Replacing And Painting Glass

Following a collision between a pigeon and three panes of glass, the glass came off worse by the way, Simon and Callum spent a rare, dry afternoon repairing the old glasshouse. As well as the three broken panes on one end, two additional panes on the roof, that has been cracked for sometime, were also replaced.

Once the new glass was in place, Callum painted all the panes with 'Coolglass', a greenhouse shading, to protect plants from the spring/summer sunshine should it ever sop raining.

Goosander's Arrival 2014

Goosander (female)

Goosander have been seen on the lake, and their arrival dates recorded, since the blog began in 2009. This year they have been arriving constantly since the team returned to work on the 2nd January, but on two days, 30th January and today, their numbers have been more noticeable.

• 30th January 8 birds, 4 female and 4 male
• 7th February 10 birds, 2 female and 8 male

Always 'just passing through', it is a sight that the team, especially Ali, looks forward to seeing.
Previous year's visiting dates are:

2013 - 28th January, 11th February
2012 - 17th February
2011 - 19th January
2010 - 18th February
2009 - 16th February

This winter has seen the college lake visited by more Goosander than ever before, hope to see more of you next year.

Rising Water Levels

While not on the scale seen around other parts of the country, the water levels have been steadily rising in and around the college. Situated next to the Oxford Canal, and with the volume of water that has fallen out of the sky over the last six weeks, the ditch is full and over flowing, the canal side path flooded and Nuffield lawn is saturated. It is hoped that the water levels will fall before the next lot of water filled clouds drop their heavy load on to the college grounds, not too mention, on to the gardeners, who are getting thoroughly fed up with this continued wet weather.

Oxford Canal

Ditch

Canal Side Path

Nuffield Lawn

Lonicera fragrantissima

The winter themed border by the Lindbury Building is not the only area of the college gardens that has a sweet fragrance being produced by a winter flowering shrub. On the top terrace of the front quad, the shrub that is creating a wonderfully sweet aroma is Lonicera fragrantissima, Winter Flowering Honeysuckle. Home of a resident Robin, who is always singing a song as you walk by, this large deciduous honeysuckle is covered in pairs of very fragrant, two lipped cream flowers, even bees have been seen visiting these flowers this month, feeding on the flowers nectar and enjoying their scent.  

Lonicera fragrantissima

Sweet Smell Of Winter Flowering Shrubs

A number of visitors and staff have enquired as to which plants were creating the lovely sweet scent they could smell as they walked past the winter border on their way to the Lindbury Building. The border was created in February 2010 and planted up a few months later, see blog entry 5th May 'Three Borders In One Day', the photographs show how well the planting has grown and it is these mature plants that are now filling the air with such a beautiful fragrance.

Sarcococca confusa

The two shrubs that are behind the wonderful scent are Sarcococca and Daphne. Sarcococca confusa, Sweet Box, is an evergreen shrub which has clusters of tiny, fragrant creamy white flowers and Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' is also evergreen with intensely fragrant, pale pink flowers. In the recent winter winds, and gales, this corner of the college has been filled with their sweet perfume.  

Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill'

A Lesson In Apple Pruning

The team have been receiving training and guidance from Chris Lanczak, Orchard Manager of Waterperrry Gardens, since February 2009. Over the last six years, since the blog entry "The Great Apple Prune Begins" 28th February, the large, old trees have been reduced in size and the younger trees formative pruned to create their adult shape resulting in a very productive orchard.

Welcome To Year Six

The first post was on the 2nd February 2009 and today marks the start of the blog's 6th year. There have been 96,000 page views of the 910 posts recording the 5 years of Worcester College's garden history. The first post recorded the weather, snow, and this one, the first of year 6, records the weather as gale force winds, rain and more rain! In fact, as of the 30th January, the Met Office statistics show that Southeast and Central Southern England has had more than twice the average rainfall in January 2014 making it the wettest January since records began in 1910.
UK extreme weather occurrances seemed to have increased over the last 5 years, recorded on the blog:

• Winter months 2009-10 recorded the coldest temperatures in the last 31 years
• November 2010, the coldest November in 17 years
• December 2010, the coldest December in the last 120 years
• February 2012 (first two weeks) the coldest for 26 years
• March 2012, the third warmest since 1910
• April 2012, the wettest since 1910
• March/April/May 2013 (Spring 2013), coldest spring for 50 years

The wet weather is set to continue, hopefully this will be the only extreme weather recorded during the blog's 6th year.