We have spent two days this week on Rhodo bashing since the weather has been relatively fine, for January. Yvonne and Julie, friends from Norfolk, are here and very kindly giving us a hand, and the four of us have been able to make quite a dent in the Rhododendron infestation.
This time we have been working at the far end of the problem where we suspected there was an area that we might be able to make into a pond, or at least a bog garden. But first, we needed to clear a way to the pond…
We did find a pair of trees with a cargo net between them, but looking at the state of the cargo net think this might have been here for a good few years since it was last used.
But here it is – and with most of the problem greenery cleared away.
We also found this little area that looks remarkably like a little hideaway
We made a lot of use of the loppers, and when things got too tough, Mike had a go with the chainsaw.
We declared a pause after two days, as I think we all needed a change in task. We will go back to stem inject the roots in a day or two, and need to keep a very careful eye on the area for the next few years to root out any seedlings or layerings that appear, but otherwise we are pleased with the progress to date.
It looks like the weather is turning today, so tomorrow will see us making a start on this year’s supply of Seville orange marmalade, since it will be our day in the cafe.