Sunshine and coppicing

The sun is shining, we're down to shirts and yesterday I actually managed to get sunburned in March! It's been a busy week as usual. On Monday I took a group of volunteers over to Brompton to finish planting up a new hedge line and cutting out elder from an established hedge .

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View of Cronkhill from the newly-planted hedge

 On Tuesday I worked with Seamus, one of our regular contractors, and volunteer Pete to cut up two willow trees that had fallen over into a field before helping two other vol's to shift some wood and logs.



Pete and Buster take a break from sawing willow





Now you see it...





Now you don't!



Wednesday was spent up on Wenlock Edge with a large volunteer group, coppicing hazel and ash and making stakes and binders out of the cut material. Hedgelaying season is over now but the binders will be used over the next week to bind all of the hedges that have been laid this winter, while the stakes will be stored away until next September when we can begin to lay again. The trailer was full to the brim by the end of the day, over 200 stakes and 200 binders. Excellent work from the team!





Twitter

Just a quick note to point you in the direction of the Attingham Park Twitter page, where you will find regular updates of what's going on from all departments - Attingham Twitter page

Meanwhile, it is the first day of the full open season tomorrow with the Mansion beginning its seven-days-a-week opening. Come and have a look at what they've been up to all winter!

Hedgeplanting at Brompton



Adam plants up a hedge

This week some of the warden volunteers have been working near the Brompton Cookery School, removing old fences and planting up new hedge lines while I cut out the elder that was choking an existing hedge. The elder stumps are treated to prevent regrowth, and the gaps in the hedge then replanted with other species - hawthorn, hazel, field maple and dogrose. It's a beautiful part of the estate with views looking back at the Attingham mansion, St Eatas church in Atcham and Cronkhill, a neighbouring Trust property.



Brian removes fencing wire from the posts





Cutting out elder from the hedge



Meanwhile, another team has been hedgelaying along the field opposite the Atcham Industrial Estate and doing a fantastic job. The hedge has not been laid before so has been ideal to teach new volunteers the art of hedgelaying. We get our hazel stakes and binders from Wenlock Edge, another NT site, and use them to lay in the 'Midland bullock' style - upright stakes, one clean side and one brash side, and bound along the top. There are just a few weeks left to complete the hedge as by the end of March, the trees are beginning to bud and bird nesting season starts.











Crocuses, daffs and half term

             Gorgeous crocuses are popping up
around the park

Well, there's no denying it - spring is definitely on the way. The crocuses are appearing on the bank near the tea room and rookery wood in a cheerful spattering of white, purple and lilac and today, as I drove along the Mile Walk emptying the dog bins (not the most glamorous of weekly jobs but hey, someone's got to do it!), I saw the first daffodils in flower along the river walk. The snowdrops are still out in their full glory but I'm already looking forward to the sunny display of golden daffs.

It's half term this week and families have flocked to Attingham to enjoy a day in the park. There is a trail for children to follow as they look for trees around the grounds and collect a prize at the end, and the deer are being fed at 2pm each day for the public to watch and enjoy.

Well-rotted muck makes an ideal mulch for the
border shrubs

This week has also seen a lot of new volunteers join the warden team as they come for taster sessions and find out more about what we do. Yesterday, our hardworking volunteers put a mammoth effort in mulching the Ice House shrubs and Spring Gardens with muck, coppicing and burning dogwood near the Tern and resurfacing the entrance to the Deer Park with gravel to make it easier (and drier) to walk along the path. The small bonfire attracted a lot of attention from passers-by as they came to see what we were doing; the dogwood is regularly coppiced every three or four years to keep it at a manageable size. One visitor even came to rescue an armful of cuttings before they ended up in the fire, to use as part of her flower arrangement at home. I'd never thought of it before, but the deep red colours would really make a pretty addition to bunches of flowers. Next time we are coppicing, I may take a few pieces and give it a go myself!

The dogwood is coppiced the keep it under control;
regrowth will be quick and vigorous

The fire is roped off at the end of the day to keep
people away from the hot ashes

Snowdrops - they're here!

Wow, the snowdrops are out in full bloom now and looking beautiful. Saturday was an amazing day, warm, sunny and Attingham was packed! The snowdrops are drawing visitors in their hundreds as they come to admire the display, and the evening snowdrop walks and morning talks have also proved popular. Enough of me writing, here are some pictures to show how spectacular the views are right now:

Outdoors team BBQ

Last night the staff and volunteers from the warden and garden departments gathered in the Bothy for a post-Christmas party (it was too cold before Christmas!). The fire was lit, the mulled wine and hot spiced apple juice flowed and the food was absolutely fantastic - venison kebabs, pork chops, sausages and beanburgers (for me and Ben - not many vegetarians that night); homemade chutney, cheese and crackers; Kate's mince pies and apple tart with brandy butter and Home Farm icecream. Yum. Everyone had a great time, and it was a lovely way to thank our volunteers for all their hard work and get to spend some time with them away from the job. I do have some photos but my cable has temporarily gone missing (the woes of moving house!) so I will have to add those at a later time. Big thanks to the garden team who set up the party and made it such a beautiful setting.

Yesterday I also attended one of the annual pre-season meetings, where staff and volunteers gather to hear exactly what each department has been up to over the last year and what they will be doing this year. I always find it interesting to hear from the other departments and see how we link together projects and events across the property. We also use these meetings to draw attention to our longer-serving volunteers, who receive a gift as a token of thanks from the Trust. It was amazing to hear that our longest-serving volunteers have been giving their time to Attingham for 39 years - incredible!

Attingham cows

I was working with a small team of volunteers a few days ago clearing bramble away from the Park fence and cutting back the line of hawthorns to prevent them growing over and through the fence. Our work soon piqued the interest of the cows that graze the front park. The cows belong to Mr Dixon of Home Farm, and he has quite a range of breeds. The following are just a few of the curious cattle we have on site:

Highland cow - one of my favourite breeds of cow with their beautiful horns and shaggy coats. There are only two at Attingham, a mother and her (now grown up) calf - I believe their names are Morag and Hamish.



Longhorns - another breed with striking horns, and there is a large herd of them at Home Farm. You will often see them grazing as you come up the drive to the mansion.





Belted Galloway - Easily identified with their distinctive white belly band



Dexter - Short legged and full of character

There is also a large Jersey herd as well as a few other individuals. I love seeing the cattle out on the park, especially when the calves are young and playing around in the sunshine. The only exception is when they decide to group together on the road and stoicly hold their position as you drive up to them - this usually happens whenever I am running slightly late for work - somehow they just know!