We all need a Mulberry tree

Living in the countryside has really opened my eyes to all the cool things nature has to offer that I totally missed while hustling in the city. Just last month, I couldn't help but notice my neighbour's amazing mulberry tree, its branches heavy with juicy, sweet berries that looked even better than blackberries. I just had to get in on the action, so I turned the stile at the footpath into my own little ladder to reach those delicious fruits. It was a fun little adventure!

Earlier this year, we purchased a Mulberry tree, but it will be about five years before it bears fruit. So, I was thrilled when I spotted my neighbour's Mulberry tree. I could taste the fruit and imagine what it will be like for us in the future.

It all began when we visited Chawton House, the residence of Jane Austen's brother about three years ago. Inside their walled garden there was a small Mulberry tree. It looked stunning so we started flirting with the idea of planting one in our garden. We then visited Mottisfont, where the national rose collection resides and we loved the Mulberry trees outside the walled garden. They were much larger though.

Mulberry tree at Chawton House

Our primary concern was the size, given that our garden is not very large, approximately a third of an acre. Nonetheless, about a year later, one of our neighbours planted several young trees on their property, including a Mulberry tree. Its slow growth gave us hope that, although it is a large tree, it would take time to reach its full size. The Mulberry tree remained just a concept for us.

A few months ago, my partner attended a gardening course at RHS Wisley and sent me a photo of himself attempting to fit a Mulberry tree into his small car. There's no turning back now; we own a Mulberry tree, and I'm gradually embracing the idea. However, it has stayed in a large pot since May as we try to determine the best location for it.

Mulberry tree as big as my car

Discovering the Mulberry tree at my neighbours house transported me back to my childhood, where I would wait outside my brother's school, admiring the tree and gathering as many berries as I could. This made me realise that nature links us to the past, present, and future, though we don't always notice.

For five years, I failed to notice the Mulberry tree, even though it was right at the beginning of the footpath I use nearly every day to walk the dog. How did I overlook the deep purple fruit carpeting the grass and the berries sticking to the soles of my trainers?

The Mulberry tree in my neighbour's house

We are too busy in our daily lives with our thoughts, endless to-do lists and constant scrolls on our phones. Our auto-pilot helps us preserve energy and ensures we do not have to overthink everything we do, it would be exhausting otherwise! We therefore need to make an effort to notice, that is to build the "noticing muscle".

Since moving to the countryside I think my "noticing muscle" is better trained. The changing seasons are more noticeable. In the countryside, the arrival and departure of birds, the blooming of different plants throughout the year, and the position of the sun are all more apparent.

The mulberry now only has a small number of fruit left. The berries that fell on the ground are starting to decompose and recycle into the soil. In a number of weeks it will be the turn of the blackberries. I am already looking at the brambles as I walk in anticipation of what is yet to come. It will be followed by rose hips and the hawthorn berries. It is a cycle, with some Pagans calling it, The Wheel of the Year.

What I enjoy about being in the countryside, surrounded by nature, is that there's always something to anticipate, even during the darker months. Spring brings optimism, summer offers abundance, autumn invites contemplation, and winter brings coziness.

Our mulberry is still in a pot because we haven't found the perfect spot for it in the garden yet, but I'm already excited about the possibilities it holds.