Adding Fruit To The Hedgerow

The hedgerow that runs along the canal side edge of the college grounds had some new plants added to it today. Found in what was once the student allotment garden, now a building site, six blackcurrant bushes were rescued and transferred to the hedge to add fruit for the wildlife to feed on. Usually the birds are unwanted guests feeding on soft fruit bushes but they will welcome to eat them all.

Reinforced with Hawthorn, Privet, Spindle and Common Hazel in December 2011, see blog entry 'Hedge Reinforcement', this is the first time fruit has been added. The two variates of Blackcurrant planted are 'Ben Sarek' and 'Ben Lomond', both high yielding with large berries.

3 Planters, 69 Lavender Plants and A Tonne Of Gravel

The project to bring the large planters on The Sainsbury Building balconies back in to use began last August and was finally completed today. A further 69 Lavender plants had been purchased, Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead', flowering in the summer it produces spikes of bluish-purple flowers above grey-green, aromatic leaves.

It produces dense spikes of fragrant, bluish-purple summer flowers above slender, aromatic, grey-green leaves - See more at: http://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/lavandula-angustifolia-munstead/classid.2000002724/#sthash.dO72yko7.dpuf

It produces dense spikes of fragrant, bluish-purple summer flowers above slender, aromatic, grey-green leaves - See more at: http://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/lavandula-angustifolia-munstead/classid.2000002724/#sthash.dO72yko7.dpuf

It produces dense spikes of fragrant, bluish-purple summer flowers above slender, aromatic, grey-green leaves - See more at: http://www.rhsplants.co.uk/plants/_/lavandula-angustifolia-munstead/classid.2000002724/#sthash.dO72yko7.dpuf

Twenty three young plants were placed out on the planters, crosses cut through the membrane, the edges folded back, soil carefully removed and placed temporarily in a pot, the plant placed in the hole, the soil in the pot used to backfill around the plant and the membrane edges folded back around its neck. Before the top dressing of gravel was added the surface was swept clean of soil debris created from the digging. Trugs, with ropes attached, were filled with gravel and lifted from ground level to the planters, their contents poured around the plants covering the membrane. Lastly the plants were given a good watering in.

This process was repeated on the other two planters and the project in now finished.

Cyclamen coum

The Broadwalk

To add more colour to the gardens for remaining week of the winter over 80 Cyclamen coum have been planted, particularly in the border on The Broadwalk and beneath the old ash tree beside the lake. Pink and Magenta flowers are now mixing with the snowdrops complementing their white flowers. Ideal for naturalising, these coum will, one day, create a carpet of soft pastel colour as they spread, brightening up the dreariest of future winter days.

The Old Ash Tree Beside The Lake

Reattaching Taps, Soaker Hose and Weed Suppressing Membrane

Three of the large planters on the Sainsbury Building balconies were refilled with soil on Monday. The next step was to reattach the taps to a new, short length of hose which would then be attached to new soaker hose and covered with a weed suppressing membrane.

The existing hose did not come off the tap easily, tucked away in the most awkward of places to reach. Once it had been removed the new piece was too rigid to fit on the tap so a cup of boiling water was called for. Carefully dipping the end of the new hose in to the water it became more flexible and went over the tap end with a little less effort than it took to take it off! (Thank you to the students who very kindly offered cups of tea and coffee everytime a cup of boiling water was requested).  Next, the black porous soaker hose, a tangled mess in a cupboard, it was easier to mark out the required pattern using string and take it to the cupboard rather than take the huge spool of hose up to the planter. The string was used to mark the length of pipe needed.

The cut length of pipe was then taken up to the balcony and pegged down on the soil with small wire pegs individually cut from a larger roll of wire.

Next it was back down to ground level to cut the membrane to the required size, the roll being far too big and cumbersome to take up to the balcony.

Returning to the balcony, the membrane was rolled out over the soaker hose and soil, and anchored down with plastic garden pegs.

Up and down, up and down the ladder all day, two of the three planters were completed, the last one will be finished tomorrow morning.

A New Kerb Stone Edge In The Tomato House

With the paths and steps all cleared of snow and salted around the college, Danny and Kieron moved inside to the tomato house. During the summer the daily watering of the tomato plants causes a flood of soil from the borders on to the path so to stop this a new stone edge had been planned. With the grounds covered in snow, today was the perfect day to do this.

A trench was dug out along the path, broken kerb stones placed in the trench as a bedding and a string line fixed in place as a guide for the level. Concrete kerb stones were carefully placed along the edge of the path in the trench and mortar, 4 parts builders sand to one part cement, used as a haunching to hold them in place. Due to the freezing weather conditions outside the tomato house, a frost proof, quick set additive was also added to the mortar mix. By the end of a cold day a new stone edging was set in place, goodbye to the wet, muddy path of the past.

February Snow

Many warning of snow have been given by the weathermen of recent weeks and finally the snow arrived in Oxfordshire this morning. The team spent the first hour clearing and applying rock salt to the paths and steps making the college grounds safe for staff, students and visitors. 

Here are a few photographs showing the beauty of the gardens in the snow.

The Orchard

Red Nandina domestica berries

Teasels

Frozen lake

Pink Cyclamen flowers

Ducks in the snow

Rope, Two Trugs And Five Tonnes Of Soil

The project to rejuvenate the large planters on the Sainsbury Building balconies continued today. The challenge to fill three neglected planters with soil without going through the building via corridors, kitchens and bedrooms to reach them. The answer, ropes and trugs pulling the soil up from the outside. 

Also adding to the challenge, the various changes in levels from where the soil was located. The soil was transported by wheelbarrows up planks that covered the stairs, shovelled in to the trugs and pulled up to the planters.

Working together the gardeners and groundsman completed this challenge by the end of the day, five tonnes of soil in three planters, ready for the next step to reattach the old watering system and covering the soil with a weed suppressing membrane.