Compact Lavender Balls

Newly planted banks, 21st March 2018

In March the two new beds that had been created in the banks of the quad were planted up with  rosemary and lavender, see blog entry for the 21st March 'Lavender And Rosemary Replace The Grass' and the latter has been producing a floriferous display throughout the summer. 

View across the quad to the lavender and rosemary

Lavender on the slope of the banks

A floriferous display from the lavender 24th July 2018

The abundance of flowers with their fragrant perfume attracted many different insects who spent the hot summer months foraging for the nectar.

Flowers for the pollinating insects

Red Admiral Butterfly

View across the quad lawn to the lavender

View from on high

Starting to trim the lavender

The lavender has had a long flowering period and, although there were still some flowers still attracting a smaller number of insects, the majority of the flowers have faded. The stems that were still in flower were cut off and placed in a vase filled with water and left on the steps just in case a hungry insect returned to feed. The trimming of the lavender started yesterday afternoon and was finally completed by the end of today with each lavender having been trimmed into a compact ball shape using a cordless, battery hedge trimmer.  

The right side border

The left side border with the water filled vase filled with lavender stems

Trimming completed

Both lavender borders, trimming complete

Looking across the quad lawn to the lavender

View through a cloisters arch

Foxgloves For Cut Flowers

Cut flower bed ready for planting

The four beds in the nursery area have been prepared for planting and one of them is to be used for the plants that will provide cut flowers next spring-summer. The plants to be used were grown from seed sown at the end of July, see blog entry 31st July 'Sowing Seeds For Winter-Spring 2018/19', and pricked out at the beginning of September, they are Dianthus barbatus 'Dash Crimson' (Sweet William); Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Creme'; Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian White'; 'Digitalis purpurea 'Alba' (Foxglove); Erysimum cheiri 'Giant Pink' and Erysimum cheiri 'Blood Red Covent Garden' (Wallflower). In previous years the cut flower bed has contained four rows of sweet william and rows of tulips and daffodils but, following a recent visit to the gardens of Eythrope in Buckinghamshire, the planting has been changed. Inspired by their beds, and the use of foxgloves as a cut flower, the decision was made to use some of the seed grown plants in the college's cut flower bed. Three rows of foxgloves have been planted for their tall spikes, creme with burgundy spots, white with plum freckling and pure white respectively. 

Planted

Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree)

Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree)

A large, bushy evergreen shrub, Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree), is putting on quite a colourful show in the Fellow's garden at the moment. Upon closer inspection the evergreen stems are covered in colourful fruit and creamy white flowers. A mix of red, orange and yellow strawberry-like fruit hang together in clusters all over the shrub, they are edible but are said to leave a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste, ('unedo'  means 'I eat one') and this blogging gardener is not going to test this out, but there is a gardener with a culinary background in the team that will. The fruit have formed from the previous year's flowers so next autumn this shrub should be covered in colourful fruit again. 

Colourful fruit

Flowers and Fruit

Colourful fruit

Splitting Logs Without The Swinging Of An Axe

Placing the log on the base beneath the splitting wedge

Lifting the lever to lower the wedge and split the log

The splitting of logs has always been done by the team using an axe and a chainsaw, see blog entry for the 24th February 2015 'Four Days Of Splitting Logs'. Today, however, a new piece of kit has been used for the first time, an Oxdale tractor mounted hydraulic log splitter

Lowering the lever to lift the splitting wedge

Attached to the back of the tractor and run off the tractor's hydraulics, the logs are placed on the base beneath the splitting wedge and, using both hands, the lever is lifted to lower the wedge through the log and then lowered to lift the wedge from the log. Splitting logs without the swinging of an axe just the lifting and lowering of a lever, the result after just a few hours, a trailer load of split wood ready to be stored and used for fire wood,  

Splitting another log

A trailer of split logs

Recycling The Plastic Plant Labels

3 year's of used plastic plant labels

Dirty and written on

With environmental issues being a hot topic at the moment, climate change, the effect of toxic pesticides on the bee population and the over use of single-use plastic, the gardening team are changing the way they work, updating practices used in the past.
Earlier this month the team stopped using a pesticide containing a neonicotinoid that has been linked to the reduction in the bee population, changing over to a biological control to combat vine weevil, see blog entry 4th October, 'A Drench Of 50 Million Nematodes'. 
Today, with plastic pollution and single-use plastic in mind, the plastic plant labels were cleaned rather than thrown away. For many years the plastic plant pots used for growing seeds and propagating cuttings have been washed before their reuse so this method is now being used for the labels too. Before washing, the date and plant name written on the label in pencil was removed using an eraser, then the label was washed in a bucket of hot, soapy water before placing it in to a pot to drain off, hundreds of plastic labels ready to be reused.

Clean and ready for reuse

Tricyrtis formosana (Toad Lily)

Toad Lily, Tricyrtis formosana

With the colours in the gardens turning autumnal, predominately red, yellow, orange and brown, a delicate little flower is bucking the trend. In the slightly shady, far end of the herbaceous border, at the tips of stems 80-90cm in height, are the purple freckled flowers of the Toad Lily, Tricyrtis formosana. These fascinating flowers are a true delight on a cold autumn day.   

Purple freckled flower of the Toad Lily

The Return Of The Evergreens

22nd May 2018

The summer display in the Besse Courtyard was planted up five months ago, for the list of plants used see blog entry for the 21st June 'Changing The Border And Container Displays For Summer 2018'. The plants have grown well, filling out the containers and putting on a colourful display throughout the summer but now it is time to change the planting for the winter-spring display meaning it's the return of the evergreens.

5th July 2018 (Front View)

5th July 2018 (Side View)

5th July 2018 (Back View)

17th August 2018 (View From Above)

31st August 2018 (3 months later)

Through the archway

Towering above the rest

Saccharum officinarum var. purpureum (Black Sugar Cane)

Plectranthus coleoides variegata,
Petunia ‘Purple Velvet’ F1 Hybrid.

Pelargonium Ivy Leaf 'Supreme Burgandy',
Pelargonium surcouf,

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Pied Piper Red’

Lobelia ‘Rainbow Cascade Mixed’

Albizia julibrissin ‘Chocolate Summer’, Anisodontea capensis ‘El Rayo’

Removing the summer display

Yesterday the team worked their way through each container digging out the plants and splitting them in to two groups, those to be kept and those not, their final destination, the greenhouse and compost heap respectively.  

Back into the greenhouse

Whilst the containers were being prepared for replanting with the removal of the old roots and the addition of fresh compost, the plants that had been taken over to the greenhouse were being repotted.  

Empty containers

Heeling in bed

With the containers ready for planting the evergreen shrubs returned from the heeling in bed today. These shrubs have been in this bed since they were removed from the pots in May following their use in last year's winter-spring display.

Transporting the evergreens

After a number of trips to and from the heeling in bed, wheeling the evergreens over to the containers in a wheelbarrow, the planting began.
The plants used to create the new display are: 
3 x Ilex aquifolium 'Argentea Marginata' (1/2 Standard, Silver Margined Holly), 2 x Ilex aquifolium ( 1/4 Standard Common Holly),  4 x Laurus nobilis (Bay), 3 x Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Webb', Wallflower 'Sunset Primrose' and tulips, Tulipa 'Green Triumphator', Tulipa 'Mount Tacoma' and Tulipa 'White Triumphator'.

Through the archway

Evergreens

Containers planted for the winter-spring display