Tuesday 23 April 2013

Squaring the circle - reprise (Week 3, Tuesday)

Our teamwork today was again planting trees, something which I really looked forward to:

1. I had enjoyed it the last time
2. wanted to refresh my memory on the technique
3. the weather was good...


You can see the square hole, the planting hole, and the planted tree clearly in the pictures.

This time it was only two of us for each tree so I had the opportunity to take more active part, and I was working with a colleague who had done it dozens of time, who helped me perfect my technique. Using the tools felt less awkward the second time round: it is really a matter of "practice makes perfect", and we planted a really pretty little tree, Sorbus meliosmifolia (which, according to the great book one of my colleagues suggested, Gledhill's "The Names of Plants", means: having leaves similar to a meliosma).


It takes around an hour to plant a tree properly from scratch, so today I worked on planting five different trees, including the Sorbus. Two of them were planted on the bank of the lake where on my very first day I had pulled ivy out: it was good to see how that clearing work I did served to prepare the bank for planting new trees.

Well, another enjoyable day, and what gorgeous weather! 

There were plenty of visitors in the garden today, and an American garden designer stopped to take a picture of us digging the tree hole... we also provide entertainment for the kids, when we move around the longer distances on a tractor: they stare and wave at us.

As it was team working day, I had the opportunity to meet two different colleagues, one of which - like me, is interested in foodcrops and organic. It's a great bunch of people, fun and knowledgeable in their different ways and areas. By the end of the day I had been outnumbered by "the boys", who came out well in this picture, taken while finishing off the planting of the Quercus rotundifolia.


After work I went with some colleagues around the gardens, plant spotting: having a look at the plants we have to identify on Thursday - my first plant ID test!

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