Nursery nurtures strong future for local nature

A tree with a history of an old pub tipple of yesteryear and a plant so rare in Wales are elements of Denbighshire’s own nature finding new life thanks to a blossoming site.

Since 2021, roots have been put in the ground for the Council’s local provenance tree nursery at Green Gates Farm, St Asaph.

Dedicated members of the Council’s Biodiversity team alongside committed volunteers have helped produce a number of highlights at the nursery which is producing thousands of tree and wildflowers from locally sourced seeds to go back out to protect and boost county nature.

Here’s some of the successful projects the hands-on team at the site have grown to fruition.

In 2022 Hound’s tongue, a nationally declining species was found on the Prestatyn Beach Road West meadow. It was previously only recorded in Denbighshire 18 times within the last 116 years.

Seeds were taken from the site to the nursery and thanks to the effort of the onsite team, new plants germinated to go out to other coastal meadow sites to expand its range in Denbighshire.

During 2023 work was carried out to protect and support the future of a wise old tree in Denbighshire.

Over 15,000 acorns were gathered by the team and volunteers and planted at the tree nursery.

Oaks have an important impact on biodiversity by giving support to more life forms than any other native trees. Hundreds of insects can be hosted by the tree providing birds a rich source of food. Across autumn, squirrels, badgers and deer will also feed on acorns.

In 2024 the tree nursery turned its attention to a rare shrub in Denbighshire.

Juniper is rare in Denbighshire, known only at a location on Prestatyn hillside. The shrub is also a priority species for protection in the UK after a dramatic decline due to over grazing and loss of suitable grazing areas.

Efforts were made to protect a solitary juniper in Denbighshire in 2008 when the Council worked with Chester Zoo to put in young plants at Prestatyn hillside to encourage the existing juniper to grow.

Members of the Biodiversity Team  visited the site and harvested seeds to be taken back to the tree nursery for growing the shrub as Juniper provides valuable habitat and food for a diverse range of species, including insects, birds, and mammals.

During this year the tree nursery also raised a toast to support a rare historic tree in Denbighshire

The team at the tree nursery provided a boost for the Wild Service Tree. Over 300 out of 500 seeds collected by the team the previous year germinated at the nursery.

The wild service tree is rare across the county and historically known as the chequers tree due to the fruits that are said to taste similar to dates and given to children in the past as sweets.

Fruit from the tree was also traditionally made into a fermented beer like alcoholic drink and it is believed that this beverage influenced the naming of many ‘Chequers’ pubs and inns across the UK.

Projects this year at the nursery included producing over 1,000 elder trees from an actual elder growing on the site through cuttings. Historically, Elder which provided a source for coloured dyes, was also made to make the patterned Harris Tweed.

And a new generation of an under-threat tree is getting ready to help support a rare butterfly.

The nursery nurtured a large crop of wych elms to help the species which is under threat from Dutch elms disease. Many of the mature trees cut down due to its impact, reducing the growth and spread of younger trees.

Over 1,800 wych elm trees have been grown from seeds collected at Loggerheads Country Park last year to help the tree resurge in Denbighshire. They will be eventually planted out at the Green Gates Nature Reserve development next to the tree nursery.

Wych elms are an important larval food-plant of the rare White-Letter Hairstreak Butterfly, which was recorded at Loggerheads some years back but has since remained scarce across Denbighshire.

A tree written into Shakespeare’s musing on love is also enjoying a new chapter in Denbighshire.

Nearly 2,500 crab apple trees are telling a new story in 2025 thanks to the support of the tree nursery.

Crab apples have long had a link with love and marriage throughout history. The apple pips were thrown into fires while saying the name of your true love, if they exploded that love was true. Celts burned the tree wood during festivals and fertility rites.

And William Shakespeare continued the crab apple’s theme of love by mentioning the tree in both A Midsummers Night Dream and Love Labours Lost.

Growing up to 10metres and lasting around 100 years the crab apple leaves provide a source of food for moths including pal tussock, gen pug and the eyed hawk moth.

The tree is a massive source of food love for nature, birds love the fruits and mice, voles and badgers are also known to enjoy feasting on the apples.