Getting rid of the deadwood...

Yesterday Carl and Paul were working in the wood at the back of Churchwood, planting some new trees to replace ones that had been felled at height. The old trees had to be removed as they were becoming rotten at the base which poses a significant safety hazard for people walking by.

 

The were chopped at a height to allow the trees to become deadwood and habitable for wildlife. A tree left like this can become a home to many different species, from fungi to insects to birds. It is a part of the university's biodiversity action plan to create habitats for wildlife, and by leaving trees like this in the woodland we are promoting our conservation and biodiversity efforts.
These trees were replaced with three beech saplings which should grow pretty quickly in this area with there being so much sunlight and open space now.

The old branches have been left in piles within this section of woodland to create habitat piles which can be very good for encouraging more wildlife into the area, such as hedgehogs, as they provide excellent shelter for the colder and wetter months.
Further up the woodland, Carl and Paul planted some more beech saplings to encourage more growth in an open area.

We have new ties now which attach the tree to the stake for support but are designed like a belt. This way we can easily slacken the tie as the tree grows rather than having to cut off the old tie to replace it with a new one. It shouldn't take long for the new trees to become established but we will be keeping an eye on them to make sure they are thriving.

(Photos taken by myself on Thursday 25th February)

Spring is here!

It certainly seems like the bulbs think it's spring anyway. We're still experiencing a lot of cold frosty weather but that doesn't seem to be stopping the flowers from blooming. Below are just a few of the flowers worth looking out for on your walk around the Headingley campus.

It really is worth walking round campus to see all the daffodils that are starting to appear, especially along the borders of Bronte, Leighton and Priestley.

 

Last October and November we planted over a thousand bulbs in various parts of the campus, consisting of; but not limited to, daffodils, tulips, crocus, alliums, frittilaria, and iris. We should have a fantastic display for most of the year as I chose bulbs that would bloom at different times of the year to keep the colour going. So far the daffodils and crocus are coming through but I can't wait for later in the year to see what else appears.
If you walk over towards the student hub there are four borders full of shrubs and at the moment the hellebore and greater periwinkle (Vinca major variegata) are in flower.

Over by Churchwood and The Grange there are two cherry trees, both in bloom, and they look fantastic when the sun hits them.

 

 

So get out there and have a look for these fantastic flowers. I'll be doing another walk round soon to show you what else is starting to bloom and what to look out for.

(Photos taken by myself on Monday 22nd February and Thursday 25th February)

One for sorrow, two for joy...

As I walked along the bottom of the acre yesterday I saw a magpie hopping around looking for worms. So this is my bird of the day. We get quite a few magpies on campus and non breeding birds will normally gather in flocks which is why there are always several together.

The magpie (Pica pica) is part of the crow family (Corvidae).

It stands out amongst other members of the crow family with its black and white feathers that have a purple/blue sheen to the wing and a green gloss to the tail.

The magpie is a scavenger, predator and pest destroyer who is an omnivore, which is to say they will eat other animals, plants, seeds and nuts, fruit, insects, and eggs.

They can be found all year round across the UK from lowland farmland to upland moors, but they are absent from the Scottish Highlands.

More information is available from the RSPB website (http://www.rspb.org.uk)

(Photo taken by myself on 11th February 2016)

Queenswood roundabout

Yesterday saw Carl and Paul working at Queenswood to repair the turf on the mini roundabout. A bus went the wrong way and ended up driving over it as the turn isn't quite large enough for a bus.  

They had already made a start by the time I arrived to take pictures but you can see the tyre tracks embedded in the turf. 

The damage was rather extensive this time so it required them to use a turf cutter to put new turf on the area. Normally we are able to just use forks and lift the turf back up to remove the tyre marks.

 

The turf was taken from a side of Queenswood that doesn't get any passers by or visitors on it. So this means we'll be able to re-seed the area and let it grow back without too much worry. If we get mild weather then it doesn't take long at all for grass seed to germinate. 

Here you can see Paul tamping down the turf to make sure there is definite contact between the turf and soil beneath to ensure it has every chance to survive. 

We usually get a bus or lorry going the wrong way and they do end up driving over part of the roundabout so I'm sure we will be back out fixing this patch in the future.

 

 

(Photos taken by myself on 11th February 2016)

February maintenance

What to do in your garden in February

·         Prune your wisteria to two or three buds

·         Near the end of the month, prune summer flowering clematis

·         Cut down winter shrubs grown for their colourful winter stems to the base

·         Cut back old foliage from ornamental grasses to a few centimetres off the ground

·         Prune overwintered fuchsias to one or two buds on each shoot

·         Prune winter flowering jasmine after flowering to encourage new growth for next year

·         Prune winter flowering shrubs once their colourful winter display has finished

·         Cut off old hellebore leaves to remove possible diseases such as leaf spot

·         Trim winter flowering heathers once the flowers disappear

·         Now is the time to move deciduous trees and shrubs, provided the soil isn’t waterlogged or frozen

·         Plant lily and allium bulbs

·         Plant bare root roses for a summer display, but not in the same place as old roses were grown. This can cause the new roses to suffer from replant diseases

·         Plant fragrant winter flowering shrubs ready for next winter

·         Trim deciduous hedges before birds start nesting

·         Vines such as ivy can be cut back now

·         Remove any reverted green shoots on variegated evergreens to prevent reversion taking over

·         If the grass is dry, set the mowers cutting height to its maximum and cut the grass

·         Hang fat balls and keep bird feeders topped up to attract birds

Information taken from the Royal Horticultural Society (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/february/) and Thompson and Morgan (http://www.thompson-morgan.com/what-to-do-in-the-garden-in-february)

Anyone fancy a pint?

Unfortunately no, I'm not talking about alcohol. Sorry. 

On Monday, Jen, Sam, and I headed off to the student accommodation blocks at Kirkstall Brewery. The weather on Monday was terrible. It rained pretty much constantly so we definitely needed our waterproofs and wellies on. 

We went here to check on the trees planted over the last couple of years. 

Some were planted in November and the team were lucky enough to see some deer grazing in the area. 

The trees are still attached to posts to keep them stable in bad weather conditions, and to ensure they have the support they need to grow straight and become established. Once they are well established we will remove the ties completely.

We needed to check the supports because the tree trunks can grow so fast that the ties become too tight and then choke the tree. You can see from the picture below what happens when a tie is too tight. This was only one years worth of growth, so we need to pop down at least a couple of times a year to check the trees. 

It's very unlikely that the tree will survive with such extensive damage, but we'll keep an eye on it just in case. 

So Sam and Jen went round cutting the old ties and then replacing them with new looser ones. 

We managed to get all the ties replaced and not get too wet in the end, so all in all it was a very satisfying afternoon. Although it would have been amazing if we had seen the deer grazing this time. 

(Photos of the deer taken by Rach in November, the remaining by myself on 8th February 2016)

#wildlife #biodiversity #groundsmaintenance

A windy start

Well the 1st of February got off to a blustery start thanks to Storm Henry. The gale force winds meant that Jen could not continue with her hedge cutting regime around the campus as all the cuttings would have blown all over the place. So she could be found in the border on South drive, edging the grass from the Acre to the far end of the steps opposite Bronte.
Carl and Sam could be found in the borders at the refectory/student hub, tidying the shrubs up and weeding. They had to keep an eye on their buckets, otherwise these could have blown away taking their weeds with them!
I was working my way along the bottom of the Acre edging the grass to neaten up the path. This involved a half moon implement, a bucket, and sore knees. It did get my fingers after awhile, pulling up the overgrown grass from between the paving slabs, but it was worth it for the end result. You can see from this image that the grass had crept over the path quite away, so with it being a main thoroughfare for people, it really needed tidying up.

I'd made a start on the side below and already you can see a difference.

 

It's surprising just how much of a difference it can make to edge a pathway like this. It looks a lot tidier and now shouldn't need doing for another year.
Once I'd finished this, Carl told me about some Galanthus nivalis (snowdrops) that were starting to come out at the bottom of the rockery. So if you get the opportunity you really must see them.

At the top end of Fairfax there is a bed of Erica carnea (heathers) that are starting to bloom. So these are definitely worth seeing too for their colour at this time of the year.

(Photos taken by myself on 1st February 2016)