Notices

The Weather Forecast

Light Cloud and a gentle breeze .

Tasks

Parson’s Bed – Mulching

Last month Maydencroft re-profiled The Parson’s Bed (see Report of Working Party 20th September) and Sarah and Jenny afterwards relaid the membrane ready for the planting which took place on 2nd October 2018.

This month we have to cover the Bed in mulch and, if everything runs according to plan, Maydencroft will deliver a load of mulching material during the week in time for the volunteers to spread it on the bed.

A few key volunteers will be missing this Thursday, so we will rely on a good turn out to help shift the mulch. I will bring my wheelbarrow, so hopefully with two wheelbarrows we should be able to build a momentum.

Leaf Blowing

If we have sufficient reasources  we must use the leaf blower to gather up the recent sudden leaf drop following the high winds.

Watering

Watering is unlikely to be required!

Weeding

This is something that can be done at any time, if time and resources allow.

Of sepecial importance is the need to keep the Perimeter Tree Whips clear of smothering weeds.

Meeting Place

The full team will meet at the Fernery at 10 a.m.* for briefing and the allocation of tasks; and the issue of appropriate tools.

*Volunteers are encouraged to arrive earlier if possible in order to help with the distribution of tools and allocation of tasks, which will facilitate a prompt working start for everybody.

If resources allow us to split into two groups, a First Aider will attend each group if possible, but failing that, then the respective leaders will maintain telephone contact.

For those not familiar with the location of the Fernery, full details may be found on the website but, simply stated, the closest access point is North Ride, on the Danesbury Estate, AL6 9RD as follows: either park in North Ride, or take the right hand fork of the unmade Road which leads to Danesbury Park Road, and a kissing gate entrance is about 500 metres on the right, not far from a lay-by.

Tea Breaks and De-Briefing

A tea break is taken at about 11 am.

Please bring  a drink with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and have strong gardening gloves too.

WHBC Visitors – Wednesday 24th October – a date for your Diary

The Borough Council Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, comprising Councillors with Officer support,  are due to visit The Fernery at 2 pm on Wednesday 24th October.

It would be convenient if one or two volunteers could be on site to welcome them, and to be available as informal guides if such are required.

If you are able to attend, please use the WhatsApp Fernery Gardening Group to confirm your intentions.

a  from the sdayEven though Maydencroft are scheduled to be on site with their mechanical digger to remove the weed suppressing membrane and then some of the top-soil from this bed to make it more level. We have discovered that the front brick edging, that we had believed to have been ‘robbed’ of bricks, is in fact at its original height and much lower than we thought. If the bed were left as it is then, after planting, the top soils and wood chip dressing would simply wash off.

Sarah will be in charge to supervise this levelling but volunteers will need to be on hand a) to help remove the membrane (and replace it later) and b) create tidy heaps of top soils. An extra wheelbarrow or two would be very helpful.

Perimeter Tree Tidying

In the hope that the weather forecast will be wrong again, and that tomorrow we will enjoy warmth and sunshine between the hours of 10 am and mid-day, we list the folowing tasks which we hope will be achievable.

Parson’s Bed – re-profiling

Maydencroft are scheduled to be on site with their mechanical digger to remove the weed suppressing membrane and then some of the top-soil from this bed to make it more level. We have discovered that the front brick edging, that we had believed to have been ‘robbed’ of bricks, is in fact at its original height and much lower than we thought. If the bed were left as it is then, after planting, the top soils and wood chip dressing would simply wash off.

Sarah will be in charge to supervise this levelling but volunteers will need to be on hand a) to help remove the membrane (and replace it later) and b) create tidy heaps of top soils. An extra wheelbarrow or two would be very helpful.

Perimeter Tree Tidying

Those volunteers not directly involved in the soil moving task, will need to find weeding and tidying up tasks which keep them clear of the mechanical digger which will be operating from the base of the dell.

There is a need to continue the work of clearing weeds from around the base of the tree whips which were planted earlier this year.

It might also be beneficial to continue the work of lopping and clearing brambles away from the Compositing heaps, as they continue to encroach.

Thursday 27th September – Team meeting

Those of you who have not yet responded to the Invitation to attend the Meeting at the Scouts Hut, Lockleys Drive, are asked to contact John at your earliest opportunity, as we have to anticipate numbers attending for catering purposes.

We would like to see a big turn-out of our ‘regulars’, so that we can hear all your views and opinions on the direction we are going in, and discuss our priorities with  Ann and Chris from the Borough Council.

Thursday 18th October 2018 – Work Party

In anticipation that the re-profiling has been completed successfully, then Sarah will once again direct us in the planting needed for the Parson’s Bed. This is unlikely to be on the scale of the May 2018 Big Plant-Up of the Central Bed, as we understand from Sarah that her design will involve a fewer number of plants. We look forward to learning more in the next few weeks.

Saturday 6th October – Fernery Gardening Group

You probably all know that we regularly advertise in the Parish Magazine that this group meets on the morning of the 1st Saturday in each month.

Only once has a single individual actually turned up. It is very difficult to advertise ad hoc meetings, even though this does seem to provide the better way forward for us at the moment. But if we all agree that this is a worthwhile community gardening activity then we will need to encourage our friends and neighbours to join us, and this does mean advertising meeting dates.

Clearly this will be a subject for debate on the 27th September.

Work Party Tasks – Thursday 16th August 2018

As with the June and July 2018 Work Parties we will all meet in the Fernery at 10 am for Team Briefings which will be led by Andrew, who will allocate the tasks to be undertaken.

Volunteers will divide into two groups:

• a Fernery Gardening Group who will remain and work in the Fernery, and
• a ‘scrub-bashing’ group that will work on the Local Nature Reserve Park Field

The weather conditions and related safety concerns, will of course dictate which tasks will be practicable for us this coming Thursday.

N.B. Safety Shoes that were ordered have now arrived and are ready for distribution.

Fernery Garden Group – Work Party tasks

Composting – there is a need to tidy up the compost heaps, including the cutting back of bramble trailers to allow access later this year in order to add leaf compost.

Weeding – there are lots of weeds that need pulling (rather than strimming, so that weed seeds are stopped from spreading) and then adding to the rubbish compost.

Leaf collection – the leaf blower will be available to blow small branches and dried out leaves into heaps, where they can then be picked up and deposited in the compost heaps.

Watering – not likely to be needed this week.

Visiting Detectorist – it is possible that at least one member of the local metal detecting group will visit us on Thursday 16th September. They know about our recent water irrigation discoveries, but they are keen to work with us and, perhaps, help us discover and document the source of the Victorian irrigation system.

Local Nature Reserve – Park Field Scrub Bashing Work Party tasks

Chris James has identified areas that need attention, as follows:

Overhanging brambles and growths – the perimeter path constantly needs maintenance – “I need a secateurs gang”!

There are also some more substantial overhangs/outgrowths in the following places:

• Each side where sunken path meets perimeter path
• The section by the ‘plantation’ near metal kissing gate (several small elms here that could be removed)
• The entrance from the mansion, turning right towards metal gate. Several low branches of sycamore could be cut right back to trunk here. Path very narrow (suspect not mown!)
• The section parallel to house drive

Stock fence boundary – all the small tree saplings growing along/into the wire fencing should be cut off at ground level.  They are a mixture of ash, elm and oak.  A selective few should be retained (far enough away from fence to not be a future problem).

The sunken path is generally in good condition because it has been mown each side.  But there is scope to continue the scrub coppicing at the sides that was started 2 years ago.  This could be done in August.

Andrew has identified quite a few ferns growing at the side of the sunken track that could be dug out and replanted in the Fernery.

Meeting Place

The full team will meet at the Fernery at 10 a.m.* for briefing and the allocation of tasks; and the issue of appropriate tools.

*Volunteers are encouraged to arrive earlier if possible in order to help with the distribution of tools and allocation of tasks, which will facilitate a prompt working start for everybody.

If possible a First Aider will attend each group, but failing that, then the respective leaders will maintain telephone contact.

For those not familiar with the location of the Fernery, full details may be found on the website but, simply stated, the closest access point is North Ride, on the Danesbury Estate, AL6 9RD as follows: either park in North Ride, or take the right hand fork of the unmade Road which leads to Danesbury Park Road, and a kissing gate entrance is about 500 metres on the right, not far from a lay-by.

Tea Breaks and De-Briefing

Tea breaks for the two work parties will of necessity be separate, but we will aim to meet up together in The Fernery for de-briefing at 12 p.m.

Please bring  a drink with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and have strong gardening gloves too.

Other Issues of Interest

Mechanical Digger Day – Re-profiling ‘the Parson’s Bed’ – 20th September 2018

Big-Plant-Up Day – Work Party Thursday 18th October 2018

Mid-Herts Scouts Rabbit Protection – 20th September 2018 (?)

Excavation Tasks for 2019

Ann MacDonald has also targeted the Pulhamite Outcrop site at the North East end of the dell for 2019 Excavation/Restoration. She intends that the mis-placed Pulhamite stone which is resting nearby, will be re-set by Maydencroft within the walls of the outcrop, to the same professional standard employed in re-setting the grotto rocks.

Team AGM

Since we first established ourselves as a group in February 2017, operating within an agreed Constitution, we are overdue holding an AGM, and an Agenda will be produced shortly.

Our success in the Fernery has led to the Danesbury Residents Association having to manage considerable funds in our name, and our origjnal plans for banking are arguably now inappropriate.

We also need to review our team structure to ensure that we present more opportunity for individual members to share team responsibilities if they so wish.

As with the June 2018 Work Party we will all meet in the Fernery at 10am for Team Briefings, but then divide into:

• a Fernery Gardening Group who will remain and work in the Fernery, and
• a ‘scrub  bashing’ group that will work on the Nature Reserve Park Field.

The Fernery Gardening Group

Harry Ward will be the group leader as before. Prime tasks will be to check the stability of the rabbit wire, undertake weeding and watering and standard maintenance work, including the tidying up of paths and checking that the young trees on the perimeter are watered and weeded around their bases.

Under Sarah’s direction, preparation for the next Big Plant Up will commence from August/September and members of the Gardening Group will be involved in this process. The Anthony Parson’s planting bed against the Retaining Wall, which is currently covered by a weed suppressing membrane is expected to be planted up in the Autumn.

As reported elsewhere, the WHBC is reaching an agreement with the Mid-Herts  Scouting organisation to undertake a voluntary task of fitting anti-rabbit fencing to the cattle fence on the perimeter of the Fernery. Until that task is complete it will be necessary to continue to install rabbit wire around all new planting.

Scrub Bashing Team (SBT)

A team will collect tools from the Fernery shed and then gather at the corral in the Park Field to continue the work of clearing the scrub away from the base and surrounds of the sequoia tree. The Welwyn cubs and scouters did some work further along the path last Thursday evening 12th July 2018 and if resources and time permit, then the SBT  team should tidy up using use bow saws to reduce lopped scrub down to ground level, and strim nettles from the sides of the paths about 1 metre back.

Paths continue to be invaded by bramble runners which need to be cut back using secateurs. Dog walkers have started doing a good job at this but the task is never-ending.

Chris James (WHBC) has identified overhangs and outgrowths that need management over the next few months on the Park Field:

•  Paths in general
•  Sunken Path – overhangs each side where sunken path meets perimeter path
•  The section by the ‘plantation’ near metal kissing gate (several small elms here that could be removed)
•  The entrance from the mansion, turning right towards metal gate – several low branches of sycamore could be cut right back to trunk here. Path very narrow (suspect not mown!)
• The section parallel to House drive where a few years ago the CMS undertook some hedge layering.
• General – all the small tree saplings growing along/into the stock fence boundary should be cut off at ground level. They are a mixture of ash, elm and oak.

Next month, in August, the scrub coppicing in the sunken track that was started at the sides 2 years ago could be re-commenced.

Management of Split working Parties

We have a constant need to encourage volunteers to attend Leaders, and First Aid Courses.

Until we are in a position where we can physically have a 1st Aider with each group, Harry (with 1st Aider qualifications) will be the leader in the Fernery on 19th July, and John will be the leader in the Fernery Field. Sub projects and activities will be led by Andrew and Lucy.

Telephone contact will be maintained between both groups at all times with ‘formal’ checks on the hour at 11 and 12 pm.

The Scrub Bashing Team will complete their tasks and return tools etc back to the Fernery by 12 p.m.

Meeting Place

The full team will meet at the Fernery at 10 a.m. for briefing and allocation of tasks, and for the issue of appropriate tools.

If possible a First Aider will attend each group, but failing that, then the respective leaders will maintain telephone contact.

For those not familiar with the location of the Fernery, full details may be found on the website, but simply stated the closest access point is North Ride, on the Danesbury Estate, AL6 9RD.

Either park in North Ride, or take the right hand fork of the unmade Road which leads to Danesbury Park Road, and an entrance is about 500 metres on the right not far from a lay-by.

Tea Breaks

Tea breaks will of necessity be separate, but we will aim to meet up together as a group at 12 p.m. in the Fernery for a de-brief.

Please bring  a drink with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and have strong gardening gloves too.

Work Re-structure

We have mentioned before that for the Months of July August and September we will cease excavation work in the Fernery and return to the Park Field to carry out some essential maintenance that we have been neglecting over the past year while we have been developing the Fernery.

But because we have so recently completed a major cleanup of the Fernery in readiness for the Open Day, then one month earlier than forecast we are going to take the opportunity of splitting ourselves into two groups – one to continue caring for the Fernery Garden, and a second group to work in the Nature Reserve Park Field.

Fernery Gardening Group

Normal service resumes.

Rabbit Wire Fixing

The key task for this Thursday is to fix Rabbit Wire around the entire three-terraced May Bed. This is an urgent task because rabbits love to nibble geraniums, and new ones were planted as recently as the Open Day.

Sarah has purchased a new roll of wire especially for this task, which is to be found in the Tool Shed.

Watering

Resume watering the Central Bed and the newly planted ferns and plants in other beds.

Do Not Water – we are reminded that the well-established ferns on the rockface should NOT be watered because their roots are finding their own source down inside the rockface, which leads to long term strength health and resilience.

Park Maintenance Group

A small group of volunteers will work in the Park field to:

• resume the task of cutting back scrub which is encroaching on pathways,
• lower the crowns of young trees, and
• clear the scrub from around the base of the Wellingtonia tree close to the cattle corral.

Saws and loppers will be brought to the Fernery Shed where we will all meet as usual.

Meeting Place

The full team will meet at the Fernery at 10 a.m. for briefing and allocation of tasks, and for the issue of appropriate tools.

If possible a First Aider will attend each group, but failing that, then the respective leaders will maintain telephone contact.

For those not familiar with the location of the Fernery, full details may be found on the website, but simply stated the closest access point is North Ride, on the Danesbury Estate, AL6 9RD.

Either park in North Ride, or take the right hand fork of the unmade Road which leads to Danesbury Park Road, and an entrance is about 500 metres on the right not far from a lay-by.

Tea Breaks

Tea breaks will of necessity be separate, but we will aim to meet up together as a group at 12 p.m. in the Fernery for a de-brief.

Please bring  a drink with you, and wear strong boots or shoes and have strong gardening gloves too.

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NEXT WORKING PARTY MEETING – THURSDAY 17th MAY 2018

Visitors

We are expecting to welcome the Borough Council’s Deputy Mayor Cllr. Barbara Fitzsimon

Outline Work Plan – Immediate Priority – Garden Restoration

As we stated two months ago, to prepare for the Open Day on Sunday 17th June, Garden Restoration now takes priority over excavation work except, of course, mechanical excavation work carried out by Maydencroft to an agreed plan.

MECHANICAL EXCAVATION – AN UPDATE

After several postponements, and with the arrival of better weather, the Borough Council granted us two weeks access to Maydencroft’s skilled team of mechanical digger operatives, starting last Wednesday. Mark was in the chair assisted by Richard.

Benefitting from constructive thought and planning, Maydencroft’s intervention has in just three days led to an amazing amount of new excavations and discoveries.

• On Wednesday we discovered a huge soak-away in front of the grotto, to take water away from the basin at the foot of the dropping well.
• And on Wednesday a third tier was discovered beneath the two-tiered planting bed on the East side of the dell.
• On Thursday an electrical trace attached to the lead water pipe in the dropping well revealed that underground lead piping is feeding from the direction of the House all around the dell.
• On Thursday the large central bed was cleared of rocks, and re-profiled.
• On Friday the rocks were placed around the edges of the newly profiled central bed and made to look ‘original’ through meticulous soil packing by Maydencroft’s James and Immogen.
• Also on Friday the bed by the retaining wall  was cleared and re-profiled. The good news here was that we proved that this is yet another of Anthony Parson’s special ‘tanked’ beds with a concrete base and a drainage hole. The disappointment was to discover that the red-brick wall at the front edge has, over the years, been robbed and is likely to be 3-4 courses too low.
• On Friday all the grass beds had a second spray of selective weed killers.

WORKING PARTY TASKS – THURSDAY 17TH MAY 2018

TASK 1 – Continue nettle weeding in the prepared planting beds.

TASK 2 – Continue rabbit protection of planted trees

TASK 3 – General watering as required

TASK 4 – Clearing, scrubbing and cleaning the Rock edging on the sloping North East path past the Pulhamite outcrop.

TASK 5 – General site clearance

GARDENING GROUP TASKS*

Friday May 18th 2018

TASK 1 – Plants will be selected and purchased from Rochfords by Sarah and Ann, supported by Andrew.

Saturday May 19th 2018

TASK 1 – Plants to be unloaded in two tranches from a trailer parked in the road and carried to the site

2 x strong volunteers needed

TASK 2 – Sarah will place the plants – after placement assistance will be required

TASK 3 – Planting out

4 x GARDENING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – 3 x to plant and 1 x to water in

Monday 21st May 2018

TASK 1 – Sarah to collect a second tranche of purchased plants from Rochfords

TASK 2 – Plants to be unloaded from a trailer parked in the road and carried to the site

2 x strong volunteers needed

TASK 3 – Sarah will place the plants – after placement assistance will be required.

TASK 2 – Planting out

4 x GARDENING VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – 3 x to plant and 1 x to water in

• Times to be confirmed

GARDENING GROUP COMMUNICATIONS – PLEASE SIGN UP

Will all volunteers who would agree to attend ad hoc gardening meetings (for example, see above meetings on 19th and 21st May) please send a WhatsApp message to John Roper so that you can opt-in to the WhatsApp  FERNERY GARDENING GROUP which was recently established.

The purpose of this Group is solely to facilitate short term communications to arrange such meetings.

MEETING PLACE

We will meet at 10 am at The Fernery on Thursday 17th May 2018. The leaders will expect to be on site from 9.30 onwards to get the tools ready, so if you are an ‘early bird’ and can help, please do so.

All team members should have good quality garden gloves and wear strong boots, and bring a hot drink for elevenses. We will provide small hand tools for general use.

For newcomers, the Fernery can be found at the top end of North Ride on the Danesbury Estate, AL6 9RD. For more details please go to ‘Where We Are‘ tab at the top of the page.

The Best Laid Plans..

Plans for our next Working Party have been seriously impacted by the recent spell of very wet weather. The site is still very wet.

The scheduled Monday 7th April arrival of the Maydencroft digger had to be postponed, and it is not likely to be brought on site for at least two more weeks to allow the site to thoroughly dry out. We will not therefore be able to complete some tasks scheduled to be completed this month, and we might have to put in extra hours if we are to prepare in good time for our big plant-up  in May.

We will give you  a further update next Thursday.

Site Clean up since our last meeting

You will undoubtedly notice that the site is considerably cleaner since the last Working Party due to:

• 26th March – a small group cleared leaves from the paths and burned off loads of twigs,
• 1st April Sue and Andrew cleared leaves and rubbish from the dropping well,
• Tuesday 8th April Harry cleared all the rocks and the stagnant standing water out of the basin, and with Andrew’s help cleaned the site in advance of last Wednesday’s visit by Kate Harwood and students of the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust.

The HGT visit was very successful. Kate Harwood showed her thanks by presenting the FOD with a fern Polypodium vulgare which she planted to a full fanfare of shouts and encouragement from all those present.

Tasks for Thursday 19th April 2018 

Weeding and Nettle Control

If we have time to organise this with the Borough Council, we might undertake some nettle spraying in non planting-bed areas.

We should continue to hand weed nettles from the planting beds

Daffodil Rescue

We will dig out as many of the daffodils as possible on the Tufa Bed which are now past their best, and store them for later re-planting.

Whips and Shrub management

Clear around all the whips and shrubs planted in February, to allow them to grow unimpeded by weeds.

Puddingstone Removal

Removal of dumped tufa rock is scheduled as a task for the Maydencroft Digger, but because many of the dumped stones are unusable it will help if we can separate the more valuable pieces that we want to keep, including the puddingstones and some pulhamite fragments. The purpose is to maximise the use of the digger by presenting an uncomplicated pile of redundant stone ready to be removed from the site completely in one go.

The puddingstones are to be removed to a safe place to await further investigation.

Rabbit Scrapes

Fill some of the rabbit scrapes where they have dug holes in the banks so that more grass seed can be sown.

Other Tasks

These can be determined on the day, and will be dependent on available resources and ground conditions.

Visitors

On Friday 20th April, we are expecting two or three members of the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust who visited us last week, and have asked to return to study our Puddingstone samples more closely.

Dates of Future Meetings

Saturday 5th May 2018 – Fernery Garden Group

Thursday 17th May – Fernery Working Party

Saturday 2nd June – Fernery Garden Group

SUNDAY 17TH JUNE – WELWYN FESTIVAL OPEN DAY – 2pm to 5pm

Thursday 21st June – Fernery Working Party

Danesbury’s Park Field – Scrub Bashing and Path Clearance

July/August/September – we will continue gardening activities, but we will plan some overdue scrub-bashing work on the Park Field.

Meeting Place – Thursday 19th April 2018

We will meet at The Fernery at 10 am. The leaders will expect to be on site from 9.30 onwards to get the tools ready, so if you are an ‘early bird’ and can help, please do so.

All team members should have good quality garden gloves and wear strong boots, and bring a hot drink for elevenses. We will provide small hand tools for general use.

For newcomers, the Fernery can be found at the top end of North Ride on the Danesbury Estate, AL6 9RD. For more details please go to ‘Where We Are‘ tab at the top of the page.

March 15th 2018 Work Party

Visitors – Area Representative of the British Pterodological Association.

Weather permitting Mr Peter Blake will be visiting from Norwich. We hope that he will be able to give us the benefit of his knowledge of the types of ferns we might aim to plant, and their best positions. He will also then be in a position to talk about our plans and ambitions to other members of the BPS .

Garden Development – some necessary re-scheduling

Publication of this Notice has been delayed due to unavoidable last minute adjustments to our Work Schedules, which will affect this coming Thursday 15th March 2018, and the following two months too.

There are a few reasons for this:

• Rabbits have been nibbling/destroying some of the plants/trees we have recently planted.
• We have to prevent that happening before we start planting tender plants.
• Sarah, our Garden Designer, will be absent until 21st April and we will not therefore be able to place the ‘Big April Order’ for the remainder of the plants on the Planting List, until she returns.
• Sarah needs to be present to direct planting operations.

A delay in the next round of planting from April to May 2018 offers perceived benefits. 

• Sweet new grass will have started growing and (we are told on good authority) rabbits prefer grass to nursery grown plants.
• A delay of planting by one month (to May 2018) will enable the Maydencroft mechanical digger to undertake scheduled 2 x week tasks (from 9th – 20th April) without the earlier concerns we had of  interference with the parallel work of the volunteers on the planting programme.
• The mechanical digger is scheduled to reduce (i.e. lower) some planting beds; undertake further spoil removal from the rockwork; extend earlier excavation of paths and earthworks.
• The mechanical digger will also lift the tufa rocks from the central planting bed in the dell, to be stored for future use, and also remove rocks dropped by vandals in the dropping well basin.
• By synchronising Work Party activities with the work of the mechanical digger, volunteers will have more time to prepare new beds for planting before Sarah’s return, and before the purchase of the next tranche of plants.

Task 1 – Rabbit Protection

(Contractors are reducing the rabbit population for us).

We have to double-check that all the recently planted trees/shrubs are protected either by plastic tubes or by chicken wire.

Plastic tubes should be buried in the ground by approx. 1″- 2″ so that rabbits cannot push them aside.

Chicken wire should ideally be pegged in triangles with approx 4″ gap between the wire and the plant, to stop rabbits nibbling through the wire.

Task 2 – Weeding existing planting beds

This is a continuation of the work that Sarah and her gardening team have been  undertaking in recent months. If we have a bonfire nettles can be burnt.

Task 3 – Weeding newly planted trees and whips

As rabbit protection is checked/improved for each plant, (see Task 1 above) a start needs to be made to clearing grass and weeds (including ragwort) from an an area of approx. 12″ diameter around each plant, which cleared space should then be maintained on an ongoing basis.

Task 4 – Site Clearance – Bonfire

If the Weather is suitable we will have a bonfire. 

This will be the first step towards site clearance in preparation for the Open day on June 17th 2018.  There are fallen branches laying around the site, and nettles to be burned as they are dug up. Mulching Cage No. 1 also needs to be opened and sorted to remove material that should be burned.

Task 5 – Site Clearance – leaf collection and mulching cages

If the weather is suitable we will have another go at lifting more autumn leaves from the paths with the Leaf Blower and with rakes, and start to fill the new Mulching Cage No. 2

Task 6 – Excavation

Depending on resources available, we will continue to expose the brick walls at the North end of the site, in preparation for the April arrival of the Maydencroft digger.

We will also continue to trace the direction of the path at the top of the steps on the South side.

Other Future Planned Activities.

Metal Detector – Tony Rook

Our training day with Tony was postponed because of inclement weather.

Meeting Place

We will meet at 10 am at The Fernery on Thursday 15th March 2018. The leaders will expect to be on site from 9.30 am to get the tools ready, so if you are an ‘early bird’ and can help, please do so.

As mentioned above, we are expecting visitors from the British Pteridological Society.

All team members should have good quality garden gloves and wear strong boots, and bring a hot drink for elevenses. We will provide small hand tools for general use.

For newcomers, the Fernery can be found at the top end of North Ride on the Danesbury Estate, AL6 9RD. For more details please go to ‘Where We Are‘ tab at the top of the page.

STOP PRESS – Bad Weather Forecast

The long range weather forecast for Thursday is bad – very heavy rain is expected.

Common sense will come into play, as the site might get too dangerous and work will be abandoned.