Removal of red osier dogwood at Quarry Bank Mill on Sunday 23rd November 2025

Nine of us met up with Ceara before walking to South Wood to begin the task of cutting down and stacking red osier dogwood.  No, I  didn't know what it was either and had to ask good old Google!  It is a non-native species that grows prolifically and seems, once established, like rhodi to tangle itself.

We started around the mill pond, disturbing a heron that was stood minding its own business, stacking all the cut shoots by a tree that had come down in storm Claudia.  Ceara asked if we could help to move the tree, so once brew finished we set to loading up the trailer using straps to help carry the big pieces, between four people, as well as cutting some into more manageable sizes and dragging as much as we could out of the pond.

That was hard work not made any easier by the downpours that kept up all day.  There is still some to move because they need a chainsaw on them.

Finally back to the dogwood which was further down the woods along the riverbank.

Thank you to Ceara for a good workday and especially thanks to my colleagues for all their hard work in the most inclement weather.

Christine

Birch clearing and rhodybashing at Lyme Park on Sunday 9th November 2025

We had a great day at Lyme Park today working on two tasks in Lantern Wood.

The first was clearing birch in a sight line from the Lantern in a roughly southerly direction which was completed.

The second task was rhodybashing and burning, where the area we were working on was a good bit up the hill from the Lantern.

There is still however a few years left of bashing required to clear the wood of rhody.  The rangers were very happy with all our efforts.

Martin

Halloween at Biddulph Grange Gardens

You find me on my way home to Edinburgh I'm currently on train bound for York as with the West Coast Main Line is closed between Preston and Carlisle due to a train derailment at Shap, in the early hours of this morning I'm heading for the East Coast Line.

I was in Manchester to join the group for a workday at Biddulph Grange Gardens. I was joined by 8 others on a chilly but sunny Sunday morning, for our annual task for taking out the Daliahs. This task involves cutting down the Daliahs, taking out the stakes which we had put in earlier in the year, making sure to keep a hold of the labels so that they can be tied on to the tubular and then put in a crate with other plants of the same name. There were names such as Boom Boom Yellow, Edinburgh, Purple Gem and Golden Sceptre. Some of the Dahlias were still looking good but it was time for all of them to come out.

Before we started we were asked if anyone wanted to cut a bunch of Daliahs for the cafe so I offered…you can see my arrangement below.

We had our coffee break at outside tables that belonged to the cafe and although it was in the shade and a little chilly it was great to be able to enjoy being outside with nature, Robin Redbreast joined us in the hope of getting some crumbs leftover from our Mr Kipling cakes Sue had provided. 

Work carried on and some of the daliah beds were in sunshine which was actually quite warm and others were in the shade and coats were needed. But we worked away at our different tasks wherever we were. Lunch was eaten near to the worksite some of us in the sunshine others not. It did make me smile that out side the gardens was a sign that said no picnics and there we were eating our picnics. Whilst working we had been passed by many visitors asking for advice about Daliahs also saying how much they had enjoyed seeing them on previous visits. We even got asked about the group, hopefully they will join us on future workdays. 

Many of the visitors to the gardens were families on the look out for Halloween related objects, we found this chap working hard near the truck and trailer where we were putting the cut off dahlias, he was dead pleased to see us as his heart was no longer in it. His name badge told us he was called Albert Spinestein....

We finished our day at about 3.15pm we didn't quite manage to take out all the Daliahs but Gardeners Holly and Jack were delighted with what we had got done.

Afterwards Sue, Jean and I went in search of a Red Maple Tree in the China Garden, Sue had been told about. It was fabulous to see, particularly with the colours of the Chinese Garden.  

Sue and I also followed a sign I had seen on the way in, it was an arrow with Kitchen Garden painted on so we went exploring....

Thanks to everyone who joined Me we had a great day...and yes I made it back to Edinburgh