Looking to fill a couple of gaps in the orchard and hedgerow with nursery pot-grown specimens of the following:
Rosa mollis / villosa (soft downy rose)
Rosa stylosa (short styled field rose)
Sorbopyrus auricularis 'bulbiformis'
Sorbopyrus auricularis 'malifolia'
(Shipova / Bolwyller pears)
I'm struggling to find specific suppliers?
(I have 1 Sorbopyrus auricularis from Cool Temperate Nurseries)
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
The orchard
The present orchard layout detailed on a spreadsheet...
(detail is 'work in progress')
The 'normal' job interrupts planting activities for now, but that also is suffering a few distractions.
:
(detail is 'work in progress')
The 'normal' job interrupts planting activities for now, but that also is suffering a few distractions.
:
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Spring
A busy few weeks at the field...
Most of the lorry-load of topsoil now used for levelling a couple of low spots
and for planting the last for now of the nut and fruit trees in a traditional orchard setting.
A fine full moon and reasonable weather meant an opportunity to work quite late a few nights:
Although I'm sure the conversation "I think there's someone in that field with a wheelbarrow and shovel..." for the random car that turned up one night down the track at 9pm might have caused the amorous occupants some concern.
Chestnuts, walnuts and a line of named variety and hedgerow hazels now form one edge of the orchard.
A couple of willing helpers moved things on with the planting and preparations:
The overhanging young willows along one boundary have been taken vertical.
This is to get to the blocked ditch and to fix the fencing (and also re-seeding with a native hedgerow wild-flower and grass mix beneath.
A few trees planted too.
The 'copse' part towards the corner of the gateway boundary finally started, mainly with ash, but with a few oaks and others randomised in the mix. (The intention is to coppice in future years).
The east side of the field has had a new section of hedging put in along the side of the gate-way. Hawthorn with a dog-rose and some hedgerow plants.
Quite a noticeable amount of growth with the grass and along the hedgerows - anemones noticeable in the south hedgerow.
The almond tree is in full blossom:
The quince are the first of the fruit trees into leaf, with various bud development on the other trees, particularly pear and hazel.
Quite a bit of wildlife getting lively, lots of birds - the owls calling in the evenings, a woodpecker near by and small mammals in the hedgerows.
Various visitors over the last couple of weeks - welcome and otherwise.
Some interesting chat with regular and random walkers, but a bizarre situation last Saturday afternoon:
Three people, quite smartly dressed with a black & white terrier (a man and woman about 30 and another male about mid-twenties), walking down the access track, then lurking under the by-pass underpass for about 15 minutes and looking across now and then at me planting trees in the field...
They walked on into the field north of the bypass (not a public path, but often used between the riverside path and the trackway footpath). Something seemed 'odd' - I went to the other underpass along the edge of my field and the 30 year-old was just about to spray graffiti on the concrete structure. He tried to hide the can in his jacket pocket, a polite challenge and they went to move on - although the younger male protested "It's a public walkway!" (as if that made it OK and I pointed out that actually it wasn't).
Meanwhile, I've taken the damaged metal gate from the bottom of the access track for re-welding and repair and to securely refit as soon as possible.
More positively, further pleasant chat with locals and neighbours and a new private alllotment opened up on the Welsh side of the river - also swapped details with a few folk to communicate on suspicious activities and anti-social behaviour.
Most of the lorry-load of topsoil now used for levelling a couple of low spots
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
and for planting the last for now of the nut and fruit trees in a traditional orchard setting.
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
A fine full moon and reasonable weather meant an opportunity to work quite late a few nights:
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
Chestnuts, walnuts and a line of named variety and hedgerow hazels now form one edge of the orchard.
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
A couple of willing helpers moved things on with the planting and preparations:
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
The overhanging young willows along one boundary have been taken vertical.
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
This is to get to the blocked ditch and to fix the fencing (and also re-seeding with a native hedgerow wild-flower and grass mix beneath.
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
A few trees planted too.
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
The 'copse' part towards the corner of the gateway boundary finally started, mainly with ash, but with a few oaks and others randomised in the mix. (The intention is to coppice in future years).
The east side of the field has had a new section of hedging put in along the side of the gate-way. Hawthorn with a dog-rose and some hedgerow plants.
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
Quite a noticeable amount of growth with the grass and along the hedgerows - anemones noticeable in the south hedgerow.
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
The almond tree is in full blossom:
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
 |
| From Meadowcopse 2012 |
Quite a bit of wildlife getting lively, lots of birds - the owls calling in the evenings, a woodpecker near by and small mammals in the hedgerows.
Various visitors over the last couple of weeks - welcome and otherwise.
Some interesting chat with regular and random walkers, but a bizarre situation last Saturday afternoon:
Three people, quite smartly dressed with a black & white terrier (a man and woman about 30 and another male about mid-twenties), walking down the access track, then lurking under the by-pass underpass for about 15 minutes and looking across now and then at me planting trees in the field...
They walked on into the field north of the bypass (not a public path, but often used between the riverside path and the trackway footpath). Something seemed 'odd' - I went to the other underpass along the edge of my field and the 30 year-old was just about to spray graffiti on the concrete structure. He tried to hide the can in his jacket pocket, a polite challenge and they went to move on - although the younger male protested "It's a public walkway!" (as if that made it OK and I pointed out that actually it wasn't).
Meanwhile, I've taken the damaged metal gate from the bottom of the access track for re-welding and repair and to securely refit as soon as possible.
More positively, further pleasant chat with locals and neighbours and a new private alllotment opened up on the Welsh side of the river - also swapped details with a few folk to communicate on suspicious activities and anti-social behaviour.
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