The New Border (The Fallen Tree Border)

The planting is complete and we are very pleased with the result. Here are a series of photos for you to enjoy.

The Last Piece

The sound of Simon's chainsaw was heard again this morning carving the last few pieces of wood for the newly designed border we started planting yesterday. After about an hour the last piece was brought over and gently lowered into place.

Tulip Tree's First Flower

About three years ago, in the garden of the newly finished Ruskin Building, three young Liriodendron tulipifera 'Festigiatum' were planted. Commonly known as the Tulip Tree, this variety is a very narrow, upright, columnar form of its big brother found growing on the Nuffield Lawn.
Well the waiting is over, the first and only flower has opened on one of the trees. The flower, orange, green and creamy yellow, resembles a tulip. A beautiful tree, but for now to see a tree covered in flowers, we will have to wonder over to the Nuffield lawn, maybe next year there will be a few more on our young trees.

An Old Cedar Tree

The sound of the chainsaw has been heard echoing amongst the machinery sheds at the back of the Nuffield Lawn for most of the morning, not cutting down trees but creating pieces of sculpture from an old cedar tree that fell about six years ago. Simon is recreating the fallen tree and they way it splinters as it breaks into pieces. The first few large pieces are brought to the corner border using the New Holland tractor and its grab as they are too heavy for man alone.

Once at their position the sculptured wood sections are carefully lowered into holes and secured in place.

The plants are brought over from the greenhouse and placed into position, moved, placed and sometimes moved again until they are in the right place and then planted, (that's the fun part, playing with plants to create a new display). At the end of the day they are all watered in and we will all return tomorrow to continue creating this wonderful new display.

At The Bottom Of The Quad

At the bottom of the quadrangle is a border that is planted up twice a year, June and October. In amongst the shrubs and perennials the plants grown from cuttings and seeds are inter woven to produce summer and winter displays.
This summer the display will be created by cool pastel colours and foliage from the following plants; Cleome spinosa 'Colour Fountain Mixed'; Heliotropium x Hybrid Marine; Salvia 'Penny's Smile'; Diascia personata; Cuphea blepharophylla; Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth' and Plectranthus argentatus 'Silver Shield'. Over the next few months, as the border matures, further plants may be added to fill any gaps.

Chafer Grub

The Cockchafer (May Beetle) and the Garden Chafer Grub are to lawns what the dreaded Vine Weevil is to container gardening, a nightmare.
The grubs are the larvae of beetles and live just below the surface feeding on the grass roots disconnecting the turf from the soil surface. When the population gets high birds come in to feed on the grubs tearing at the loose turf, as can be seen in the photo above.

Joss has applied a granular pesticide 'Merit Turf' to the whole lawn, not just the area of damage, in order to try and eradicate the grubs and break their life cycle. The lawn will then be watered over the next few days to push the pesticide through the thatch and into the root zone where the larvae feed.

First Banana

After three months of unseasonably high temperatures the risk of frost has past, it is time to bring out the first of the tender banana plants. Having spent the last six months in the glasshouse its huge leaves have reached the roof, so it has to be carefully maneuvered out through the door.

Once it has been transported to its summer position a very large whole is dug, the banana is then gently lowered into place and watered in.