Willow bed and Air-layering

The willow bed went from looking like a bunch of sticks sticking out of the ground over winter to small trees in June. There are over 5 different types of willow here. I don't know all the names and of the ones I only know the one's in front as I got the others names mixed up, should have mapped them. At the back are some herbs, rosemary, lavendar, winter savoury and, the inevitable, feverfew.

Here are a couple of photo's showing a pile of rubbish left ready for burning by the previous owners. You can just see some rusty bedsprings in the photo above.

I had been meaning to clear this eyesore up since we got the farm but it seemed such a big job. One day at home this chap came round collecting scrap metal. I gave him an old radiator Rich had been wanting to get rid of and I asked if he would take old bedsprings. He said yes to the bedsprings and I promised them the following week. This motivated me and it took only a couple of hours to sort out. The brown patches are the bedsprings, there were three pairs of them. Rich and I had fun compacting them by folding them and jumping on them.

Here are the springs and bits left outside our house ready for the chap to collect. Below are some herbs I planted in the space that was now cleared of vegetation. The herbs are doing well and the small area needs regular weeding of thistles. To me it is my way of helping to heal the land.

Air Layering is a way of getting a small tree from a big tree. This is my first attempt. This is what you need- scissors, a paint brush, a sharp knife, string, spagnum moss, hormone rooting powder, cling film and aluminium foil.

Choose your branch. The thicker the branch the wider the area of bark you will need to strip off. I read about thumb thickness is ideal. There are three layers of bark. Mark top and bottom, with the knife, an area about two inches in length. Cut off the first two layers of bark. You can see the layers here in the photo (I hope). Once you have peeled off the bark all round the marked off area you put Hormone rooting (nearly got rioting there) powder all round the stripped area. 

Cover this with damp moss.

Hold the moss in place with cling film, tied top and bottom. I think the moss needs to be moistened from time to time. I'm sure it is time I topped mine up but I keep forgetting to take the syringe to the farm. Cling film is used so you can check for root formation from the tree into the moss. It also helps to keep in the moisture.

The cling film is then covered with foil to exclude light. After some weeks we hope to find roots growing into the moss. The branch can then be cut through at the lowest point where the bark was peeled. Plant the branch/ tree into a tub and tend well until it is growing on its own and ready to plant out, continue to water and love after planting out.

Rich painted the entrances to each hive a different colour to help the bees find their way back to their own hives. The roofs should also be painted, must remind Rich.

In Feb Rich put out some blocks as bases for the hives and earlier this month he put out thehives themselves. We are now just waiting to the shop to phone us to pick them up. Apparently there was lots of hive activity during the warmer than average April. This activity dropped off drastically as things got dry but it should pick up now with recent rain. We were told the 'nuces' (nucleuses- queen and 5 frames) would be ready in May but nearing the end of June we haven't heard anything yet.

Hives ready for habitation.

Potatoes beginning to come up and sunflowers growing in May.