HIGHER MORWELL GARDEN DIARY
1st August 2017
Looking around the garden this morning it was
obvious that we’ve had an intruder, and a large one
at that. Holes and scrapes all over the place, some
of the holes quite deep in the softer ground.
Of the twelve leylandii that were
on the edge of the south side of
the garden now only two remain
to be removed. These are the
exposed roots of number ten just
prior to cutting through them all
with the mattock. After clearing
away the debris it was no
surprise to find three more large
roots under this tangle.
Only once did I try and cut
through the roots of one of these
with the chainsaw. They are full
of trapped stones which blunt
the chainsaw instantly.
We are now quite adept at
building a bonfire which will burn
a whole stump like this in one
go. Unless it pours with rain
overnight.
Caught by the webcam just after dawn, a large male deer with a fine pair of antlers. From the
hoofprints in the bed at the very front, not to mention the obvious deposits of poo, he jumped
straight over the Devon bank at the point where there is a small gap in the shrubs. The
hydrangea we transplanted there will fill the space in a couple of years so until then some tall
canes should deter further break-ins. We hope.
Apart from cosmetic damage to the grass we seem to have escaped any serious damage to trees
or shrubs, or even the beans and peas in the vegetable plot which are just to the right of where
he is standing in the picture.
