February in the School Garden

Below is a summary of the weather recorded from the School Weather Station in the garden for the month of February.  The close relationship between the wind from the North East (NE) and the drop in temperature is clear

Day	Midday Temp C	Highest Temp C		Wind Speed m/s		Wind Direction		Air Pressure
1	7	7.2		1		W		992
2	6.3	8.4		2.7		N		1013
3	8.8	9.7		3.4		SW		1011
4	10.2	11.4		3.7		W		1010
5	5.1	6.9		6.1		NE		996
6	6.1	7.5		7.1		N		1004
7	5.4	6.4		1.4		NW		1011
8	6.4	7.9		3.4		NWW		1013
9	6.7	7.3		1.7		N		1010
10	7.6	8.8		5.8		SE		983
11	3.2	4.6		3.6		NE		990
12	2.9	4		2		NE		1006
13	4.8	5.7		5.4		S		1011
14	11.1	12.8		2.4		NW		1007
15	9.7	12.7		1.7		NW		1015
16	9.5	10.8		2.7		SE		1016
17	9.4	10.3		4.1		SE		1012
18	8.5	10.3		3.1		S		1011
19	9.6	12.7		1.7		NE		1011
20	5.5	6.4		2.7		SW		1012
21	2.7	2.7		3.7		NE		1012
22	2	2.5		3.4		NE		1009
23	3	3.5		3.1		N		1012
24	2.1	2.4		3.7		NE		1015
25	5.1	8.3		3.4		NW		1018
26	4.6	4.8		3.4		NE		1022
27	3.4	4.2		4.4		NE		1024
28	4	6.5		1.7		NE		1019

Can Spring be far behind?

We recently quoted this line from 'Ode to the West Wind' by Shelley and it appears from today's weather that perhaps Spring is still a long way off!

The daffodils and crocuses which have been in flower for a couple of weeks now and the frog spawn which appeared in the pond yesterday seems to have given us a false sense that the arrival of Spring was imminent.  This morning Weymouth awoke to an icy blast and a sprinkling of snow.  A visit to the school weather station late afternoon today revealed that at 14.00hrs this afternoon the wind chill was -8.2C.  The outside temperature struggled to rise just above freezing point after lunch.The strongest wind gust at the School garden today was 23mph although it seemed much stronger than that.  The garden has a degree of shelter unlike the beach and coastal areas around it.

Snow in March is unusual but not unknown.  Possibly the last snow in the town in March was in 2009.

The frog spawn in the pond survives. The water was not frozen this afternoon but not far off it!

Frog spawn

There are two white buckets of frog spawn under the roof of the pond dipping platform for examination if teachers wish to show the children.

A very big 'thank you' !

The school garden has recently been given a very generous sum of money. Peter Curtis, the Chief Executive for Gracewell Healthcare has presented the school with a cheque for £8,750 which will mean that we can now install mains electricity and water in the garden.  The presentation was made recently in the school garden in front of a small group of children.

Gracewell Healthcare have built the new £7m 70 bed property next door to the garden. It has been named Highclere House after children from the school were invited to name the building.  Both the school and the staff and residents of Highclere House look forward to a successful partnership.  The residents will have access to the garden 'out of school hours'.  The garden as we all know is a lovely peaceful place and in Spring and Summer is alive with bird song and butterflies.  We are sure that the residents will enjoy our garden and if this year the summer is kind to us we can arrange a few evening in the garden over a BBQ for the school,residents and staff alike of Highclere House to enjoy

Peter Curtis presenting the cheque

Once again, a very big 'thank you'!

This evening, in the very thick mist, a late visit to the garden was made.  In the memory garden the soft  and ever changing lights from our special feature there gave a really ethereal feel to that corner of the garden

In the fading light a familiar sight was spotted in the pond. Frog Spawn- lots of it.  Tomorrow it will be rescued it before the Blackbirds and Herons find it and enjoy it for breakfast! 

All change. Part 2.........

As predicted the fence between the school garden and the new build was completed within two days.  The view from the bird hide is now very different and although the border looks stark  gardens are always evolving and changing  and before long we will have something new to wonder at. Already native Rowan, Crab Apple and Bird Cherry trees have been planted which will quickly reduce visual impact and provide cover for the birds.

The weekend working party achieved much with the help of the good, if not bitter cold, weather. The main project was to install the reed screen which will hide the compost bins.  Our good friends from Abbotsbury Swannery kindly delivered 12 bundles of cut reed for us and the screen works well.

Now you see them....

Now you don't.....

Several tidying and repainting jobs were done. The bird hide has had a refreshing new coat of paint.

The refreshed bird hide

The high point of the weekend though was the completion and installation of the Aeolion Wind Organ.  This has taken a while to prepare and get right but now it stands alongside the entrance path as you walk up the garden.  More about this later!

With the temperatures set to rise next week ( a little at least) we can start to look out for frogspawn and the turning point that Spring  is on the way

All change!!

Things are moving very quickly along the border of the school garden and the new build next door.  The change has been sudden and perhaps  a bit of a shock but we should always look forward.  There is an old Cherokee Indian saying " Do not let yesterday take up too much of today".  The new fence boundary will give us a chance to redesign that part of the garden. 

In the above pictures the old mesh fence still hangs on by a thread but once the old wooden fence behind was removed the weight of the ivy and the rogue saplings from the sycamores took their toll on the mesh fence.

The contractors have now  kindly removed the fence for us and for a brief spell the area has been opened up before the new boundary fence is installed

By the end of the week the new fence will be in situ. Today the new fence posts have been installed and the next blog will almost certainly depict the new fence and probably the gate between the two properties.

Despite the rain yesterday it did clear to give the garden volunteers a brief chance for some work.  In very wet conditions underfoot the posts were sledge-hammered in ready for the reed screen which will surround the compost bins.

As the daylight faded and the rain returned a rainbow appeared in the sky

On February 21st and 22nd during half-term there will be working parties in the garden to repair the damages of the Winter and get things ready for Spring and the new year.  Do come along. Please contact the School office for details.

The Daffodil Dance

The Daffodil Dance

Early one spring,
purely by chance,
I happened to witness
the daffodils dance.
They stopped as I neared them,
and stole me a glance,
But soon carried on
with their daffodil dance.
In bright yellow tophats
and splendid green pants,
They all knew the steps
of the daffodil dance.
A fancy fandango
with hints of romance –
A whimsical, wonderful
daffodil dance!
In all the years since,
I’ve met many fine plants,
But none dance as well
as the daffodils dance.

This poem is by Deborah Diesen- it really does sum up the lovely movements of daffodil heads as they move in the breeze.  Our daffodils are looking splendid now

Further signs of Spring approaching has been this female Blue Tit exploring the nest box

Careful observation reveals that the bird has a ring on the left leg which means that it been caught in the school garden over the winter months and managed to survive the ravages of the weather. Let us hope that this year they manage to bring off young birds as last year the cold wet Spring meant that the chicks perished in the nest.

An archive photograph next! Taken on April 19th 2012.

..and below the almost finished product taken today

We are looking forward  to working with our new neighbour and the chance for us to 'redesign' our boundary. We now have a 'clean slate' -  very old school terminology -and the chance for new wildlife friendly planting of native trees and shrubs.

If winter's here, can Spring be far behind..

The closing lines from 'Ode to the West Wind' by Shelley.  An interesting poem to get to grips with.  Yesterday garden group volunteers could certainly have been excused thinking that Spring was almost here. Birds were singing, a single bumble bee was active and a couple of flies were evident in the greenhouse.  Also a bright green caterpillar was disturbed whilst potting on the Sweet pea plants.

We will identify this later

The Hazel bushes also had a touch of Spring about them as their delicate catkins rustled in the breeze

Hazel catkins

By the pond many daffodils were also in flower.  These plants seem to flower earlier each year. A little unseasonal but a welcome splash of colour to the garden

Most of the day was taken repairing the small fence which surrounds the base of the greenhouse from anybody accidentally falling against it and actually ending up in the greenhouse!

Sweet peas pricked out and stopped ready for spring planting out

If you have not been up in the garden for a while the last but one picture shows the almost completed residential home which has been built alongside the school garden.  Plans are afoot to establish a good relationship with the home and we look forward very much to sharing our garden with the residents at a later stage this year.

The final picture shows nature at work.  Pure artistry.  Any guesses as to where it is in the garden?

It is hoped to have a working party in the garden towards the end of half term week. Volunteers always welcome.  Date to be confirmed soon.