The 2 Year Hedge

A misty start to the day, but a day when I completed a job that has gone on for 2 years.

The day started with a walk over to the gorse field 

To collect some brambles and pine for the goats
Eventually we will make some clearings in the gorse field as that is were we want to set the bee hives up

 I did spot a lovely bright Jew's Ear fungi while I was over there

After the goats had there treats to munch on, I had a good look around the top field 

 The bamboo that was planted last year to create a wind break is coming on great

 The willow that I first planted 2 years ago is now clumping up and is starting to look like a hedge, to encourage it to thicken up it needs an annual hair cut, so that's what I did

under the watchful eye of the Alpacas 

who wanted to come into the field to help, this is my woodland field and livestock are not allowed, they would eat all my young trees.

A lovely selection of colours, there was lots of lovely long pieces that would be ideal to weave with. 

But not this year

I need some cuttings to add to the willow dome

Starting the dome

 

 which put on a lovely lot of growth when it was first planted last year, but then those pesky Alpacas kept eating it, they are banned from the area now,  I added cuttings to the in between areas then mulched the whole area with two builders bags of wood chippings

 Some cuttings were popped in to a nursery bed along with blackcurrant cuttings

 These cuttings once rooted and growing will be planted in the new chicken runs along with some hazel and bamboo, giving them areas of shelter and interest that will withstand there scratching.

The rest of the cuttings were planted along the rest of the hedge line continuing the willow hedge, the hedge line is now finished, at last, I started off with buying in some willow cuttings in March 2015, here is a link to it

Starting with willow

Last year the pruning's were used to continue the hedge line 

Continuing with willow  

and now with this years pruning's the hedge line is finished, 2 years to plant a hedge, next year I can use the willow for some weaving, yippee progress.

The sun came out in the afternoon, making the most of it I started moving the first of the compost bins into the poly tunnel

It is full of worms, every spadeful was alive with wiggly wonders.

It was a labour intensive day and my muscles now feel it.

But worth it 😁