Southern Water Biodiversity Grant funded - Hedging Our Future Project
What have I been up to this month? As we can't carry out any actual planting until the winter months, the spring and summer can be spent planning, researching, growing and recruiting volunteers for the tree planting work.
After collecting tree seeds in the autumn last year we have spent the winter growing them on. Initially this involved removing any fleshy fruit from around the outside of the seed or mushing it up to release the seeds. They were then put in compost and left outside to germinate. This year many volunteers who planted these seeds were plagued by mice and lost most of their stock. So we haven't had as many trees as we had hoped. The acorns have been most successful and create very robust seedlings. The hawthorn and blackthorn are more slight and tender and have to be carefully nurtured. They do not like being being moved or potted on and have to be coaxed into adjusting to a new environment. We have grown about 250 trees and after checking the West Wittering and Selsey Tree Nurseries, I took them to the Hidden Garden at Selsey. Here they will get the care they need, over the summer, to then be planted out into the Selsey nursery for another year's growth. These baby trees will then get their forever home somewhere on the Manhood Peninsula!
This month we have had a quick tidy up at the West Wittering tree nursery as I wanted to see if we could fit in any more trees for growing on. However, this nursery is pretty full and after weeding, removing metres of bindweed and mulching the area around the raised beds, we just need to make sure these trees get a regular good watering. Luckily, so far, we have been blessed with intermittent rainfall therefore not needed to worry too much about them. We will need volunteers over the summer months, though, to make sure these hedgerows in the making don't dry out.
We have been back to check up on the trees that we planted in Sidlesham over the winter months when an amazing group of volunteers battled challenging weather to install a new long hedge. The trees are doing well and have benefitted from the wet spring and cooler temperatures. Most of the trees are leafing well and the guards are proving their worth with trees protected from being pruned by deer.
Volunteers over two session trimmed out some of the more invasive bramble shoots, bracken, dock and hemlock water dropwort so that the trees have a chance to compete, survive and thrive. This first year is so important.
With some left over funds from the last hedging project we have new tools! the last lots of spades were starting to age out having been used in anger during the FLOW project and well and truly being put to the test this winter. I have bought a selection of sizes, makes and weights so that there is something for everyone. I have also invested in a couple of robust soil rakes and new chairs - hurrah!! The fold up camp chairs we have been using must have been in and out of my car at least a thousand times and experienced all weathers, packed away wet on numerous occasions and generally misused and abused. But we now have more in different colours that look clean, shiny and ready for use - I am sure we will change that!
Enjoy your hedges this month as the elder is in flower with large white plate-like blooms, and wild roses with their delicate scent. Hoverflies, bees and thick thighed beetles are a common sight on these flowers. There should be a buzz at the base of the hedgerows with wildflowers offering plenty of nectar in the partial shade and hedge woundwort, green alkanet and oxeye daisies providing plenty of food.
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