Despite the difficult times we are experiencing fresh air, light, exercise and a spot of Gardening can really be beneficial for us all; all the students and Staff are in our thoughts during this time and we hope to see everyone soon.

The Gardens and Grounds continue to be maintained across our sites and there are plenty of things we have been doing or you could be looking to do at home.

The biggest task we have been undertaking is planting bulbs across all our sites, in fact we have planted over 2,000 bulbs.

For spring display at college we have planted Galanthus (snowdrops), Cyclamen Coum, Eranthis (winter Aconite), Daffodil (Winston Churchill), Anemone nemorosa and Fritillaria meleagris (snakes head fritillary). For summer flowering we have planted lillium martagon, Eremurus “Cleopatra” (foxtail lily) and Allium “Mars”, these should provide a colourful display from late winter through to mid-summer.

To get early pollinating insects in the orchard at Stavertonia we planted various bulbs again including Snowdrops, Winter aconite, Anemone and English Bluebell, all of these should provide as attractive display. It is our hope that as well as the splash of colour, they are great plants for attracting insects, therefore many will come into the area to pollinate the apple and pear blossom and we can then later on experience a bumper crop of fruit

Every year we continue to make safe our trees across all of our sites, removing diseased branches and deadwood is a necessity.

Tips for January

• Plant trees- providing the ground is not frozen, ideally bare root or shrubs early this year
• Check glasshouse plants, provide water but ideally not saturate them, keep them damp, little and often
• Switch, brush lawns in favourable conditions, knocking and dispersing worm casts
• Prune apple and Pear trees
• Keep water and food out and keep helping out our hungry birds
• Cut back wisteria 2-3 buds
• Get your mowers serviced
• Avoid walking on lawns in frost

Robbie Eason, Head of Grounds Maintenance

Published: 29 January 2021

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