Hedge Management Old Deer Park Saturday April 14th

A short stretch of hawthorn hedge was planted by the Trust and Tower House School in February 2006 and has now filled out quite nicely. The aim of this month's task was to trim the hedge to allow it to become more bushy so it provides better habitat for birds and other wildlife. Plus, it looks so much better than a bare mown bank. Robinia pseudoacacia suckers that have appeared were also cut back as they were over-shadowing the hedge and literally sucking all the water out of the ground. Robinia, which is native to north  America, is a seriously invasive tree in central Europe (see the Cabi Invasive Species Compendium).
April is a little late for this type of task due to the bird nesting season. Luckily, the only bird we came across was a curious robin. 
This is the hedge in April 2012 
Contrast with the day it was planted by the boys from Tower House School in February 2006

Nick, James and Thomas put their backs into rebuilding the protective fence

The hedge after its short back and sides 
Robinia suckers needed to be cut back 
Robinia seed pods ...
... and thorns 
What team work! 
Cherry blossom at its best 
Cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis)
Plus orange tip butterfly
An unlikely place to find asparagus

P.S. Apologies for any confusion over the date of April's event, but Chris took part in the London Marathon on April 22nd in aid of the Stroke Association (http://www.justgiving.com/Chris-Cockel) (Update: completed in 4:04:58 - thanks for all your support).

The next monthly event will be on Saturday May 26th (see the diary to the right for further details).
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2 comments:

  1. Tim Little17 April 2012 at 03:48

    Chris - as always a great blog and so interesting to read about what goes on behind the scenes. I often cycle in the areas you mention and it is heartening to see things looked after.

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  2. Patrick Kidner1 May 2012 at 07:39

    Chris
    I agree with Tim and should have commented long ago! What you didn't mention here is that the original hedge which was planted by Tower House boys in 2006 was promptly mown to the ground when the maintenance crew from tfl were working along the A316. It's pretty obvious they did us a service as the roots survived and we now have a thriving hedge. Must be a lesson there somewhere!
    Patrick
    PS: ..and well done in the marathon!

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