Cairngorms.

16/07/2025

Across much of Europe, aspen is a common sight. In Scotland? It’s a ghost of the past. Once forming brilliant yellow groves each autumn, it now clings on in scattered fragments, rarely setting seed and heavily browsed by grazing animals. And yet, aspen is a biodiversity powerhouse. It supports a remarkable range of rare fungi, lichens, mosses and moths, and its foliage feeds over 60 species of insect. Foresters love it too – it’s a fast-growing source of superior firewood and versatile timber. So why have we let it slip away? 🎬 Rediscover Scotland's lost tree – and find out how its fortunes can be reversed – in this new short film, Painting Scotland Yellow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnl23UPlTG4

Scotland’s native aspen has disappeared from many of our landscapes. Readily browsed by grazing animals and rarely setting seed in Scotland, the bright yello...

29/04/2025

Alder seedlings germinating well from seed collected by Findhorn Watershed Initiative volunteers last November. Should be ready for pricking out into root trainers in a couple of weeks. These will be destined for the Findhorn Watershed in the autumn.

17/04/2025

This year we’re growing some devil’s-bit scabious flowers for a project being undertaken by the Cairngorms National Park Authority. This is the first of the germinated seedlings pricked out into root trainers. They’ll be ready for planting out later this year.

14/04/2025

When it comes to capercaillie - please Lek it Be

Breeding, or ‘lekking’ season has begun for Capercaillie, and during this time the species is particularly vulnerable to disturbance.

Launched in 2023, the Cairngorms National Park’s Lek It Be campaign encourages birdwatchers, photographers and wildlife guides to adhere to the law and not to look for capercaillie at this critical time.

Capercaillie are a protected species and the Cairngorms rangers and volunteers will be out on patrol from dawn in April and May, providing helpful guidance and offering alternative routes for anyone looking to see other forest species at first light.

Play your part this spring:

🥾 Don't visit lek sites during April and May when capercaillie are mating

⛔ Avoid capercaillie sensitive areas from 1 April to 31 August

👀 If you see a capercaillie, stay still, quiet and let them move off naturally - don’t follow them

📵 To protect sensitive sites, don't share capercaillie images or location details online

Visit https://lekitbe.scot/ for more information.

05/04/2025

Scots pine cones opening quickly in the warm sunshine this week. Thousands of seeds collected with more to come. The seeds can be sown straight away and once germinated these will be grown on for 2 years. This batch is destined for planting projects along the River Findhorn as part of the Findhorn Watershed Initiative.

08/03/2025

First of this years blackthorn seedlings starting to poke through. Sown last weekend after checking the first seeds starting to chit up.