Turf Stripping

With the grass now dead, see blog entry 'Dead Grass In The Goldfish Bowl' 20th September 2012, Joss and Callum have started to remove it. Using turfing irons, tools designed specifically for the cutting and lifting of turf, and shaped to reduce user fatigue and strain, they gradually work their way across the dead turf.

Back To The Greenhouse

 

Provost's Yard 23rd May 2012



 

Provost's Yard 1st October 2012

Just over four months ago the plants that would create this summers display in the Provost's Yard were brought out from their winter home, the large greenhouse, and placed in the oak pots. The first photograph shows the pots as they were being planted, the second, the display in all its glory.
The dark leaved banana plant was so small it couldn't be seen in the first photograph, but believe me it is there. The Albizia tree also put on a huge amount of growth during the summer to give a wonderful display.
With the summer at an end, and the cold mornings fast approaching, the plants have had to be removed from the oak pots and returned to their winter home, the large greenhouse, where they will wait till May 2013 to create another wonderful display.

Potting Shed Floor

Three tonnes of ballast arrived and this had to be added to cement and water to make the new potting shed floor.

Ali, not captured on camera often, worked with Simon and Kieron to make the new floor. The recipe per load was fourteen to sixteen shovels of ballast, a third of a bag of cement and water, just like making a giant cake mix.

Each mixed load was poured in and dragged by rake across the area to produce a level surface.

Once laid the cement floor was gently tapped to create a smooth finish.

Behind The Tennis Courts

Last year, 31st January to be exact, the border behind the tennis court was cleared after years of neglect, see blog entry 'Brambles'. The brambles and ivy had taken over, shrubs left unpruned, resulting in a very messy area as shown in the photo above. Well, almost two years on and the border had again been taken over by the brambles and ivy, shrubs left unpruned and the area was back to how it had looked before its last clearance.
This time the border was not going to be allowed to return to the wild and for the last week Ady, Graham, Callum and Simon have worked hard to clear it. The tired old shrubs, brambles and ivy were all cut down and roots removed, leaving just a few trees remaining. The soil was raked to remove all the debris, levelled and grass seed sown to create a low maintenance grass area. The only time we will need to return to this area in the future is when the grass needs cutting.

Glasshouse To A Hole In The Ground

With the old lean-to glasshouse emptied yesterday, today it was dismantled. This old glasshouse has not had plants grown in it for years and, apart from being used to store the flower pots, has been slowly falling apart, now becoming dangerous and a risk to those who pass by. 

Ali and Kieron teamed up to dismantle it, removing the glass carefully, then unscrewing the corners, the roof batons, wall and base fixings.

By the end of the day, where a glasshouse once stood, there is now a hole in the ground. Tomorrow the building of the new potting shed starts.

Torrential Rain and High Winds

A miserable day to be a gardener, torrential rain and high winds, keeping us indoors for most of the day, only venturing out during breaks in the weather. These awful weather conditions that have lashed Britain since the weekend were caused by the worst September storm in more than 30 years. The repair of the truck started on the 29th August, see blog entry 'Truck Repair', was completed with the painting of the sides and new base.

The cuttings started on the 11th September, see blog entry 'Cuttings 2012', were also completed. The mist unit is now full up, the Pelargoniums have been moved out to make room and are misted daily by hand.

 

 

 

Another job completed in the wind and the rain was the emptying of the old lean-to glasshouse which is due to be dismantled tomorrow. 

Dead Grass In The Goldfish Bowl

For those of you who work, live or visit the college regularly, you may be wondering what has happened to the grass in the Goldfish Bowl (Casson Building). No need to worry, this grass has been purposely been sprayed with a weed killer in order to kill it so it can be removed, new top soil added and then reseeded. The lawns treatment is part of this autumns turf maintenance programme and was selected by Joss for replacement due to the poor quality of grass.