Danesbury Fernery

Researching and Restoring the Danesbury Victorian Fernery

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Notice of Work Party -Thursday 15th August 2019

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Long Range Weather Forecast

Overcast with a light breeze.

Objectives

We plan once again to operate two separate work parties this month, depending on available volunteer resources

Nature Reserve Maintenance Group

Leader: Andrew Beattie

Andrew and Chris are in the process of drawing up a schedule of work, and priorities, for the Park Field that will include traditional ‘scrub-bashing’ tasks of cutting back overgrown paths, strimming grass edges, pruning, tree management and hedge layering.

Task allocation will very often depend on the weather and the condition of the ground underfoot. However, scrub-bashing in the Park Field is expected to continue until April/May 2020 when birds begin to start nesting.

The Ancient Track (Ghylls Hill) which is in regular public use and provides the main access point to the Nature Reserve from the Codicote Road entrance, is likely to be a regular assignment.

The Fernery Gardening Group

Leader: Harry Ward/John Roper

Andrew plans to complete a session of blowing of leaves, twigs and rubbish before the main work party gets active, and there are many areas needing attention.

Wild flowers.

Jenny reports that Black Nightshade is growing in the wild flowers on the North Bank, and docks and nettles are growing near the entrance and the compost heap,

Other maintenance on the North Bank will include cutting down Weld and Oxeye Daises.

Herbaceous beds

Sarah wants the orange calendula in the Full Stop bed to be dead-headed to encourage the growth of new flowers. Likewise the ensimums (purple shrubby plant on top of the grotto) and their flower spikes cut off.

Weeding and Watering

Despite the recent inclement weather, the ferns and the trees in the perimeter need watering.

Planting

Depending on conditions, we have some new ferns to be planted.

Graffiti

We have a few new attempts at impressionism that might need attention to remove them.

Meeting Place – both Work Parties

All volunteers should meet at the Fernery at 9.30 am where the leaders will allocate tasks and distribute tools as appropriate for the two working parties. Volunteers are asked to decide before arriving which of the two working parties they would like to join, as this helps the organisation.

How to find the Fernery

If you have not visited us before you will be made very welcome. Please read the directions to find us.

Bring a hot drink and refreshments with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and good quality gardening gloves. All tools will be provided.

On your first visit the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (the Owners) require that you complete a personal details Form which will be retained by them for Public Liability Insurance purposes.

Report of the BPS Visit – Saturday 20th July 2019

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The Danesbury volunteers welcomed our visitors from the East Anglia Group of the British Pteridological (Fern) Society led by Peter Blake.

As reported on 2nd July 2019 this was a return of the Autumn 2018 visit to Norwich which was hosted by Peter Blake and his colleagues.

A group of 12 members enjoyed being shown around the Danesbury Fernery. Peter Blake and Nick Lodge had seen the Fernery on 15th March 2018 and were very impressed with progress since then. As our BPS lead member responsible for the visit, Andrew welcomed the visitors to the site: Colin presented our ferns, Sarah presented the herbaceous beds, and Jenny presented the North Wild Flower Bank.

We were glad to receive many helpful comments and words of advice from the BPS members as they moved around the Fernery.

The Friends of the Danesbury Fernery (FODF) are benefiting in many ways from our association with the BPS East Anglian Regional Group who are very generous in their advice, their offering of plants, and personal donations.

After the visit we all enjoyed the splendid hospitality of lunch at Sarah’s house organised with the help of Hilary and Harry Ward and Anne and Andrew Beattie and others.

Report of Work Party – Thursday 18th July 2019

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Nature Reserve Maintenance Group

A small group of 4x volunteers led jointly by Lucy Alexander and Richard Darby with Nina, continued clearing the ancient track, this time at the top (East) end, with Chris James in attendance. Because the strimmer was in use at the Fernery, Richard put our scythe to good use for the first time for very many months/years, and very effective it was too, as the following photos show.

  • Photo by Andrew Beattie 18.7.19
  • Photo by Andrew Beattie 18.7.19

Fernery Gardening Group

Andrew led this work party and the following Report is gleaned from his Safety Report to the Borough Council.

Largely in preparation for the visit of the Anglia Group of the British Pteridological (Fern) Society which took place two days later on Saturday 20th July 2019, 10 volunteers worked in the Fernery mulching, weeding, strimming, planting. Colin put in extra time planting and labelling new ferns. Extra tidying up included the task of cleaning chalk graffiti from the grotto (thanks to Ann Hayden) and removing rubbish in the Dropping Well.

The site was brought up to an immaculate state as shown in the photos taken in the Report of the 20th July 2019 Fern Society visit.

Welwyn Festival Award

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The Friends of Danesbury Fernery were privileged to have been included as one of the chosen local charities to benefit from the 2019 Welwyn Festival.

I am sure you will all share the delight that Andrew and I felt last night when on behalf of the Friends of Danesbury Fernery we collected a cheque in the sum £1000 from the Welwyn Festival Committee at the 2019 Awards and Presentation evening. The award was presented as the ‘Andy Trotter Award‘, and presented by Andy himself.

We thanked the Festival Committee for their generous award, and for their recognition of the hard work and passionate contribution the volunteers had made since September 2015 when restoration of the Victorian Fernery in an old chalk pit started. Although work is still in progress, the Fernery has already reached a beautiful heritage state.

Evening 18th July 2019 – The Central bed
Evening 18th July 2019 – Wild Flowers on the North Bank

We are getting a huge amount of praise from the local community, and the pressure is now on to add to our team strengths and ensure that our success continues into the years to come.

We always welcome new volunteers, and have a range of work on the Local Nature Reserve and in the Fernery to suit all ages and strengths. We also need more support to operate our Facebook and Twitter pages, and assistance with the operation of this website.

If you are able to help, even on an occasional basis, please contact us at ku.gr1566707517o.yre1566707517nrefy1566707517rubse1566707517nad@o1566707517fni1566707517


Notice of Work Party – Thursday 18th July 2019

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Long Range Weather Forecast

Light cloud and a moderate breeze

Objectives

As mentioned in previous Notices, we now plan to resume scrub-bashing tasks in the Park Field since the bird nesting season is past.

Depending on available volunteer resources, we therefore plan to operate two separate work parties on Thursday 18th July 2019 as follows.

The Fernery Gardening Group

Leader Andrew Beattie

Weeding and watering will always be on the menu, plus more planting.

North West Bank

Since the last scheduled work party, half of the North West bank has been dressed with mulch and planted-up with Jenny’s wild flowers.

This was accomplished in readiness for the visit of the Anglia in Bloom judging last Tuesday 9th July. But in Harry’s absence we might not have sufficient resource to complete this task until a later work party.

North East Bank

The newly profiled North East Bank was seeded with grass last week and now needs to be watered to give it a start.

Perimeter Area

We need to continue the task of strimming around the whips and small saplings in the perimeter area, to stop the growth of smothering weeds.

General Tidy up for Visitors

Extra tasks will include leaf blowing and general tidying up because on Saturday afternoon 20th July a group of visitors are expected from the East Anglia Section of BPS (The British Pteridological (Fern) Society). Andrew and Colin will act as leaders for this visit and support volunteers will not be needed.

Nature Reserve Maintenance Group

Leaders: Lucy Alexander and Richard Darby


From July 2019 round to March/April 2020 we plan to form a second working party.

Depending on the number of resources available, the Nature Reserve working party will, as a priority, return to the ancient track that was cleared last March. It has become overgrown once again, and a good general clear up is called for.

A priority task list will be drawn up for future work.

Meeting Place

All volunteers should meet at the Fernery at 9.30 am where the leaders will allocate tasks and distribute appropriate tools for both working parties.

How to find the Fernery

If you have not visited us before you will be made very welcome. Please read the directions to find us.

Bring a hot drink and refreshments with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and good quality gardening gloves.

On arrival, for Borough Council (the Owners) Public Liability Insurance purposes, you will be asked to Register with us before you start work.


The BPS Expect – Saturday 20th July 2019

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Saturday 20th July 2019 – BRITISH PTERIDOLOGICAL SOCIETY- (BPS) Visit.

The East Anglia Group of the British Fern Society have been invited to visit the Danesbury Fernery on Saturday 20th July. Detailed plans are being drawn up and we will announce detailed timings as soon as they have been agreed. Some BPS visitors will be travelling from as far afield as Norfolk.

This is a return for the October 2018 visit that Andrew Beattie organised when a small group of the Friends of Danesbury travelled to Norwich to attend an East Anglian meeting organised by EA Representative Peter Blake and group members.   We will need to be on our toes when they visit us!

Colin has been busy for months labelling many of our specimen ferns, or should that be ‘specimens of our ferns’?

We will see. We have a lot to learn from our BPS visitors.



We never closed – Anglia in Bloom – judging next week

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Following close on the heels of the success of the Welwyn Festival Open Garden Evening in June we are busy preparing the site once again for judging on Tuesday morning 9th July, this time not by 170+ members of Welwyn’s community, but by the (RHS) judges of the Anglia in Bloom Competition 2019.

The Friends of Danesbury Fernery were very proud to have been awarded the Conservation Prize in 2018, but we are not resting on our laurels, nor our ferns, and we seek further success. This time the Borough Council have grouped our Entry with ‘Welwyn Village’, in a ‘special’ category which will include among other sites, the Parish Allotments, a private garden and Welwyn High Street.

These are exciting times and, just this week, we have been working hard with the help of the Borough Council’s contractors, to further improve planting beds, to re-profile the North East slope, and to contain the North West slope with a heavy membrane to stop further slippage of the chalky bank and allow more planting. Of great significance, particularly with the current run of dry weather, is that we have managed to bury hosepipe extensions so that watering at the North end of the Fernery will now be very much more practical.

The volunteers are putting in an extra Thursday work party on Thursday 4th July to prepare the site for the Anglia in Bloom judges.

Report of Working Party and Open Day – Thursday 20th June 2019

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The team worked very hard to prepare the site for the Welwyn Festival Open Garden Evening on Thursday 20th June 2019.

Extra scheduled working parties had been operating on Thursdays for many weeks, together with many other ad hoc meetings to complete the planting, particularly of Jenny’s Wild Flowers on the Northern Bank.

Organised by Andrew, the Sherrardspark Wood Wardens donated two fine oak logs which were installed as benches with Alan and Harry’s help.

They have been fixed facing each other on the Northern Bank and Southern Banks, and they provide magnificent views across the dell. They are already very popular and in regular use.

The following photos were take at the Scheduled Working Party on the morning of Thursday 20th June when 23 volunteers turned out to help with final preparations.

  • Working on the ‘Money Bed’ – near the newly installed South Bank bench
  • Finishing off the beds with timber edging.
  • New steps have been built into the slope above the Top Path
  • The Grotto was tidied up ready for the visitors
  • Andrew cleaned the edges with the strimmer.
  • The volunteers take an Elevensies break.
  • The Grotto Sump exposed for visitors.
  • The mechanics of the Water system being exposed for visitors.
  • The Dell looking ship-shape
  • Jenny identifies the wild flowers
  • Wild Flowers on the Northern Bank
  • Jenny and her flowers on the North Bank
  • Opening time – nearly 200 visitors enjoyed the visit.
  • A snap-shot of visitors
  • The transformation is almost complete.

Anglia in Bloom 2019

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We have been informed by the Borough Council that they have entered us once again in this prestigious Competition between Borough and District Councils.

The Organising Body is the Royal Horticultural Society. (Click here) for details of the history of this Competition).

In 2018 – our first entry in the Competition – Danesbury’s Victororian Fernery won the Anglia in Bloom Award in the Conservation Category.

In the Welwyn Hatfield Times John Roper reported:

“Our volunteers, working in close partnership with WHC, are of course proud that the Victorian Fernery – described in 1883 as the ‘best fernery to be found in the Home Counties’ – is once again receiving praise and recognition.”

He added: “The Anglia in Bloom Conservation Award is certainly one that now belongs right at the top in the annals of the history of this Victorian gem.”

In the 2019 Competition we have been entered as a Special Category!

The Judges are due on site on 10th July 2019, at a time yet to be advised.