Two visits in March and early April led to considerable progress around the fountain. The weather has been dry, however, and the water depth which had built up to several inches in the fountain has dropped and it has nearly dried out.There has been no progress recently on the surrounding stones, as I am waiting for Sir Edward's men to clear the two tree stumps that are damaging the edging. The work is scheduled, but I do not know when it will take place.
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| The path on the west edge |
Meanwhile the nettles are beginning to emerge once more, and Linda and I set about clearing nettle roots out of a large area of the West side of the site.
The pathway alongside the retaining wall which I cleared earlier this year has remained largely nettle-free, so I am hopeful that once cleared we will have the nettles under control. The plan here is to leave a border of one metre, and a path of two metres which will be levelled, covered and then surfaced with a layer of wood chippings. This path is clearly visible on the 1925 Ordnance Survey map.
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| The large cleared area on the west of the site |
Here you can see the newly cleared area. We have left sections of ivy which will regrow as ground cover, and we have also replanted a small selection of native wild flowers that are already present in the woodlands. Some of these were transplanted from the middle of rides and paths which are being cleared by Sir Edward as he continues with the management plan, and some were bought from stalls outside private houses for a nominal sum. They have been planted around the tree stumps so that it is clear where they are, and include forgetmenot, snowdrop, grape hyancinth, primrose, cowslip, wood sage, and foxglove.
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| Primroses by the lake |
Over the next few months there will be much more planting of this area, not in twos and threes but in larger drifts of wild flowers, trying to emulate these primroses flowering by the lake in April. Later on there will also be native spring bulbs to bring the area alive next year, and some planting in the fountain itself.
Meanwhile if you go and look at what is happening round the fountain you could really help in two ways, by putting some water on the planted wild flowers which will be suffering in this dry spring, and secondly by taking up any nettles that re-emerge in the area we have cleared.
I will be back for a few days in mid-May and again in June, and I am hoping to make progress on the planting, the pathways and the fountain itself.
