Alys Fowler: Growing trees from seed

It's very slow, but worth a go. Plus how to keep poinsettias alive
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From little acorns: Growing from seed may sound bonkers, but it makes perfect sense. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

We are out of kilter at the moment, our health and wealth off balance, and that is worrying. I called my mother last night to talk about these things. A minute or so and some minutiae of life later, she said, "I've taken to walking around finding old rabbit holes and mole hills, dropping in a walnut and we'll see who grows." So this is what old ladies do for their grandchildren. It may be bonkers, but it makes perfect sense to me.

Growing trees from seed is a very slow way to see something grow tall, which is why we've taken to planting actual, semi-mature trees. These make an impact, but have a harder time adapting to their new home and the risks are greater. Forget to water and your very expensive tree dies.

Seeds, however, have all the time necessary to adapt and grow. You don't even have to water them. They will quickly find their own way; if they don't, it doesn't cost anything to sow another batch. Plus, there is great joy in seeing a bowl of acorns turn into a forest of small seedlings.

Acorns turn into oaks, and finding space for one of those in the city can be hard, but crab apples, hazelnuts, rowans, white beans and service trees (Sorbus species) are all easy from seed and suitable for small gardens or allotments (and they'll give you something to eat, too).

Many tree seeds take two years or more to germinate because they are dormant. There are methods for breaking dormancy – boiling water to break the seed coat, keeping seeds in the fridge, then airing cupboard to speed up natural cycles – but the easiest way is to be patient and allow nature to do the job.

If you take my mother's route and walk around with pockets full of seeds to plant, the easiest are those that need to be sown fresh – hazelnuts, acorns and walnuts. These won't germinate once the seed inside the shell dries out, so if you want to continue your forest in spring, store the nuts in damp sand in plastic bags in the fridge. Sorbus have a germination inhibitor that sets in once the seed is ripe, so collect seed when the fruit is still hard and sow immediately.

To watch your seedlings grow, sow at home in deep containers in seed compost. It is possible to sow into seedbeds, but this takes up a lot of space and you'll have to keep the weeds at bay while you wait.

Containers and sterile compost save work. Top dress with grit, remember to water and you'll need to transplant a couple of times before planting out. To learn more about sowing trees, try the RHS's Propagating Plants, by Alan Toogood.

Alys on... keeping poinsettias alive

Poinsettias make me think instantly of Marks & Spencer and grannies. Which is a little odd, because they originate from Mexico. Euphorbia pulcherrima (meaning beautiful) is a native to Mexico and central America, where in the 17th century Franciscan friars used it to decorate churches: the blood-red bracts (not actually flowers, but modified leaves) represented Christ's blood and their pointed leaves the star of Bethlehem. That we all put them in our houses at Christmas is thanks to Joseph Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, who introduced them to America in 1828.

To keep them happy, you need to think Mexico: they want to be warm – no cooler than 13C or they'll sulk. They need lots of light, too, so no shady corners or the leaves will yellow and drop. Water thoroughly, so that the water drains through the pot. Allow the compost to dry out and then water again. As for getting them to flower again next Christmas, well, let's just say that involves photoperiodism, black bin bags, a clock, a long dry period, some pruning and a lot of luck. Not impossible, but it's probably easier to make compost out of them.

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