Lavender

Ali spent the day attempting to rejuvenate an old, out of shape, Lavender hedge, at the same time trying to reclaim two foot of path that has been hidden by the aforementioned hedge.

Lavender is best pruned in late summer after flowering but does not break, regrow, readily from old wood so is often best replaced once out of shape and extremely woody. However, this hedge has been given a second chance, so armed with secateurs and hand shears, Ali attempts a pruning miracle, only time will tell if she successful.

Reduce The Height

Over the last few years various methods have been tried to make the cutting of the giant hedge easier. These methods have been ladders, scaffold towers and scissor lifts, all of which have helped us come to the same conclusion, that the hedge is too high.

To rectify this height problem, Phil from Sylva Trees has been called in to cut a meter off the height and bring it down to a safe, manageable height.

Joe, Simon and Graham assisted Phil during the day as the large cuttings were thrown down to the ground. He will return with his wood chipper tomorrow and reduce the large pile of clipping and take it away with him.

Coir Rolls

A week the bank restoration team did not want, heavy rain and and lots of it.
The clay has been moved to behind the right bank and now the next step is the addition of the coir rolls. The rolls, having been placed on top of the faggots, are made of processed coconut husk fibres that have been hydraulically pressed into coir net bags and tied. The coir is, not only, a completely biodegradable product but also qualifies as a recycled material. The rolls being used have come planted with fully established marginal plants and are an excellent means of establishing marginal vegetation around lake edges.

What Do Gardeners Do In The Rain?

What do gardeners do in the rain? A question often asked, so here is what we got up to this morning. Joe, Kieron, Ali and Graham continued to paint the greenhouse staging with preservative and, once finshed, prepared the cold frame lids for painting on the next rainy day.

In the afternoon, the rain subsided and the team ventured out for more mowing and edging, the grass now growing at a rapid rate.

Ali, having gone out with the team to edge, went quickly back inside as the winter bedding plug plants arrived, Primula acaulis 'Primlet Sunrise'. Needing to be potted up, within the last hour of the day, quick fingers were needed for all 230 plugs to be placed into their new home over the next month.

Rain Stops Play

After two days of all things grass, every blade has been cut and edged within the college, Simon, Joe, Ali and Kieron move into the Provost's rose garden, it is time to cut the yew columns and the large hedge at the back. Ali and Kieron, once they have set up the string levels and lines to follow, cut the columns whilst Simon and Joe, using a tall ladder, cut back the large hedge.

The threat of rain has been hanging over the teams activities all morning and, as forecast, it arrives at midday, getting them wet as they rush to pack up.

The rain continues after lunch so all the team move indoors. Josh and Graham clean and tidy the tool sheds, Ali digs out the old cucumber and squash plants, tidying up the rest of the tomatoes and peppers.

Joe and Kieron move into the large greenhouse and start to paint the staging with preservative, ready for the plants that will soon return to the warm indoors in October.

Faggots

Since the weir was added to the lake some five to six years ago, the motion of the flowing water has been slowly eroding the banks causing them to wear down. The banks are now in need of restoration and a specialist team have been employed to do the job, which started on Monday.

The water level has been reduced and stakes driven into the bottom of the lake. A Terram liner membrane has be woven in amongst the stakes to which faggots have been placed inside, not the edible faggots but bundles of hazel, also known as faggots. Faggoting is an ancient technique and involves the use of bundles of hazel or willow bound together, commonly used in tidal estuaries where the usually heavy silt load ensures rapid deposition. The faggots, arranged to produce a mattress, will slow the flow of the water and trap silt and sediment building up the bank naturally, rather than the use of large engineered structures.

Forty tonnes of clay soil have been delivered and will be transported from the Wolfsen gate area to the weir, gradually added to behind the new bank. The project continues over the next few weeks, continued dry weather needed.

Uncovered

Ady and Kieron, with help from Simon in the morning, spent the day uncovering the machine and tool storage sheds that were starting to disappear under years of ivy growth. They managed to clear two of the three sheds, cutting off all the ivy from the roof and sides as well as behind each shed. Once cleared, they power washed off the moss and dirt ready for a new coat of preservative, the third and final shed will be uncovered tomorrow.