Orchard members have been tidying the Forest Garden so that we can plant more herbs for ground cover and hopefully discourage weeds from growing. A big thank you to Lynn who kindly grew hundreds of herb plants for us to carpet plant the cleared areas. These will be glorious once they are established and will attract wild life and pollinators.
So far we have planted chamomile, thyme, dill, parsley and carraway with more varieties to come.
We are once again taking part in No Mow May run by the Plantlife Charity. Not mowing your grass is one of the easiest ways of helping the environment. Letting wildflowers grow supports bees, butterflies and pollinators.
This year the pattern mown in the central square shows how many flowers can grow when left unmown. Even just leaving a small unmown patch in your garden can make all the difference.
We now have a new flag to fly in the orchard. Many thanks to Sonny and Lynn for creating our unique flag. The flag pole was created from a birch tree which needed removing from the orchard.
Despite the unseasonal cool weather, the orchard has been bathed in pink and white blossom. If you didn’t get a chance to visit there are still the wild flower meadows to see and wander through.
Why not indulge in some forest bathing as well. Bring a blanket or seat, choose a tree and sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of the trees and birds!
Orchard members created a new dead hedge during our recent work morning. Dead hedging makes use of the sticks and branches from tree pruning and provides hiding places and nesting habitats for all sorts of creatures, as well as food for insects. They are quick and easy to make and leave little impact on the environment.
Our last workday was very productive. All the branches produced by the pruning were put to good use in the dead hedge created by the drop off area. Dead hedges are easy to make and put all the wood produced by the maintenance of the trees and fruit bushes to good use. They make an ideal habitat for the smaller wild life inhabiting the orchard along with fungi. It all helps to create a diverse environment.
After the frost and snow, the Orchard is now struggling with all the rain! The drop off space is very wet and a pair of good boots or wellies is needed if you’re paying a visit to the Orchard.
It’s been a cold and snowy start to the new year in the orchard. The trees are firmly asleep but the cold weather is good news because apple trees need 50 days of the temperature to be 5 degrees Celsius each winter to be productive. The snowy sunny weather has also created a winter wonderland in the orchard.
Hanging up bunches of Mistletoe is a long held tradition. Orchard members braved the rain today to cut bunches of mistletoe to be sold in our village greengrocers. Despite the rain we were able to deliver 15 bunches of mistletoe all ready for Christmas!
Although nearly all of the apples have been picked, and the fruit trees and bushes are settling down for the Winter, the Orchard is still active. If you take a walk around the paths you will be able to find many different fungi. Fungi play an important part of the Orchard’s eco system. Don’t forget to look only though, non of the fungi are edible!
Lanchester Community Orchard 