Author Archives: Anni Kelsey

About Anni Kelsey

I love forest gardens and forest gardening, nature, reading and everything good about being alive. I have written two books - the garden of equal delights (2020) - about the principles and practice of forest gardening; and Edible Perennial Gardening (2014) - about growing perennial vegetables in polycultures, which is basically forest gardening concentrating on the lower layers.

Sane Ukraine – Trauma Education and Resilience Project

Dear friends, I just came upon this uplifting video about Mark Walsh and the work he and his team are currently doing in Poland and Ukraine in response to the invasion. This is the text from the youtube video: If … Continue reading

Posted in Forest Gardening | Tagged | 1 Comment

allowing nature to unfold

“Where once there was a global, strong, resilient, functionally interconnected nest of ecosystems, today in so many places life is clinging on and hanging together by a thread. In many places those fine threads have already broken and much life … Continue reading

Posted in biodiversity, ecosystem, Forest Gardening, Polyculture learning, Relationship with nature | 6 Comments

food for thought ….

After deciding on the main plants that you simply must have in the forest garden it can then be a struggle to decide which of the other possible plants to prioritise and to include and which to exclude (at least … Continue reading

Posted in Eating from the forest garden, Forest Gardening | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

autumn delights

Whether it is flowers, foliage, fruit or seeds – every part of every plant’s life is precious with a unique place in the never ending cycle of life. As forest gardeners we are here to watch as this marvel unfolds, … Continue reading

Posted in ecosystem, Forest Gardening, Fruit, Principles of forest gardening, Seeds and seed saving, the garden of equal delights | Tagged , | 4 Comments

applying the principles of forest gardening to a natural woodland

Four years ago next month my partner and I were fortunate enough to be able to buy a small (3 acre) woodland in Shropshire.  It is a beautiful mixed wood which at that time comprised mainly mature oak and birch, … Continue reading

Posted in Forest Gardening, Principles of forest gardening, Relationship with nature, Waiting, Watching | Tagged , | 1 Comment

all life is interdependent

All life is connected and therefore utterly interdependent; and everything we do (or do not do) has an impact on the wider world. “A less wild world is a less stable world.” David Attenborough speaking on BBC TV Earthshot programme … Continue reading

Posted in Forest Gardening, rewilding | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Pear Rust

For years the trees, shrubs and other plants in my forest garden have been incredibly healthy with no sign of disease on them. However this year pear rust (gymnosporangium sabinae) arrived and I only really became aware of it as … Continue reading

Posted in Forest Gardening, Polyculture learning, Principles of forest gardening | Tagged | 3 Comments

Japanese wineberry

Beautiful, tiny and shiny, both sweet and sharp at the same time, and borne in hundreds on mature bushes, these wonderful wineberries are one of my absolute favourites. There are more than I can pick and we can eat, and … Continue reading

Posted in Fruit | Tagged | 1 Comment

jamathon

I will certainly never be running a marathon (or any other race for that matter), but over recent weeks I have been on my own jam making marathon – my ‘jamathon’. The redcurrants, whitecurrants, gooseberries, blackcurrants and jostaberries have all been … Continue reading

Posted in Forest Gardening, Jams and jellies | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A food forest in your garden by Alan Carter

Here’s something for your book wish list all you forest gardeners and aspiring forest gardeners – Alan Carter, who has been blogging for years about his forest garden in Aberdeen (Scotland) has written a book which is due for release … Continue reading

Posted in Forest Gardening | Tagged | 2 Comments