Preparations Begin For The Tercentenary Ball

Lakeside Marquee

This week the team's main focus will be preparing the gardens for the forthcoming Tercentenary Ball to be held in the college grounds this Friday. The first of the contractors arrived Monday morning and put up the relaxation 'Lakeside Marquee' at the far end of the Nuffield Lawn.

Orchard Marquee

The 'Orchard Marquee', which will be for the formal dining, was slowly erected on the orchard, the floor boards and frame first.

Ministry Of Sound Tent

The 'Definition Group' inflated the huge arena for the 'Ministry Of Sound' and will fill it full of equipment for a spectacular light and sound show.

Lighting On The Banks

Quad Lighting

Cabling and lights started to appear all over the grounds and the 'Cocktail Marquee' was another addition to the Nuffield Lawn.

Cocktail Marquee

A Grey Heron In A Boat

It has been a particularly warm day today and one bird, a Grey heron, took the opportunity to cool down in an unusual fashion. Standing in the little wooden boat 'Perdita', (latin for "lost one"), rather than on the edge of the lake, it unfurled its wings and stood cooling itself down, its feet in the cool water in the bottom of the boat and its wings feeling the gentle breeze, a unusual sight for those walking past at the time.

Planting Combinations: Cyphomandra and Lavatera

Cyphomandra corymbiflora (Hardy Tree Tomato)

There is a planting combination found on the terrace of the quad that is looking exceptionally good at the moment. The combination is that of the Hardy Tree Tomato, Cyphomandra corymbiflora, and the Tree Mallow, Lavatera maritima.

Lavatera maritima (Tree Mallow)

The pink and purple flowers of the Cyphomandra hang in clusters and are a perfect match to the pink and lilac flowers, with purple veins and eye of the Lavatera, a great planting combination.

Cyphomandra corymbiflora and Lavatera maritima

Swans Abandon Their Nest

16th June, Swan last seen on her nest

The swans started rebuilding last year's nest during the third week in March and a week later the first egg had been laid, see blog entries 21st March 2014  and 27th March 2014 respectively. Six weeks earlier than the previous year, it was hoped that cygnets would be seen on the lake sometime in early to mid of May, but the time came and went and still she sat on the nest incubating her seven eggs. She sat for ten weeks, one week longer than last year, before abandoning them. However, the pair have stayed on the lake rather than flying away, as was the case last year, see blog entry 12th July 2013 'Swan Nest And Eggs Abandoned'. The centre of the nest now holds just three eggs, one can be seen teetering on the edge and another in the water, two have disappeared. A sad sight, hopefully next year will be the year that cygnets are finally seen on the lake.

18th June 2013, Nest abandoned

Fertilising The Quad Lawn

With the Tercentenary Ball less than two weeks away, Joss has fed the quad lawn with another dose of  'Marathon Sport Spring', a slow release fertiliser that will keep the turf supplied with nutrients for the next few months. With no rain forecast for the next 48 hours, Joss switches the watering system on during the day, as well as at night, to wash the newly applied fertiliser into the turf.

Bladder Nut (Staphylea colchica)

Bladder Nut, Staphylea colchica

Planted  a few months ago in the border at the bottom of the quad, the Bladder Nut, Staphylea colchica, has started to produce unusual bladder shaped, greenish-white capsules. This upright, deciduous shrub produces panicles of fragrant white flowers followed by these 'Bladder Nut' capsules, another great addition to the college gardens.

Bladder shaped capsules

UPDATE: 5th December 2018

The shrub is now 12-15 foot tall and producing numerous capsules that turn brown in the winter, contain small bladder nuts that rattle within the dried capsule as the wind blows.

Brown capsules

Capsules containing nuts

Edible Bladder Nuts

Weeding and Planting In The Tomato House

Before

The tomato house had remained untouched since the tomato, pepper and cucumber plants were removed at the end of last summer. This year's plants have been ready to be planted for a few weeks now, waiting for the two beds to be prepared for planting. Kieron and Danny spent the day removing all the weeds and self sown tomato plant seedlings, digging leaf mould into the beds and planting this year's plants. The varieties for 2014 are: Tomato 'Gardener's Delight' and 'Brutus', Pepper 'Heatwave' and 'Padron', Cucumber 'Bella'.  

After