Notices

Weather Forecast (Long Range)

Light cloud and a gentle breeze. Mild

Tasks

As with the earlier 2019 working parties we will aim to operate two separately managed groups. We will all meet at the Fernery for initial briefings, allocation of tasks, and distribution of appropriate tools.

Leaders will be on site by 9.30am to open the shed and prepare the tools. It would help matters if volunteers could arrive early at, say 9.30 am., and make their work preferences clear (i.e.scrub bashing or gardening) so that we can make a prompt start.

Local Nature Reserve Working Party

Andrew will lead a party to continue the work of clearing the Ancient Track on the lower slopes of the Park Field. Please meet at the Fernery to collect tools. (If you have not already seen the difference these work parties are making have a look at the Report of last months Working Party).

Fernery Garden Working Party

John will lead this group.

The principal task for the gardener will be to suppress the nettles.

This month Jenny will be planting more large plants of oxeye daisy, field scabious & wild clary on the chalk bank. But she is concerned that the rabbits are eating the wildflowers even the ones on a list they supposedly dislike!!.

The rabbits are being a nuisance and discussions are underway with the Borough Council to get the large hole in the fence on the South East corner repaired once and for all. A wooden guard is also needed under the field gate on the north side.

For this reason Jenny is planning to pot on many wildflowers for planting out in May when they have decent size roots so they’ll have a chance against the rabbits.

How to Find Us

If you have not visited the Fernery before please go to the website for directions.

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

As a major next step in encouraging young people to get involved with our voluntary restoration activities in the Fernery, in a positive way, the 1st Welwyn Scouts are helping us with tree planting on Saturday 23rd February between 1100 hrs and 1300 hrs.

The scouts will be accompanied by parents and leaders and will be directed by the Danesbury Fernery Garden Adviser Sarah Marsh who, having agreed a planting list with the Borough Council, has sourced trees from selected suppliers.

The Tree planting includes:

• 1x malus silvestrus 8′ tall
• 2x clerondendrons 6′ tall
• 4x wild roses (small)
• 2x variegated hollies
• plus some whips in the perimeter.

All necessary tools will be made available on site by the Friends of Danesbury Fernery, and all attendees are being advised of the need to wear strong boots and suitable outdoor wear, and to bring a hot drink for refreshment.

This work will greatly help and improve the conservation area and will go towards the following badges and awards

• World challenge award
• Teamwork challenge award
• Environment conservation activity badge
• Community impact staged activity badge

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The Weather Forecast (Long Range)

Light Cloud and a moderate breeze, but it might feel colder! .

TASKS

Team Structure

We are at the time of year where the range of tasks in the Fernery Garden becomes more limited, but where there are plenty of tasks remaining to be undertaken on the Nature Reserve. This will be true particularly between the months of September and March each year when there is less chance of disturbing nesting birds through scrub bashing activities.

During the Spring and Summer months less work is required in the Nature Reserve apart from regular footpath maintenance, but watering and weeding become priorities in the Fernery. The Spring also heralds the opportunity to continue excavation and restoration work in the Fernery, with the employment of contractors when needed, working alongside the volunteers.

Working Parties on Thursday 17th January 2019

On Thursday 17th January, if resources allow, we will once again set out to organise two Working Parties. We will need an authorised Leader for each Group, plus a First Aider

Local Nature Reserve

Andrew Beattie will lead a group coppicing and scrub bashing in the lower end of the Ancient Track. To save time, this team will collect appropriate tools from the Fernery Shed (loppers, bow saws, and secateurs) and convey them to the most convenient start point, which will most likely be the gate at the Codicote Road end.

Brash will be stored/hidden tidily for moving and burning at a later date.

Fernery Garden

John Roper will lead the group in the Fernery undertaking tasks that are practical in the conditions as we find them, which will include weeding and site clearing up.

We will have an extra wheelbarrow to help collect the leaf drop for preservation in the composting cage.

If resources allow, we will continue to clear the nettles on the North East corner of the dell along the path where we will plan to plant ferns later in the year.

Also if resources allow, we will also need to continue to keep the Perimeter Tree Whips clear of smothering weeds.

MEETING PLACE

The full team meets 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.

How to find us

Full details may be found on the website location of the Fernery, 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 a kissing gate entrance is about 500 metres on the right, not far from a lay-by which has limited parking space.

Tea Breaks and Briefings

Tea breaks are taken at about 11 am.

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

Team De-Briefings

When we have two separate teams working, (e.g. on the Nature Reserve and in the Fernery), we will aim for the Nature Reserve group to return tools in to the Fernery Shed by 12 pm to allow the two Groups to meet up for Team de-briefings and exchange of Information.

First Aid Course

We congratulate four of our members who qualified today at a WHBC organised ‘Emergency First Aid at Work‘ Course and who have, as a result, been Certificated.

• Harry Ward
• Sarah Marsh
• Colin Adlam
• Andrew Beattie.

In Harry’s case this was to update his existing qualification.

Leadership Course

We also congratulate Lucy Alexander who attended a WHBC Leadership Course  on October 5th.

Our thanks

We congratulate them all for their commitment which allows us, more readily than before, to continue to lead Working Parties responsibly, and with our personal safety always in mind.

 

THE WEATHER FORECAST

Light Cloud and a gentle breeze .

TASKS

Planting

Jenny is bringing more cultivated wild flowers for planting.

Leaf Blowing

This is the time of the year when we have to collect and preserve the leaf drop in the dell. I will bring my wheelbarrow and we will need to form a small team of leaf gatherers.

Watering

Watering is unlikely to be required!

Weeding

This Working Party will focus on clearing the nettle bed beyond the path at the North East corner, where we want to prepare the ground in order to plant ferns.

If resources permit, then we will also need to continue to keep the Perimeter Tree Whips clear of smothering weeds.

INFORMATION

Rabbit Control

The Borough Council’s Licensed Ferreter will pay a visit to the site on Friday 16th November to assess the degree of the task facing him, now that we have further cleared the site since his last visit. He will also be able to take into account the extensive fencing repairs and improvements that we have implemented, including the rabbit security added by Maydencroft at the entrance kissing gate since our last Working Party.

December Meeting Date Change

To give you plenty of notice, it has been decided to bring our scheduled December Meeting forward by one week to the 2nd Thursday 13th December. Please make the change in your diaries.

Whats App Communications

For further information about current activities, and notice of our occasional ad hoc meetings, please access the WhatsApp Fernery Gardening Group. If you are not already a member of this Group, then please contact John Roper who is the WhatsApp Administrator.

MEETING PLACE

Organisation

The full team meets 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, we sometimes split into two groups and a First Aider will attend each group if possible, but failing that, then the respective leaders will maintain telephone contact.

How to find us

Full details may be found on the website location of the Fernery, 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 a kissing gate entrance is about 500 metres on the right, not far from a lay-by which has limited parking space.

Tea Breaks and Briefings

Tea break are taken at about 11 am.

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

 

The Weather Forecast

Light Cloud and a gentle breeze .

Tasks

Parsons Bed – Mulching

Last month Maydencroft re-profiled The Parsons 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 up a momentum.

Leaf Blowing

If we have sufficient resources  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 special 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.

 

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.