Gravelling A Dingy Corner

The team have spent the day trying to brighten up one of the dingiest corners of the college, an area at the back of the Linbury Building.  

The tall weeds had been removed a few weeks ago leaving a layer of dirty gravel which needed replacing. The easiest option would have been to cover the area with new, clean gravel, but the levels would have been too high so the top few inches had to be removed. 

Once the level had been reduced the new gravel was barrowed round from the front of the building, then shovelled into trugs, carried to the dingy corner, poured onto the cleared surface and raked level.

Once the corner had been finished, a new step was built to improve access for the future maintenance of the area. Part two of the project will begin later in the week once a delivery of weed suppressing membrane has been received from the suppliers, the plan is to cover the adjacent area in the membrane and cover it with gravel creating a low maintenance garden.

Looking Ahead To Christmas

The use of peppers to decorate the Christmas tree last year caused so many positive comments that this year's decorations have been sown today. The Cayenne Pepper 'Heatwave' has been chosen again, see blog entry 29th November 2013 'Hot & Spicy, With A Slice Of Orange', along with a new pepper to the gardeners, Chilli Pepper 'Padron'.

First Cut Of The Banks

The warm, wet weather over this winter has caused the grass to continue to grow resulting in the need for them to be mowed for the first time this year. This time last year the banks were covered in snow, see blog entry 22nd January 'Footprints And Snow Angels In The Snow' and would remain that way for the next week. 

Apple And Pear Tree Pruning Begins

The pruning of the climbing plants is almost at an end so as Ali and Callum finish the final few, Kieron starts to prune the apple and pear trees in the lower section of the orchard. This will be a common sight over the coming weeks, gardeners on ladders in amongst the fruit trees,

Mulching The Rose Garden

Ady, Graham, Callum and Ali spent the day working in the Provost's rose garden mulching the rose beds. A month ago, 16th and 17th December, the roses were pruned and 200 additional tulips were planted, but due to the Christmas break and wet weather, the mulching has had to wait.

Due to the slippery conditions around the leaf mould pit, today's mulching had to be done by hand. The trailers are usually loaded using a tractor with front loader attachment, but the tyres were unable to get a safe grip on the ground around the pit so had to be loaded by the good, old fashioned method of forks, spades and manpower. Ady and Graham loaded the trailers up with leaf mould and Callum unloaded it into wheelbarrows for Ali to tip and spread on to the rose beds. A great achievement to complete all the rose beds in one day.

Please Do Not Unwrap The Banana Plants

On one of the rare frosty mornings of this mild winter, the team returned to work after the weekend to find one of the bananas had been unwrapped exposing it to the freezing temperatures. This is the first winter these plants have been left outside, protected from the cold by horticultural fleece, so must remain wrapped at all times. "PLEASE DO NOT UNWRAP THE BANANA PLANTS"

The First Seeds Sown For 2014

Getting off to an early start, the first of this year's seeds were sown today, a pink and white flowered pelargonium, Pelargonium x hortorum 'Maverick Star'. These 18 seeds are the first of many that will be sown over the coming months.