This year the horse chestnut trees are looking autumnal early. In a drive across the country yesterday I saw tree after tree with brown edged shrivelled leaves. These are not leaves at the end of a summer, but leaves damaged by the long dry spell earlier this year. Conditions were not ideal for them. For other trees the conditions have been better, our neighbour’s fig is fecund, and our own quince is laden with large fruits.
Some trees may have a bad year, others a good one, conditions matter.
Sometimes what happens is beyond your control, the horse chestnuts may not be at their best this year, but they will be ready for better conditions next.
In business too, the market conditions can make business difficult for some companies whilst others thrive. I had the pleasure of joining my good friend Kelly Molson at her business’s 15th Birthday party yesterday. They’ve seen the ups and downs of life and business over that time, but they have taken opportunities, Even when things were not ideal they planned for the time when conditions would be better, and were ready. Trees, and great businesses have strategies that aren’t taken off their long-term course by a change of conditions, in business, it’s how you build sustainable profits.
Hi William Happy 15th Birthday to Kelly’s business, saw their celebratory photo on your Facebook page.
Regarding the HorseChestnut trees, they may have canker, a lot of tress down South have been affected. Last year, Tooting Common lost ‘Chestnut Avenue’, causing upset and petitions from local residents and friends of the common. However, the freshly planted saplings have lightened the path, and transformed the avenue, still sad to not enjoy the kids collecting conkers this year.
Despite the possible diseased leaves you may still find conkers for a few more years, fingers crossed it was drought not disease.
Jane Tyson
Thanks Jane,
I don’t think this is canker, because it’s so consistent on horse chestnuts from Wales to Essex in open sites like road verges and field edges, but the few that I’ve found where dampness would have lasted longer show little sign of the problem. Of course, I’m not being scientific, nor exhaustive in that study!