30 Apr 2007 - Keeping in Touch Issue 38 - April 2007
ROE GREEN WALLED GARDEN
We are pleased to say that we have finally replaced our greenhouse. We have been wanting to do that for some time but the final 'nail in the coffin' was when part of the roof was blown off in a gale.
We are delighted with the new greenhouse and we must thank the contractors for doing a superb job in a short timescale. Also we thank all those who have purchased goods and plants from us, and made donations to our Group. This has increased our funds to enable us to finance the new greenhouse.
As spring is upon us we are proud to see the garden in such good shape, in particular the rockery which was built by Rose and Kim last year so painstakingly. The aubrieta are now in bloom and give a fine display in harmony with the white rocks.
Finally, the upper halves of the conifers at the back of the workshop have now been lopped off by Brent Parks. The tall branches had been posing a potential danger on windy days.
Bernard
RAINFALL READINGS
BHCG has been providing rainfall readings to the Met Office (now Environmental Agency) for many years. As far as I know we are the only organisation in Brent which does this.
Rainfall is collected in the Walled Garden in a rain gauge container provided by the Environmental Agency, and the readings in mm are taken three times a week at 9 am and on the first day of the month. If there has been exceptional rainfall additional readings are taken. Information about the overall weather e.g. cloudy, dull etc is also logged.
Helga, as the 'Official Observer' has been doing this job for the several years now, with John standing in when she is away. The data is sent via LB Brent to the Environmental Agency every month.
You cannot take things for granted. On one occasion the container was full of liquid even though there had been no rain. As there had been a children's party the day before, it did not take much to realise that somebody had had a bit of fun and so the whole amount was discarded. Bernard / Helga
FRYENT COUNTRY PARK.
The appearance of the 20,000 daffodils planted on the grass verges of Fryent Way tells us Spring has definitely arrived. The trees begin to bud, the lesser celedine comes into flower, and picnickers arrive with their mats to enjoy the warm sunshine of our beautiful park.
But BHCG has been working hard during the cold wet winter months to make sure the habitats of the park are all ready for spring. This year we have planted 453 trees during the tree planting season (that's a lot of holes in wet clay). All of the fruit trees and some of the other trees were organic. The trees we planted were Crab Apple, Silver Birch, Ash, Field Maple, Hawthorn, Whitebeam, Oak, Wild Rose, Alder, Willow, Alder Buckthorn, Apple , Pear, Damson and Plum. Generally all the fruit trees were old varieties, including Gladstone, Pitmaston Pineapple, Wheeler's Russet, Shropshire Prune and Rosemary Russet. One apple tree was a Pinner Seedling; this apple was discovered in Pinner in 1834, and is an almost forgotten eater which is not commercially grown. Therefore we had to order two years in advance, as it had to be from graft wood from the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, and then grafted onto rootstock.
As well as tree planting, we have cleared footpaths, worked on the willow maze and completed the frogspawn count. Frogs have bred in 16 ponds this year, but our numbers were lower than in recent years; this maybe due to dry summers in previous years.
As usual much, much litter was collected, and to everyone who picks up litter - THANK-YOU. Kim
BHCG HELPS MORRIS DANCERS
If you should have the good fortune to see the Datchett Morris Dancers in action please pay particular attention to their sticks. They may originate in Fryent Country Park.
Last December the Datchett Morris dancers were in need of replacement sticks and they approached our Group. The sticks need to be made of ash - as straight as possible and around one inch in diameter.
We supplied the Morris Dancers with 30 sticks. The sticks were cut from self seeded ash saplings in the wood on the Park. The final sticks have to be 3 ft (925 cms) long and so the lengths were cut to about 39 inches (1 m) long to allow for honing. Arabella
ACTIVITIES AT ROE GREEN WALLED GARDEN
We have continued to receive visits from members of the public and schools throughout the winter.
We are open at the garden Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 2pm. Sundays we are out in Fryent Country Park carrying out conservation project work. Please see the web site below for the programme of projects at Fryent Country Park or telephone the garden. Feel free to join us in our conservation projects at Fryent Country Park.
We are now collecting old pottery garden pots and would appreciate any you no longer want.
Our goldfish pond is getting a little crowded. If anybody would like one or two goldfish please contact us. First come first served. .
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Sat 28 April Open Day 11am to 4pm. If you can help please contact us
Sat 9 June Open Day 11am to 5pm in which the Walled Garden is taking part in the London Open Garden Squares weekend organised by the London Parks and Garden Trust
Sat 12 May Annual General Meeting. 10.30 am at the Cottage
Contact numbers: Garden 020-8206-0492 (answerphone if nobody there)
Chairman 0208-206-0589
We are pleased to say that we have finally replaced our greenhouse. We have been wanting to do that for some time but the final 'nail in the coffin' was when part of the roof was blown off in a gale.
We are delighted with the new greenhouse and we must thank the contractors for doing a superb job in a short timescale. Also we thank all those who have purchased goods and plants from us, and made donations to our Group. This has increased our funds to enable us to finance the new greenhouse.
As spring is upon us we are proud to see the garden in such good shape, in particular the rockery which was built by Rose and Kim last year so painstakingly. The aubrieta are now in bloom and give a fine display in harmony with the white rocks.
Finally, the upper halves of the conifers at the back of the workshop have now been lopped off by Brent Parks. The tall branches had been posing a potential danger on windy days.
Bernard
RAINFALL READINGS
BHCG has been providing rainfall readings to the Met Office (now Environmental Agency) for many years. As far as I know we are the only organisation in Brent which does this.
Rainfall is collected in the Walled Garden in a rain gauge container provided by the Environmental Agency, and the readings in mm are taken three times a week at 9 am and on the first day of the month. If there has been exceptional rainfall additional readings are taken. Information about the overall weather e.g. cloudy, dull etc is also logged.
Helga, as the 'Official Observer' has been doing this job for the several years now, with John standing in when she is away. The data is sent via LB Brent to the Environmental Agency every month.
You cannot take things for granted. On one occasion the container was full of liquid even though there had been no rain. As there had been a children's party the day before, it did not take much to realise that somebody had had a bit of fun and so the whole amount was discarded. Bernard / Helga
FRYENT COUNTRY PARK.
The appearance of the 20,000 daffodils planted on the grass verges of Fryent Way tells us Spring has definitely arrived. The trees begin to bud, the lesser celedine comes into flower, and picnickers arrive with their mats to enjoy the warm sunshine of our beautiful park.
But BHCG has been working hard during the cold wet winter months to make sure the habitats of the park are all ready for spring. This year we have planted 453 trees during the tree planting season (that's a lot of holes in wet clay). All of the fruit trees and some of the other trees were organic. The trees we planted were Crab Apple, Silver Birch, Ash, Field Maple, Hawthorn, Whitebeam, Oak, Wild Rose, Alder, Willow, Alder Buckthorn, Apple , Pear, Damson and Plum. Generally all the fruit trees were old varieties, including Gladstone, Pitmaston Pineapple, Wheeler's Russet, Shropshire Prune and Rosemary Russet. One apple tree was a Pinner Seedling; this apple was discovered in Pinner in 1834, and is an almost forgotten eater which is not commercially grown. Therefore we had to order two years in advance, as it had to be from graft wood from the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, and then grafted onto rootstock.
As well as tree planting, we have cleared footpaths, worked on the willow maze and completed the frogspawn count. Frogs have bred in 16 ponds this year, but our numbers were lower than in recent years; this maybe due to dry summers in previous years.
As usual much, much litter was collected, and to everyone who picks up litter - THANK-YOU. Kim
BHCG HELPS MORRIS DANCERS
If you should have the good fortune to see the Datchett Morris Dancers in action please pay particular attention to their sticks. They may originate in Fryent Country Park.
Last December the Datchett Morris dancers were in need of replacement sticks and they approached our Group. The sticks need to be made of ash - as straight as possible and around one inch in diameter.
We supplied the Morris Dancers with 30 sticks. The sticks were cut from self seeded ash saplings in the wood on the Park. The final sticks have to be 3 ft (925 cms) long and so the lengths were cut to about 39 inches (1 m) long to allow for honing. Arabella
ACTIVITIES AT ROE GREEN WALLED GARDEN
We have continued to receive visits from members of the public and schools throughout the winter.
We are open at the garden Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 2pm. Sundays we are out in Fryent Country Park carrying out conservation project work. Please see the web site below for the programme of projects at Fryent Country Park or telephone the garden. Feel free to join us in our conservation projects at Fryent Country Park.
We are now collecting old pottery garden pots and would appreciate any you no longer want.
Our goldfish pond is getting a little crowded. If anybody would like one or two goldfish please contact us. First come first served. .
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Sat 28 April Open Day 11am to 4pm. If you can help please contact us
Sat 9 June Open Day 11am to 5pm in which the Walled Garden is taking part in the London Open Garden Squares weekend organised by the London Parks and Garden Trust
Sat 12 May Annual General Meeting. 10.30 am at the Cottage
Contact numbers: Garden 020-8206-0492 (answerphone if nobody there)
Chairman 0208-206-0589