The new screens are completed

On sunday the garden group dismantled the last two remaining old hazel hurdles and replaced them with the new reed screens. The screens are fairly simple to construct but getting the battens level and pleasing to the eye is most important.  Once in situ the reeds are dropped down between the two holding battens. There is a technique to this.  Two bundles are positioned in their normal position and then the third is positioned upside down.  This maintains the thickness of the screen from top to bottom and also stops the reed from leaning to one side. Once packed tightly the battens are nailed and screwed firmly together holding the reeds in place.  Finally a hedge cutter is run along the top of the reeds to get a good finish.

All ready to start

The battens are in place

The finished piece- click to enlarge picture

A lovely natural screen!

Working with reed produces a lot of debris. Four wheelbarrow loads of off cuts and broken reed were taken to the compost area

One of four wheelbarrow loads of off-cuts

In the greenhouse it appears that the pitcher plants might be going to produce flowers. Strange growth spurts have appeared in recent days.  Some of the plants are now big enough to split and divide and plant up again giving us more plants.

We await to see what nature has to show us.  It will certainly be worth waiting for.

Finally the rhubarb crown was moved recently from out of the old tractor tyre where it had been for the past five years or so.  It was considered that not enough light reached the plant and it did not really produce a great deal of rhubarb stems.  The plant was moved and split and the crowns covered with  large plant pots to force and encourage growth.  The plants are now doing very well.