News

Unfortunately the Introductory Meeting planned for the Friends of the Fernery Garden  proved to be a wash-out. Heavy rain fell and kept all our new volunteers away.

We hope for a kinder forecast at the next scheduled meeting on 2nd December 2017.

IMPORTANT VISITORS

We welcomed Welwyn Hatfield Borough Cllr. Helen Bromley, Executive Member for the Environment, CEO Rob Bridge, and Director of Landscaping Nick Long.

They were shown around the site by the Leader of the Friends, John Roper, and admired the excavations carried out in the past two years, and learned about the history of the site construction in 1860, and the Pulhamite rock work.

They watched the volunteers working to trace the missing section of the Top Path, digging out stubborn dead tree stumps with a mattock, strimming back nettles and other invasive plants, weeding the Victorian planting beds, and planting more ferns that had quite recently been donated by a benefactor – not to forget time spent chatting to one of our volunteers (past-Mayor Les Page) who was disguised as a leaf blowing operative.

At the elevenses break time, which was timed to match the conclusion of their visit, Cllr Bromley spoke to the volunteers and congratulated them all for the outstanding contribution they are making to restore the Danesbury Fernery, which she described as an important and long lost piece of Welwyn’s heritage.

All the visitors were amazed at the scale and scope of the project that the volunteers have taken on with the help of the Borough Council. They found the project stimulating and exciting and they gave the volunteers an assurance that the Friends of Danesbury Local Nature Reserve will continue to have the full support of the Borough Council.

CEO Rob Bridge added his congratulations and promptly posted an entry on our Twitter site and I strongly recommend that that you have a look at @danesburyferns.

Future Meeting Dates

You are reminded that it was agreed at the September meeting that in future we will meet twice a month, on the third Thursday for the work parties, as now, plus a meeting of the ‘Friends of the Fernery Garden‘ on the 1st Saturday each month, starting Saturday 4th November. All meetings will start in the Fernery at 10 a.m. and we will be seeking volunteer leaders to help us get the Saturday meetings off to a successful start. Please set the dates in your diary.

The November 2017 edition of the Welwyn Magazine will carry a Report from the Friends of Danesbury LNR which introduces the new Saturday Gardening meetings. The Magazine will also carry the dates of all future Thursday and Saturday meetings from now onwards, conveniently on the back-page ‘ Dates for Your Diary’.

Social Media – progress

As mentioned last month, please develop the habit of having a look at our website www.danesburyfernery.org.uk, our FaceBook Page @danesbury fernery and our Twitter page @danesburyferns from time to time.

We are beginning to pick up useful contacts on the Twitter page and as individuals you can follow selected fern specialists who are making contact with us, and build up your knowledge. The Facebook Page @danesbury fernery which Lucy is running for us, is looking very good and attracting interest

This website is still awaiting some further polishing, but it takes time..

British Pteridological Society

Andrew is about to submit our Group Registration. If you want to be included in the group membership, and have not already done so, please let him know as soon as you can.

Alan Bishop & Associates – Pulhamite restoration experts.

Alan Bishop has long been interested in our progress and has been trying to make a date to visit us for several months. At long last, he managed to call in to see us towards the close of our meeting, and spent about one hour being shown around the Danesbury Fernery, by John and Sue.

It would be a safe summary to say that in terms of the setting of the rock work in the slope of the dell, the condition of the rockwork itself, and particularly the ‘virtually’ new condition of the rock work that has been buried under spoil for years, he was amazed and delighted with what he saw. Mindful of its early stage of excavation, he described the condition of the Danesbury Fernery as among the best that he has visited, and he hopes to pop in from time to time to see how we are progressing.

In his short visit, Alan gave some useful tips to Harry and (new boy) David, to help them trace the line of the Top Path by following the foundations, and in response to questions based on his wide experience of Pulham site restoration, he freely gave his views on the direction we might take in regard to development of the overall site and the garden as we move forward.

Conclusion

This was another very successful Working Party, and the Committee thanks all the volunteers who turned out, for their enthusiasm and support. There is no doubting that this was an important and extremely successful presentation and everybody played their part.

Thanks and well done to everybody.

Dates of Next Meetings

4th November  – Saturday – The Friends of the Fernery Garden

16th November – Thursday – FOD Work Party

Next Meeting Date – VIP Special

The meeting on 19th October is special because Ann Macdonald is introducing us all to the new CEO of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, Rob Bridge, and the Director of Landscaping Nick Long.

Purpose:

a) they want to see what we have been up to in the Fernery, and

b) we want to show them!

I expect that Ann and I will show our visitors around the site, but hopefully they will be able to join us at elevenses and have the opportunity to chat with us all.

It is for all of us to encourage our visitors to continue to support the successful Partnership between the Borough Council and the Friends, so that we might set realistic targets and eventually reach mutually agreed goals.

Weather permitting, I will erect the gazebo with our table-top display so that our visitors can see where we have come from in such a short space of time.

It is of course a fact that we are at the time of year when the Fernery cannot be looking at its best: we are constantly battling with nettles which hold us back from making progress on further excavation work. Although we continue our strimming regime, we hope to persuade the Borough to help by applying a systemic nettles killer.

Beyond that we aim to continue the work of the very successful September 21st working party – see Report Work Party 17th August 2017.

Start Time and Place

We meet at the Fernery at the top end of North Ride, Welwyn, AL6 9RD  starting at 10 a.m. Please note that team leaders and tools will be on site from 9 a.m for those who prefer to start earlier. Work continues until lunchtime and volunteers should wear strong boots, gardening gloves and bring a hot drink for refreshment. Tools will be provided.

Tasks for Thursday 19th October 2017

Maintenance 

Strimming and leaf blowing: since the last meeting on 21st September 2017, small ad hoc groups of volunteers have been strimming to clear the site of nettles. At present this seems like a losing battle, but the purpose is to keep the site in a tidy state to make it more presentable to visitors and to make it safer for work parties to carry out excavation tasks.

Depending on the progress thus made, we might have more strimming to undertake and some leaf blowing to complete before some of the tasks below can safely commence.

We will adhere to the decision to maintain the North East part of the site undisturbed for wildlife.

Excavation – depending on resources available

• Continue exploring the direction of the top steps started in August.
• Continue excavating the decorated pebble wall and seek to find its direction.
• Continue excavation of the rock work in the gorge to seek the direction of the top path.
• Continue weeding the bedding areas.
• Dig out dead tree stumps – we will have a mattock available in the shed if we have a willing volunteer.

Fencing

Stephen is expected to be missing this Thursday so we are suspending  further work until he is once again available.

Water mains standpipe cabinet

Our cabinet was installed at our September (see the photographs) and Andrew has been working very hard since to make it more secure. We have had keys cut to hand out to all your Committee members/leaders, as well as for appropriate Borough Council representatives.

Andrew will be on hand to show you how we have already managed to store many hand tools in the shed to avoid the need for them to be stored in private garages, and to make them readily available on site for work party leaders. (Although the standpipe is secured, the hose reel has not yet been supplied and installed).

You are reminded that the Friends have financed the cost of the purchase and installation of the shed.

Entrance Poles

You all witnessed the re-installation of the straightened entrance poles at the September meeting (see the photos). You will be pleased to know that they are still standing!

Once again you are reminded that the costs of restoring the ironwork at the entrance is being funded by the Friends, from a generous (ring-fenced) private donation. But it has not yet been agreed with the Borough Council what the next stage of ironwork restoration should be.

Future Meeting Dates

You are reminded that it was agreed at the September meeting that in future we will meet twice a month, on the third Thursday for the work parties, as now, plus a meeting of the ‘Friends of the Fernery Garden‘ on the 1st Saturday each month, starting Saturday 4th November. All meetings will start in the Fernery at 10 a.m. and we will be seeking volunteers to stand by to help us get the Saturday meetings off to a successful start.

The November 2017 edition of the Welwyn Magazine will carry a Report from the Friends of Danesbury LNR which introduces the new Saturday Gardening meetings. The Magazine will also carry the dates of all future Thursday and Saturday meetings from now onwards, conveniently on the back-page ‘ Dates for Your Diary’.

Social Media – progress

Please develop the habit of having a look at our website, and FaceBook and Twitter pages from time to time. We are beginning to pick up useful contacts on the Twitter page and you too can follow selected fern specialists who are making contact with us, and help us build up our knowledge.

British Pteridological Society

Andrew still wants to hear from those of you who would like to join this Society and benefit from a joint membership under the Friends of Danesbury LNR banner. He will talk more about this with you this Thursday. There are useful BPS awards schemes running, but most seem to demand that bids are placed each year by the 1st November. So – if it is felt that we should be applying straight away, then we do need to get our skates on.

Conclusion

We look forward to a good turn-out on a calm and warm Thursday 19th October.

Please all wear your FOD (or other Friends Group’s) tabard, and carry your hard hats. We have spares available for those without – so no excuses!

Objectives

Although we aimed to continue the work of the very successful August working party – see Report Work Party 17th August 2017. this was an extra-ordinary meeting as we had two one-off events scheduled at the same time, which was a distraction.

We will deal with these first.

Reinstalling the Entrance Poles

Right on time the blacksmith from Essendon returned the two iron poles which had been straightened through the application of heat and a power press. The costs of this project, including the contractors’ (Maydencroft) costs for the initial removal of the poles and their re-installation,  has been entirely funded by the Friends, following a generous private donation.

Another Hole found – an unexpected further diversion.

About 1 metre from the right hand pole, Maydencroft’s Richard casually leaned on a steel rod which promptly disappeared into the ground until it hit rock! The following photographs show the red-brick hole on the left from which our entrance poles came, and the one on the right shows the new hole, also lined with brick walls, that nobody has yet explained! It seems that there might have been a far more elaborate iron-work Victorian entrance structure than any of us imagined!

Installing the Water Cabinet/Shed

Another Project funded by the Friends reached completion too, or very nearly so. The mains water supply funded by the Borough Council needed protection and the new shed hides a standpipe and tap, to which a hose reel (for plant watering) will ultimately be connected.

The shed is secured to the concrete base and it is planned to store low value hand tools there too, for the convenience of working parties.

Maintenance 

While all that excitement was going on, the work party quietly carried on: weeding some of the Victorian Planting Beds, excavating

the gullies on the Top Path and further exploring the decorated pebbled wall that was discovered on the Top Path last month.

Fencing

Under Stephen’s direction, John struggled to lift the two fencing panels that were recently discovered by Stephen’s grandson using his plastic metal detector. They had been buried under 12″ soil for perhaps 100 years, and John could not photograph this manoeuvre and breath at the same time. Next month we will re-enact this for the family album if Stephen is present.

Future Meeting Dates

After some discussion during ‘elevenses’ it was agreed that for a trial period we will meet twice a month as follows:

3rd Thursday each month – Working Party meeting at The Fernery at 10 a.m. as at present.

1st Saturday each month – Gardening Group meeting at The Fernery at 10 a m

Social Media – progress

This Report and all future Reports will now be published on our website www.danesburyfernery.org.uk even though it is still under construction.

Our  FaceBook page @danesbury fernery , and our Twitter account @danesburyferns are both up and running.

British Pteridological Society

Andrew is inviting all Friends to let him know if they would like to be included (i.e. ‘named’) as a member of a Group Application for membership. He has a supply of Application Forms for those who wish to join individually but, as an alternative approach, Friends can join as a collective, but only if they are registered as such in the Group. So please let Andrew Beattie know how you stand on

Date of Next Meeting

Thursday 19th October – Working Party

Saturday 4th November  – Garden Group

Harry has drawn our attention to a very interesting piece named Frond Memories published by The Guardian on Sunday 1st September 2002, written by Monty Don, which is worth a read, even though written 15 years ago.

The theme of the article is that Monty Don has not always been terribly ‘lit up’ by ferns, but that he is ‘joining the fern fan club’.

Monty observes that ferns seem to be making a comeback, but he is adamant that ferns, particularly Tree Ferns, should not just be ‘plonked down’ but that they should be placed ‘in context’. In terms of our work to restore the Danesbury Fernery we should clearly be able to respond to that advice because if we are careful and responsible, our ferns should be able to be presented in the Victorian and Pulhamite context without too much trouble.

A few weeks ago Andrew drew our attention to the Gardeners World TV programme on ferns,  (presented by Monty Don) and it seems that Monty Don, like all ‘fern amateurs’  has been drawn to Martin Rickards Plantfinders Guide to Garden Ferns (£13,99 David & Charles) and we are all encouraged to visit Rickard’s Hardy Ferns now named Bowdens Ferns.

It is no coincidence that as a result of Andrew’s recent quest involving the British Pteridological Society, Martin Rickard, has written personally to him about Danesbury, and he is complimentary about our recovery work. Martin Rickard advises that as soon as possible we need to get some ‘shading’ on the site as it is rather exposed as a result of our (essential) clearance work. Oddly he also advises against planting in Pulham’s fern pockets; advice which contradicts what we have previously been told.

But before you go out and buy Martin Rickard’s book, have a read of Monty Dons Guardian article.

At this rate we might all find ourselves becoming experts, in an amateurish sort of way.

Next Meeting Date

The meeting on 21st September 2017 will aim to continue the work of the very successful August working party – see Report Work Party 17th August 2017.

Start Time and Place

At the Fernery at the top end of North Ride, Welwyn, AL6 9RD  starting at 10 a.m. Please note that team leaders and tools will be on site from 9 a.m for those who prefer to start earlier. Work continues until lunchtime and volunteers should wear strong boots, gardening gloves and bring a hot drink for refreshment. Tools will be provided.

Tasks

Maintenance 

Since the last meeting on 17th August 2017, small ad hoc groups of volunteers have been strimming and clearing the site of nettles. The purpose is to keep the site in a tidy state to make it more presentable to visitors and to make it safer to carry out excavation tasks.

Depending on the progress thus made, we might have some raking up of cut nettles to complete before some of the tasks below can safely commence.

We will adhere to the decision to maintain the North East part of the site undisturbed for wildlife.

Excavation

Continue exploring the direction of the top steps excavated by Moira and Sheila last month.

Continue excavating Margaret’s decorated pebbles and seek possible steps.

Continue Harry’s excavation of the rock work in the gorge to seek the direction of the top path.

Continue weeding the bedding areas.

Explore opportunities to find evidence of the path running North from the gorge.

Fencing

Under Stephens direction, continue to recover lost panels and fill gaps in the fencing.

Water mains standpipe cabinet

We do not have an installation date – but if this does occur before the meeting date, or indeed on the 21st itself, demands on our resources might cause some of the above tasks to take a lower priority.

Entrance Poles

Harry has reported that the forge is underway with straightening the posts and hopes that it might be two weeks to have them ready. The blacksmith is drilling holes in them to allow for a sign to be bolted at the top. Andrew is negotiating with the Sherrardspark Woodwardens to see if they could present us with a rustic plank suitably addressed ” The Danesbury Fernery” printed or carved.

Future Meeting Dates

You are reminded that the Committee are seeking your views on the proposal that we meet twice a month. You have all been asked to give your views to Harry Ward – but he has given up holding his breath!

If you are not able to attend on the 21st September, will you be sure to let Harry know your views by email before that date. Otherwise, we will have an open discussion on the 21st at elevenses as planned, when we ask that you are ready to let us have your views. The choices are to consider offering an alternate day of the week for meeting, and an alternate week of the month too. This is to try to overcome issues that potential volunteers might have if they can never make a Thursday.

It is a condition of this survey and subsequent analysis that we have no intention of changing from meeting once a month on a Thursday as we have always done.

Social Media – progress

We are making progress – Lucy Alexander has successfully launched a FaceBook page, and my daughter Lucy has launched a Twitter account 

Please have a look at them and leave comments (if favourable!)

Slowly and surely I am developing the website www.danesburyfernery.org.uk with help from Nick my son-in-law, and you can access it already if you are prepared to accept that it is very much work in progress. It would be very encouraging if you are able to read this Newsletter on the website.

The website offers the advantage that, in our own time, we can all stay in touch with what is going on with so many of the diverse areas opening up about the Danesbury Fernery: Research, Excavation, and Garden Design, without the limitations of email.

We are introducing the opportunity for Friends to submit their thoughts and experiences so that we can all share them. For example, there will be a ‘tab’ that will allow Friends to submit reports of other Pulhamite sites that they visit on their travels, that we can provide links to, and to open up ‘blogs’ on such subjects as buried drainage tanks, and the source and direction of pipework, plus of course learn and share knowledge of the many species of ferns that we might seek to plant in the future.

British Pteridological Society

Andrew, as others have subsequently done, watched the Gardeners World Programme broadcast last weekend which covered Ferns. He has subsequently made some valuable connections with the BPS who are very pleased to learn of our Danesbury Fernery Project and very supportive too.

If Andrew, as our Treasurer, manages to arrange a Corporate membership with the BPS we might well find ourselves in receipt of special offers of ‘packs’ of plants and spores!  Andrew has already signed on to a day’s course on 1st April next year to learn how to pronounce the name of the said Society.