May Work Morning
This was a special session in order to complete the maintenance of the flowerbed by the Church Lane entrance which is planted with pollinator friendly plants. Marjoram, although very popular with bees, has rather taken over the bed. Significant amounts were removed to make space for new plants, including some sunflowers. After a mulch with well rotted wood chippings, the bed is set up for the summer and will help to support the wildlife that depends on the nectar from the flowers.
The tree gang did a good job on the elders in the park. Elders are like weeds and it is good that we have taken them out. The park should be a showcase for the the magnificent old trees that are on show. There are lots of elders still in the Arboretum so there will be elder flowers and elderberries in the Arboretum for the insects and birds to enjoy.
There will be no further work mornings now until September but look out for other events that will be taking place in the Park and Arboretum. Enjoy the summer!
April Work Morning
The flowerbed at the Church Lane entrance to the Park received attention at the April work morning and was tidied up to allow new growth to flourish. All the perennial plants in this bed are pollinator friendly and our aim is to provide a good habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects.
In addition more wood chippings were spread on the Arboretum path and further coppicing work done on the willows. All in all a productive morning helped by the fact that 17 volunteers attended including some younger helpers who it was great to see.
March Work Morning
The March work morning was held on a lovely sunnyspring day. A large pile of chippings was spread on the path that goes around the Arboretum. Two joggers were so impressed by how soft the path felt that they decided to go around again!
We are aiming to coppice all the willows along the brook this year. This involves cutting the stems back to a low section of tree trunk or 'stool' as it is called. Willow is extremely vigorous and coppicing is necessary to prevent the tree from becoming too large. No damage is done to the tree which quickly puts out new stems. Four willows in all were coppiced on this work morning so this was a significant step towards our goal.
Tree Pruning in the Orchard
In January Steve Mason from the Gloucestershire Orchard Trust held a masterclass in apple tree pruning for some of the Arboretum's regular volunteers. Look out for a fine crop of apples in the autumn.
Bird Box Survey
On the January work morning Graham, his grandson Riley and Ron inspected all the bird boxes.
Riley cleaned out all the old nests and we recorded whether the box had been used. In the Orchard to the left of the Cherston Court entrance as you enter the Park, there are six bird boxes and five had been used. There is only one bird box in the Park and this had been occupied. In the Arboretum only three of the seven bird boxes had been used. This makes an overall occupancy rate of 64%. We look forward to the Spring and seeing more activity around the boxes.