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March 2024 Update - Bluebell Walk
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It looks as if spring will be very early!
I took this photo in late February and it shows the white wood anemones already starting to flower, with six weeks before the Bluebell Walk opens! This is the opposite to last year when we experienced a cold and frosty early spring, so when the Bluebell Walk opened, Beatons Wood was awash with anemones in full flower and any bluebells were hard to find. If you want to enjoy the anemones at their best this year, you could visit Bates Green Garden (which includes access to the wood) on a Wednesday in late March. Keep an eye on the new weekly highlights box on batesgreengarden.co.uk, where Emma will list the wood anemones when they are at their peak.
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The introduction of Black Poplars to Beatons Wood
200 years ago, the Black poplar (Populus nigra ssp. Betulifolia) was a familiar part of the British landscape, as famously depicted in John Constable’s ‘the Hay Wain’. There are now only 45 mature Black poplar trees left in the whole of Sussex. Their demise began when wet land was drained to make it suitable for agricultural needs. The Sussex Black Poplar Working Group https://arrt.org.uk/sussex-black-poplar-working-group/, founded in 1994, are promoting the re-introduction of these comparatively rare trees, certainly in East Sussex. We have had three saplings recently planted in the wettest area of Beatons Wood.
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Snowdrops in the Millennium Avenue
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A large clump of snowdrops have established themselves on the steep bank alongside the Millennium Avenue and have inspired Emma and her Garden Team on a new project. They are planning to plant the bank using surplus snowdrop plants from around the garden.
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| This year the snowdrops were over quickly, but in a ‘normal cold spring’ the whiteness of the new bank will be a contrast to the yellow wild daffodils that are now in their prime (a fortnight early this year!) |
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Maintenance in Beatons Wood
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Unfortunately, Beatons Wood is now experiencing ash dieback, a very destructive disease caused by the Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus. We had to hire tree surgeons to fell any trees we felt could be a danger to our visitors near the Blue Walk and while they were here they also removed any branches hanging over the paths, to minimise the drips after rainfall.
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| As I reported last month, the two ponds had been cleared of fallen leaves and I had spent many hours on my hands and knees removing a plethora of young brambles and docks, so imagine my annoyance in finding a fallen tree in the Lower Pond. Not a straightforward job to remove it, as we have to gain access to the island and ground conditions are too wet for heavy machinery, so someone will have to wade into the middle of the pond to cut it into manageable pieces! |
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Prize winners of the 2023 Photographic Competition
All prize-winning entries are now on display on the wall of the new Animal Barn, each with the name of their talented photographer. They can also be viewed online at www.bluebellwalk.co.uk/photos along with all previous winning entries dating back to 2010. This certainly provides a rich and varied gallery and we would like to thank all the entrants, past, present and future for contributing to this wonderful resource.
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John McCutchan
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This message was added on Sunday 3rd March 2024
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