Day 1 - Ground Force EHS style

After a day of heavy rain, a small (but very select) band of volunteers met at The Barlow at 10 a.m. on Saturday, 7th September 2013 to clear the bed in which the Cherry tree stands, close to The Barlow's front door.  

Some two hours later, the bed had been cleared of plants and two thirds of what used to be lawn (now mostly weed) had been taken up, moved and stacked to eventually be re-used as loam.  In the interim, there was some chat, tea & toast from the cafe (what lovely folk they are!) and more than a bit of merriment.

Passersby offered the odd bit of advice and encouragement, including Jean Entwistle who planted the Cherry tree on behalf of the W.I. around 40 years ago.  

Our band dispersed in good heart, planning to meet and continue the preparation of the bed ready for planting very soon.

The Barlow flower bed at the start

Work underway as the old roses are removed

The lawn was next (actually more weed than grass)

Day 2 - Still no sign of the decking!

Wednesday, 11th September was our second stint at working on the bed. At 1.30 p.m. we duly assembled in a light drizzle and tackled the much reduced and very weedy lawn. This was soon stacked and covered with landscaping fabric.Thanks, Sue (Brohi) for (a) realising it would be needed, and (b) supplying it. 

Our band of five was joined by Phil, who came along to give a hand and assess the requirements for the maintenance path we're going to put in towards the back of the bed. Phil also brought along his petrol driven tilling machine which was very effective in turning over the newly exposed soil into what at least appears to be a reasonably fine tilth - very impressive!
 
The manure Nicky (Crayfourd) had stashed on site a few days earlier was nicely incorporated into the bed very easily with Phil's machine, saving us some extra work. 

At the end of two (increasingly wet) hours we had cleared the bed completely, tilled and raked it into a lovely looking piece of wet ground.

Our next session should see the installation of the path and, hopefully, delivery of some topsoil to spread over the area.

One problem though, where's the water feature going to go?

Day 3 - It's actually worse than decking!

Thursday 12th September - Workmen delivered and erected the new Notice Board - a little less light for the plants and a little more concrete and eventually flags, to hinder planting, alongside the numerous shallow roots of the Cherry tree.

The shade loving plants planned for around the base of the tree should still prosper and the rest of the planting will be adapted to make the most of the available light at the northern end of the bed.

Day 4 - Time to get on with it again

Friday 20th September - A dwindling band of volunteers arrived early this morning to receive a delivery of topsoil and start work on the access path. Our task was made a little easier as the driver kindly dropped the soil in small heaps around the bed. Spreading the soil did not take as long as anticipated and with some additional bags of manure, should help the newly planted bed become established.

Phil, Nicky and Carol set to work on digging out the footings for the path. Despite our earlier efforts to till the soil it proved heavy going, with tree roots and stones still hindering progress.

With the shuttering completed, the front boundary of the path was cemented and left to solidify after a lengthy six hour session for some of us. Next week we should be able to start planting the majority of the bed as the rear border of the path is laid, prior to infil with block paving.

Day 5 - Time to get some plants in the ground

Tuesday 24th September was our fourth session. The weather was dry, warm and bright. In the morning, three of us planted the herbaceous stock and finished off with Cyclamen coum around the base of the tree. 

After a break for lunch, Sue (Brohi) joined us and we planted Narcissi (two cultivars), Crocus and Snowdrops, saving a few of each for the area at the back of the bed where the shrubs will go.

When the bulb planting is finished, a total of 700 will have been distributed through the bed! The Anemones (2 types) will, hopefully, be planted tomorrow whilst the other side of the maintenance path is being cemented.

Another 45 herbaceous plants are still awaited from the suppliers to supplement today's effort, but with the bed now taking shape, virtually everyone who passed by, even a cyclist, commented enthusiastically about the overall improvement being made. Indeed quite a few of them took time to ask about the planting plan and were interested to find out how the bed would look throughout the seasons in future.

  Days 6 & 7 - Completion of the access path

Back to the hard landscaping! On Friday 27th September and Tuesday 1st October we set about completing the access path and planting the Anemones. As Amanda concentrated on the planting, Phil and David mixed & poured the cement. A few hours hard labour for very little visible change.

Later in the afternoon we returned for another hours fun watering the bed thoroughly. With the local Beer Festival due to start at 5 pm and run throughout the week-end, we persuaded the organisers to get a few canes and tape off the bed to afford a little protection.

We returned on Tuesday, along with Sue (Brohi), to complete the path with block paving and start preparing the rest of the bed for planting. Evergreen shrubs, underplanted with Narcissi, Crocus and Cyclamen should finish the job off nicely.

  Day 8 - Final planting (for a week or two at least)

Saturday 5th October saw us cleaning stones and roots from the soil at the back of the bed. Three of us (yes, a small but very select group) then planted the Crinodendrons, Daphnes and remaining bulbs along the back, finishing it all off with a top dressing of composted bark. 

Half a dozen Asters 'Royal Ruby' were planted in the main body of the bed, away from the Cherry tree, where the soil is a little deeper. 

All was completed in a couple of hours, which included numerous compliments and encouraging remarks from folk passing by. Sue (B) even recruited a  new member for the Society!

Only another 50 or so plants to go, when they finally arrive from the nursery during the next few weeks and the bed will be finished.

Thursday 7th November 2013 - Final, final planting

Following the arrival of the 45 plants on Wednesday afternoon a quick email soon rounded up a few volunteers to get the plants in the ground the following day.

The weather forecast promised a dry, bright morning and we were not disappointed and after Amanda had laid out the plants, Nicky and Carol helped her get them in the ground while David concentrated on weeding and clearing the covering of leaves from the cherry tree and nearby sycamores.

The addition of today's Astilbe, Monarda, Hosta, Dicentra (now Lamprocapnos) and Delphinium, all white flowering, should brighten up the facade of The Barlow next year and complement the cultivars already in the ground.

We hope our members and the local community feel that our money and time has been well spent and all are able to enjoy the re-planted bed as it matures during 2014.

The volunteers who did all the hard work were Sue Brohi, Phil Broughton, Nicky Crayfourd, Carol Frudd, Sue Jeffries, Amanda & David Mason and Susan Parsons (a non-member and Amanda's sister) - many thanks for your hard work, good company and unfailing enthusiasm.

If you are admiring the bed and not a member of the Horticultural Society, why not come and join us at our regular monthly meetings at The Barlow - usually at 7:30pm on the third Wednesday of each month. The current programme of events can be found by following this link.