Any ideas for a remembrance tree for pony?

[Fruitcake]

I’d like to plant a tree to remember our little pony, who we lost last year, maybe scattering his ashes at the roots. It needs to be something horse friendly so it’s safe for the others. (I can put up a bit of electric fencing to keep them from eating it while it’s getting established, if necessary though).

I thought maybe a chestnut tree of some description as he was a little chestnut, but am open to ideas.

Is now the right time of year to buy in dry root state? (Is that even the term? I’m really no gardener!)

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Not much help but one of my friends got me a little willow tree in a pot as a remembrance tree for my beloved pony. It's in a little pot so provided I can keep it alive if I move house it can come with me which is great as I'd hate to leave the tree behind

 

[Meredith]

I bought a shrub with white star shaped flowers for a friend. Her horse was chestnut with a white star.
You could perhaps find a tree with a name related to your pony.
I was given a bay tree to remember my bay gelding.

 

[Nicnac]

Rosemary is for remembrance. When I lost my Friesian I planted a Cherry Tree where I buried her in one of my fields. Big black horse and a cherry tree. I put wire similar to the deer proof fencing around saplings for the first few years to protect it.

Plant something you associate with him so a chestnut is a lovely idea. Horse chestnut can be planted now but needs sandy soil to thrive. If you are on heavy clay they won't grow unfortunately unless you put drainage in.....

 

[YorksG]

We have a Rowan for our old Gypsy Cob and a Copper Beech for the Chesnut Appy
We also ave a rose called Buxom Beauty for the Draught mare. I think it is a good time for ree planting, I couldn't buy any more willows until November.

 

[suffolkmare]

Please look at native trees, especially for a field. Maybe field maple, crabapple, elder, or a plum/damson?

 

[blitznbobs]

My chestnut horse was buried under a horse chestnut tree ... seemed appropriate . It was a sapling when planted 21 years ago and it’s now getting to be a great big tree and has amazing conkers - it still makes me think of that special little horse every time I see it out of my kitchen window

 

[Seville]

I'll second cherry tree.

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

A friend of mine planted an apple tree to remember her old boy.

 

[southerncomfort]

We planted a field maple for our old pony. I quite liked the idea of our horses sheltering under her tree.

 

[tda]

I'd go for an apple tree x

 

[HashRouge]

Field maple is lovely

 

[Carrottom]

A friend bought me a yellow rose after my palomino died. It is in the garden rather than the field but we still call it the Sonny rose and it reminds of of him when it flowers. If the weather is bad I cut the flowers for the house and they have a beautiful scent too.

 

[turnbuckle]

If your land is damp a weeping willow will grow and the leaves have analgesic properties (same as aspirin) so will help his successors as they nibble it.

 

[paddy555]

all trees are lovely. I would be careful though that it is not too horse friendly!! Horses have a habit of barking and killing trees for a pastime especially young trees. I think you will have to fence them off it for years to come.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I think you need to sit and think about this a bit.

I'm (sort of) having the same dilemma as I lost my two oldies in the autumn (they were PTS together) and I'd like do something to commemorate them both.

When I lost my last horse, we planted a pear tree on top of his ashes, which is out in our garden here at home.

As I keep the horses at home, and have no intention of moving for the rest of my days, I'm quite happy to plant a tree at home knowing that I won't have to leave it; however if you think you might move at some future point then it may be worth, as someone else has suggested, planting something in a little pot that you can take with you.

Something that happened yesterday might give you an idea: a lovely friend dropped by a bag of daffodil bulbs, she said it might be something to plant to "remember the two oldies". I think that is a lovely idea! Daffodils, or flowers, can be planted either in the soil or in a tub........ we didn't have any ashes returned from the PTS but I'm thinking of going over to the local garden centre tomorrow and get a couple of tubs, and in each tub plant the bulbs in the shape of the first letter of each horse's first name. Then when they come up, it'll be a permanent memory.

Just an idea.

 

[Fruitcake]

What lovely ideas! Thanks.

I have no intention of moving so, hopefully, something permanent would be OK. He was probably his happiest here anyway so I’d like to think of him with his tree growing, gazing over the valley for evermore.

I’ll have to find out what the soil is like. It’s quite clay-like in general but I’m not too sure if this is the case in the particular spot I had in mind.