Dedicated to growing and preserving native trees

In Annadrummond, outside Castleblayney, John McKeon bends to inspect a young tree in his home nursery. It is a simple act, but one that has come to define his retirement.

The former agricultural adviser, farmer, gardener and lifelong nature enthusiast has spent years collecting seeds from roadside hedgerows, propagating native trees and quietly encouraging others to do the same.

What began as a personal fascination has grown into Seeds of Inspiration, a book and documentary project that has struck a chord with audiences far beyond his own garden gate.

The project’s May launch in Iontas Theatre drew a packed crowd, something that genuinely surprised its creator.

“We were amazed at the turnout,” says John. “The theatre was full. People obviously were quite interested and came along. We’ve had great feedback since and it’s all encouraging.

“I suppose we’ve been a bit slow to realise how serious things are and that we all need to play our part. Absolutely everybody needs to do something to help out Mother Earth because she’s in a sort of a bad way at the moment,” he lamented.

A seed planted long ago

The first seed of the project was planted decades before a single page was published. John traces it back to a visit to Barley Hill on the Cavan-Meath border, where he encountered commercial whitethorn growers for the first time.

“I was amazed when I went up there to see gardens and fields of whitethorn plants growing. I’d never seen the like of it before,” he recalls.

“I happened to meet Peter Hickey, one of the growers. Peter was very helpful and shared information with me. I said ‘I’d have a go at growing whitethorns some day’.”

That day took another decade to arrive. Nonetheless, John’s childhood on a self-sufficient farm with livestock, poultry and vegetables had already instilled in him a love of growing things.

“I was a gardener by nature,” he says. “We had our own garden. The gardening stayed with me. Moving from growing vegetables and flowers to growing trees was really a fairly small step.”

What started with whitethorn soon expanded into hazel, holly, rowan, oak and dozens of other native species.

“The more experience I got, the more confident I became,” he says. “Year by year I tracked down species I’d never even heard of before: Alder buckthorn, bird cherry, spindle, guelder rose. I found it very rewarding and stimulating.

“It’s great to be out in the garden,” John added.

Lessons learned

For much of his professional life, John’s work centred on increasing agricultural productivity. Looking back now, he acknowledges how dramatically attitudes have changed.

“I suppose I’ve done a 360-degree turn,” he conceded. “A lot of the advice forty or fifty years ago was to remove hedgerows, plant monoculture ryegrass, fill up drains and ditches. This got rid of all those old habitats. You have the problem of unintended consequences.”

Today, his message is very different: “We’ve learned the lesson really. If everybody plays their part, I think we can make big improvements and give nature a chance.”

Why local matters

One of John’s strongest beliefs is that native trees should come from locally collected seed. The phrase often used is “native provenance”, a term that might sound technical but reflects a remarkably simple truth.

“The trees and shrubs produce flowers, fruits and nuts, and the insects and animals around them feed on them,” he explains. “Over millennia, local trees have adapted and the flora is matched to the fauna. The insects and the birds need to be in sync.

“When birds or insects are bringing out their young, whatever they’re feeding on from the trees has to be produced at the same time. Otherwise, they’re not going to survive.”

That’s why it’s important to collect seeds locally, he explained. The green-fingered gentleman also said that trees are used to the climate, so the closer a seed is planted to where it is collected from, the better.

Asked what his favourite tree was, he hesitated. To him, choosing one feels a little like choosing a favourite season. “You need all the seasons,” he says. “People love good weather, but you won’t survive very long without rain. It’s the same with trees. You need them all for biodiversity.”

Eventually he relents: “If I had to choose, I’d say the crabapple. It gives a tremendous display of blossom and colour in the spring and then the fruits are there for the birds. The badgers will eat them when they fall. And I still make crabapple jelly, so I’m getting something out of them too … but I love them all.”

Nature’s helping hand

John was asked whether nature can restore itself if left alone. His answer is immediate. “Oh, absolutely. Give it a chance and it will do its thing.”

Nonetheless, he believes that after decades of habitat loss, nature needs some support. He points to squirrels and birds as natural tree planters, carrying and dispersing seeds far and wide.

“They eat millions of seeds every year and spread them all over the place,” he says. “But unless a seed falls on a favourable site, it’s not necessarily going to make it. If we collect seeds, prepare them and give them a favourable seed bed, then we can grow any number of them and pass them on to other people.”

How we can help

John’s advice is surprisingly uncomplicated. He wants people to get outside. Whether they own a farm or a back garden, whether they live in the countryside or in town, he believes everyone can make space for nature.

“Give a little portion of your ground, whether it be big or small, to nature,” he advised.

“Plant a few trees. If you have a small site, there are plenty of smaller shrubs and trees that will suit.

“Better still, get out with your family. Go walking along a country road or a hedgerow. Be careful and get permission from the landowner, of course. Pick up a few acorns or hazelnuts or crab apples and bring them home. The tree has done all the work for you. The seeds are lying there on the ground and there’s no cost at all. Really, that’s the key to the whole thing,” Mr McKeon said, in summing up.

A line worth remembering

As our conversation ends, John recalls hearing a radio programme just days before the launch of Seeds of Inspiration. The programme wandered through history, from holidays to industry to rural life, before arriving unexpectedly at nature. A contributor compared the landscape around her to a Monet painting. Then came a quotation from the poet William Wordsworth, which stopped him in his tracks: ‘Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.’ He pauses: “Honest to God, I thought it was lovely.”

Looking around the nursery he has built, at the thousands of native trees that began life as forgotten seeds gathered from roadsides and hedgerows, it is hard to disagree.

John McKeon knows he is not going to save the planet single-handedly but perhaps that is the point. One seed, one tree, one family, one hedgerow at a time. Sometimes the most important movements begin quietly, with someone bending down to pick up an acorn.

‘Seeds of Inspiration’ is a collaboration between the Monaghan Branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust and the Monaghan Biodiversity Office honouring John’s living legacy that has endured for quarter of a century. Supported by Monaghan County Council, the project received funding from the National Parks and Wildlife Service under the Local Biodiversity Action Fund.

The Seeds of Inspiration documentary is available to watch through the Irish Wildlife Trust website. Running for just over an hour, it offers an inspiring insight into John McKeon’s lifelong dedication to growing and preserving native Irish trees.