RURAL RIDDLES
about 10 holes in a two-by-six- metre patch. Jen and Stuart Long
A
From your collage of photos, I would suggest
that they are the work (and homes) of either bank or field voles. Typically ping-pong ball size in diameter, at least some of the holes will have nibbled grass shoots and droppings outside (which do look like small rat droppings in shape). The bank vole (Myodes
Tales of tails VOLE IN A HOLE
and the farmer’s grass field where he grazes sheep, we’ve recently seen these
FRUITFUL FANCIES Q
On a boundary bank between our garden
land near La Garnache in the Vendée. Is it possible to grow olives in this region or is it too far north. Also if it is possible to grow them, what variety would you suggest? Mike Stewart
Q A
Regarding fruit trees and the like, there’s a rough
guide that says grapes will grow almost anywhere in France, olives and figs from central France downwards, and oranges and lemons only in the south. If you accept the guide, your sister ought to get away with trying an olive tree or two. The problem is often not with the tree itself surviving a severe winter, but with the frost damaging fruit as it forms in the spring. Atlantic weather might also have a detrimental effect. Although it’s worth experimenting, be aware that some olive trees can
My sister has an old farmhouse with some
holes. They are too big for burrowing bees and we’re hoping they are not rats! Are you able to reassure us? For further info, there are
glareolis – or ‘Campagnol roussâtre’ in French) has a longer tail – around 50% of its body length – than the field vole (Microtus agrestis – ‘Campagnol des champs’) which has a tail of roughly 30% of its body length. Both are much smaller
in size than the water vole (Arvicola amphibious – ‘Campagnol d’eau’ or ‘Rat d’eau’ – aka ‘Ratty’ in the classic children’s book, The Wind in the Willows!) whose tail is around 60% the length of its head and body.
No kisses for mistletoe
blossom), back in the winter when such things were easy to see, I noticed mistletoe growing on one of my apple trees in Normandy. Obviously clumps of mistletoe surround us here, particularly on the poplar trees in the countryside but will its arrival in my orchard do any harm? Penny Goddard
Q A
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant, quite often spread
as a result of its berries being eaten by wild birds who then either deposit droppings containing seed onto other trees or transfer them while scraping the sticky substance found in mistletoe from their beaks on a twig or branch. If the seeds end up in a crack of a branch or between shingles of rough bark, there’s a good chance that they will germinate and grow. It is likely to do best on
Hope for olives?
be expensive. As to varieties, I think you will be restricted by what’s on offer – Olea europea is the obvious choice; it grows to
a height of six to eight metres, will tolerate temperatures of –5°, likes dry conditions and as much light as possible.
trees in more open areas such as an orchard or hedgerows rather than in heavily wooded areas – your apple trees (and the poplars you mention) are ideal hosts! As to whether its arrival will harm the trees, I’m informed that, although it creates some of its own food through photosynthesis, it will also take nutrients and water from its host and possibly affect its wellbeing as a result. While it doesn’t usually kill the tree, depending on its size and species, it might, therefore, weaken it with its presence.
GET IN TOUCH! If you have any ‘rural riddles’ for Jeremy, contact him by email at
jcjeremyhobson@gmail.com Jeremy Hobson is a France-based writer who specialises in all country matters
j-c-jeremy-hobson.co.uk
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: July/August 2023 105
Now in leaf (and, at the time of writing,
TAKING ROOT
© JEN LONG
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