Bug hotel number 3!

 It has been over a year since the sad arson attack on our last bug hotel.  As you can imagine, we felt reticent to build another one for fear that the vandals would just return once again.  However, it was so popular with the younger children visiting the Rose Garden that we decided to try again.  This time, however, in the footsteps of the famous 'three little pigs', we wanted something made of brick and much more indestructible!

Bug Hotel number 1

Charred remains of 1st bug hotel.

 

 

 Bug hotel number 2

Our volunteers sourced various materials for the build such as bricks, slates etc.  A local bricklayer came and built the main shell of the bug hotel with air bricks on three sides to allow creatures to climb inside. At first we were unsure how to proceed.  With the design ideas of Peter and the creative handiwork of Roger, another of our volunteers, work began on transforming it into something more attractive. 

We gathered sticks, bark, pine cones, dry leaves, straw and other natural materials to fill up the inside of the bug hotel.  As we were adding these, some spiders were the first to take up residence. The roof is made of metal and slates, and the front entrance has been covered by a fine metal mesh so that children can get a glimpse of the materials within.  

Although this bug hotel is more of a bug fortress, it will hopefully stand for many years to come. Fingers crossed!

Good old-fashioned manure.

 

 

Here you can see Karen and Carole, getting stuck in with their wheelbarrow and spades.

Our volunteers have been busy spreading this delivery of horse manure over the rose beds to add some nutrients to the soil.  It has been heavy and back-breaking work. Fortunately this pile is at the top of the sloping Rose garden, so gravity has helped a little in barrowing it downhill before shovelling it between the plants and roses. 

We hope to source another pile of manure over the next few months, once our volunteers have had a rest!

The Little Arno

 Over the last couple of years there has been growing concern over the neglected state of the Little Arno.

Something had to be done. The Council Parks and gardens team went in first to hard prune all the shrubs, shredding the prunings up and using them as a mulch around the site.  The Friends volunteers agreed to continue maintenance as long as it was all cut back to begin with. 

We were helped by volunteers from The Spider Project.  

The Spider Project is an award winning creative arts & wellbeing recovery project established in 2007.They recognise the significant challenges faced on the journey of recovery and wellbeing. Their mission is to empower individuals by providing a wide range of creative arts courses, holistic therapies, and physical exercise sessions.

They removed the bench from the site and repaired it before having it reinstalled in the Little Arno, for the public to relax on.

 There will be a second bench going in, which is on order. We are grateful to the Lib Dems Wirral Together Fund, for their donation towards part of the cost.

Our volunteers have spent many Monday morning sessions clearing brambles from the site. This has been very labour intensive and has involved lots of scratches and cuts. Now, work has begun on digging out any remaining bramble roots as they appear. Some of the Laurel bushes also need trimming back. As ever, the volunteers have kept cheerful in the face of such a daunting task.

Some of the volunteers who live nearby offered the use of their brown garden waste bins for the disposal of the brambles from the park.

Going forward, our volunteers will need to allocate time away from the Rose Garden to keep on top of the weeds and brambles. Bulb planting in the Little Arno has also been suggested in the near future to improve the park for the public to use as a quiet spot to sit and contemplate and enjoy the view from the top of Mill Hill. 

Improvements to planting areas.

 Two of our volunteers, Dave and Sian Turner, decided to tackle a shrub area on the left as you enter the Rose Garden from the Storeton Road entrance.  Underneath a mature holly tree, which already contained a few old fuchsia shrubs and mostly wild dogwoods, which had taken over, they took on the mammoth task of clearing it.  The dogwoods were hard to dig out as they were well established.  The plan was to plant some prettier dogwoods, Cornus Alba Sibirica, which has beautiful red stems which stand out in the Winter.

 The work was carried out over a month or so, digging out all the weeds and unwanted roots.  It was also a little shady, so Dave cut back some of the lower branches of the holly tree to allow more light and rainwater to reach the bed. Money had been generously donated to purchase the azaleas, which would add beautiful colour and scent in the Spring.  Altogether six azaleas were bought for the new planting area.  Due to the dry Summer we had experienced, it was decided to delay planting them until the soil had been improved with ericaceous compost and it had rained significantly.

The azaleas were finally planted and then stakes and mesh barriers placed around each one to protect them until they were more established.  The following images are the varieties used, apart from one, which was bought in a sale from Premier Plants of Ledsham, and was unlabelled.

 

 

As you can see from this photograph, the other side of this bed has also been replanted with  some red stemmed dogwoods ( Cornus Alba Sibirica ), a Viburnum Plicatum Maresii and some yellow stemmed willow, which were donated by Steve Ferguson. These shrubs are most pretty in Winter and Spring, when the Viburnum produces lovely white lace-cap type flowers on tiered branches.  

There is also a twisted hazel (Corylus Contorta) which was donated by Sian's brother.

 

The final planting was the low growing perennials dotted around the shrubs and near to the front edge of the border. Dave and Sian chose Alchemilla Mollis. Phlomis Russeliana, Sisyrinchium and Stachys Byzantina, which are mostly evergreen and will spread to suppress weeds.

 

All their hard work has made a real difference to improve the areas you see on your left as you walk along the path from Storeton Road entrance towards the rose beds.  Over time, this excellent selection of shrubs and under-planting will enhance the rose garden even more.  We hope you like the new look. Roll on next spring!