I was devastated when the gardener accidentally cut down our damson tree. It was planted in January last year on the grave of our much-loved cat of the same name, and we had a small crop of fruit this year. Is there any chance of saving it?
It will resprout – damsons are tough things – but whether you’ll get a nicely shaped plant is another matter altogether.
Was it cut straight to the ground? If so, you may get a coppice effect, with several new shoots emerging from the cut base; and if there’s some sort of stem left, the tree will resprout from that. If it doesn’t regrow into a pleasing shape, dig it up and replant with a new damson tree this autumn or winter, but do so during a mild spell.
If you go carefully, you should be able to avoid disturbing the cat’s grave. Just cut off any big roots, rather than trying to pull up the tree, because that will cause less disturbance. You can then leave the roots in the ground to decompose. And make sure you point out the new tree to your gardener.
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