John Roper

Because this will be the last Work Party before we hold our 2nd September Welwyn Autumn Festival Open Garden event, we are not this month organising a Work Party in the Nature Reserve. We will instead organise 2 separate Fernery Groups. Fernery Group 1 – Leader Jenny Group One will concentrate on Fernery gardening jobs: […]

Open Garden Evening Thursday 2nd September 2021 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Outline plans are being made so please keep the date free in your diary. Full details will be available soon. Advance Details Entrance Fee £2 adults – children under 12 free Refreshments Prosecco, beer, soft drinks and nibbles will be available for a […]

Friday 23rd July 2021 The Fernery is open again. The Pulhamite Rockwork Thankfully there appears not to be any material damage to the rockwork. The Planting The planting in the bed above the West path, and the bed above the grotto itself has been damaged. Over the next few weeks the volunteers will assess the […]

Friday 23rd July The Borough Council responded rapidly and Maydencroft are already busy removing the fallen Oak limb. They are working from the bottom, removing branch by branch, in order to take the weight off. It has been estimated that the total weight is in the order of 4 tons. The bough which had been […]

The Fernery has been closed because an Oak on the West side has dropped a large bough on top of the grotto – we believe as a result of heavy rain. The Borough Council contractors, Maydencroft, have been directed to clear the site as a matter of urgency and to make it safe. They are […]

Harry and Alan prepared the ground last week and today, in threatening weather, they completed the task of installation with the help of Hilary who generously applied teak oil to its bottom. This beautiful bench supplied by Vanstone Park Garden Centre has been generously sponsored by Kate Harwood of the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust, and we […]

The weather forecast was only just correct. A small group met in the Fernery and stayed dry, but it was cold and very blustery. BPS Visitor We welcomed Ursula Schell. Ursula is a gardener at Audley End and a member of the British Pteridological Society (The Fern Society), who had heard about our work and […]

We are organising a Fernery Work Party on Thursday 20th May 2021 Because of the risk of disturbance to wildlife, we will not be organising Work Parties on the Danesbury Local Nature Reserve until September 2021 at the earliest. Volunteer Rules and Guidelines We will be able to work in accordance with the Covid-19 Rules […]

Volunteer Rules and Guidelines At long last we are permitted to organise Work Parties once again. Covid-19 rules must be applied including: social distancing, not sharing tools unless they have been disinfected before, and then after use by individuals, and not sharing drinks and or refreshments. Weather Forecast- long range Sunny Intervals and a gentle […]

The Fernery has dried out nicely now and it is safe once again for you all to freely enjoy the spring bulbs. The Friends of Danesbury Fernery thank you all for your patience and indulgence while openings were restricted to weekends only during the recent bad weather. Come to Enjoy the Fernery The Spring bulbs […]