October 2024. Back in February, we had a go at thinning out the reeds in Victoria pond. This proved to be more of a major task than first envisaged. Unfortunately, the reeds got even denser over the last seven months, so it was back to square one.
This time we tried a slightly different approach, or rather Matt did!
Matt always likes to immerse himself in his work!
Armed with a sharpened lawn edger, Matt chopped away at the roots of a section of reeds before surrounding it with ropes and netting. Using the tirfor winch (as before), we slowly pulled away, hoping to free it from its mooring and drag it out of the pond.
This was very much trial and error, as the rope snapped several times before replacing it with one with a higher tensile strength.
It may not look like a lot, but hopefully the start of a renewed effort to rejuvenate the pond.
Having learnt from our previous attempts, we continued clearing more sections of reed bed.
It's amazing what treasures are unearthed from the depths!
I think we're definitely getting there.
The planted beds in the picnic area where in need of a sort out.
The plants were looking healthy, however some benefit from being coppiced, like dogwood and ribes (blackcurrant).
We also cleared out dead grasses, knapweed etc.
As the incinerator was already in use, we dragged the cuttings into the yard for burning.
Matt and I finished by strimming the front of the bed and then mulched, using the tractor to transport bucket-loads of woodchip.
We managed to clear two of the three beds (a full day's work for two people).
The third bed was hardly recognisable, as it was covered mainly with knapweed. I strimmed the edge of the bed to re-establish its shape and then helped Tabby clear around the shrubs, ready for mulching. Once again, the plants looked healthy.
My last post mentioned the willow tunnel, which was our next task. After a bit of strimming, we set about cutting and shaping the new growth.
Each year we plant more willow along the sides of the tunnel (as some do not root). Once they become tall enough they are ready to be shaped. As you can see, we use zip ties to bind them.
The direction of the new shoots above the canopy is important. If it's too perpendicular, they cannot be bent into the existing tunnel and have to be lopped. Thankfully, there is enough new growth to choose from for suitable shaping purposes.
All the new growth has now been shaped or lopped, and the willow has a fresh covering of woodchip.
There will be some additional planting in the spring.
Hope you enjoyed the post. There will be more in a few weeks' time.
