Some of our volunteers helped to marshal at the Dalby Dash this year, so we were smaller in number than usual so just 6 of us were in the Forest Garden this month. We tried to tackle more of the creeping buttercup, but also cleared the area that’s been under cover for a couple of seasons. We prepped the area and have sown some wildflower seed with the hope for some woodland colour in the spring. It was warm and it almost felt spring-like in the sun but those seeds will need a bit of frost before they get going. We look forward to seeing how this area develops over the course of the next few months.
Category Archives: forest garden
The one where we got the powertools out (May 2019)
Thank you to everyone who turned out today.
Some muscles, the drills and the chainsaw came in handy at the Enchanted Wood today.
We had two working parties out in the forest but we still achieved a lot in both the Forest Garden but also the Enchanted Wood (see pics). There, we carried out more boundary work and started to re-erect the original EW metal sign that is being relocated. Those fence panels were heavy — feeling achy now…!
Buttercup-wrangling in the Forest Garden!
January saw us back to work in the forest garden and tackling the buttercups that were strangling some of the plants and taking over the paths. Some lovely pics courtesy of Michael Hill. We will continue to meet on the second Sunday of every month so if you want to do some volunteering in 2019 then come and join us! https://friendsofdalbyforest.wordpress.com/about/
Forest Garden
Forest Garden
Forest Garden
Forest Garden
September work task in the forest garden
Thank you to all the volunteers who came along to the work task this morning. There were only 6 of us but it felt like we achieved a lot.
We laid a membrane to suppress the weeds in the area behind the cafe at the courtyard (it’s very stony so that seemed the best way to kill off the weeds). We will work in this area next year as it is technically also part of the forest garden. We have lots of strawberries and currants to plant there.
In addition, we built a bug house (hotel?) with some pallets kindly donated by Mark from the maze . There are so many insects in the garden especially ladybirds and beetles at the moment, so we hope they enjoy their new accommodation!
Hedgerow work along the Ellerburn trail
Our May worktask involved removing the trees tubes along the Ellerburn trail. A few years ago we planted a range of hedgerow plants including holly and hawthorne but now they are more established, it was time to remove the tubes now that they are less likely to be nibbled by deer and rabbits. We started the task last November – thankfully it was a bit warmer today!
A couple of us also did some more work on the forest garden which has burst into life this week. If you visiting the forest do call in to see it – and catch the Helen Sear exhibition in the courtyard at the same time.
What we did on our work task today
Thank you everyone who turned out for our work task today. We tidied up the forest garden and made a dent in the spreading buttercup while also managing to give the willow tunnel a haircut and replanted the cuttings in the pencil maze at the park. Hard work – well done everyone!
Friends of Dalby Forest 