Narcissi 'Minnow'

Ali spent the early part of the morning in the greenhouse planting bulbs into pots for an early indoor display in the senior common room. Narcissi 'Minnow' produces two to four small, creamy yellow flowers in February/March on stems between 15-20cm. Planting several bulbs in each pot, covering with compost and watering in, Ali places the pots on a warm, sunny position in the greenhouse in order to force the bulbs into flowering early, hopefully when the fellows return after Christmas.

Bursting At The Seams

The leaves just keep falling and the ride on mower is seen regularly, two to three times a week on the Nuffield Lawn.

To give you some idea of the sheer volume of leaves being cleared from the college grounds, the compost bay seen empty in the blog entry 4th October 2012 'Six Old Beds' is just one of three bays around the college now bursting at the seams with leaves.

Leaves Everywhere

The annual battle with the leaves has started for 2012. A slow leaf drop to begin with has now increased with the windy and wet conditions. Leafing will now be a regular activity over the next few months as the team try to keep the paths and lawns clear, even the lake is covered this year, mother nature will have to clear this!

Wallflowers and Sweet William

 

Looking tired, after having provided a lovely display all summer, the border at the bottom of the front quad needs replacing for its winter/spring display.

The summer annuals are removed to the compost heap, the border weeded, forked through and mulched. Whilst the border is clear Ali takes the opportunity to prune the climbing rose on the wall, rather than leaving it till the January/February when the border is full.



 

Ali is then joined by Callum and Graham to plant out the Erysimum (Wallflowers) and Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William).

 

Wrapped Up For The Winter

With the temperatures due to drop over the next few days and winter fast approaching, Ady and Callum wrapped up the hardy banana today.

The Musa basjoo, Hardy Banana, is the only banana left out in the college grounds during the winter whilst all the other have been dug up and repotted in the greenhouse. In 2011 and 2010 the banana was covered on the 18th and 20th October respectively, only a few days later this year, but surprisingly a month earlier than 2009. Wrapped up on the 19th November, the weather must have been a lot warmer for us to have left it so late. On checking weather records we enjoyed an 'indian summer' during the last 10 days of October 2009, with temperatures 5c above average, followed by temperatures 1.5-2.5c above average for November and very few days with an air frost.

It Now Looks Like A Shed.

 

 

Great progress has been made with the construction of the new potting shed. By the end of Wednesday the back, two sides and front were in place but by the end of today, Friday, just look what has been achieved, it now looks like a shed! Kieron, Simon and Ady have worked so hard over the last two days putting the roof on, lining the front, sides and roof as well as nailing on all the feather edge board.

 

 

Holes In The Ground

Making holes in the ground was the order of the day today. Joss, Callum and our volunteer gardener, Crystal, spent the day spiking the banks whilst Graham and Ali spent their time planting 300 bulbs in the college grounds. 100 tulips were planted in the orchard to bulk up the wonderful display of 'National Velvet' and 'China Pink' that appear in May underneath the apple blossom, 60 Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation' were planted in the tree fern glade and 40 in the serpentine border along with 50 Tulipa 'Spring Green' ,and 50 Tulipa 'Ronaldo' and 'Jimmy' were planted in the pump quad pots.