Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2009/January 2010 | Page 56

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING

countryside
news

life

Compiled by Tony Ridd

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COUNTRYSIDE STORY?
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56

what to
look out
for...

Butchers Broom
This is rather an exotic looking plant, with the
flowers and fruit appearing from the middle
of the leaf. It was used for centuries in butchers shops to protect their meat from mice,
and the leaves were used to scrub the cutting
blocks to clean off grease and oils. It flowers
early in the year, but is more obvious when
it has bright red berries. Look out for it in
woodlands and hedgerows.

back to nature
A countrymans diary
Our build up to winter is generally
a bit, hit and miss, but this year we
have continued to have a steady
flow of work. Clearing, fallen
trees, from a river tributary, with
the use of our new timber trailer
and, the chance to get into one of
our woodland felling areas, before
Christmas, cutting and extracting
the timber before the end of
November (unheard of!). Because
of the nature of the site we also
decided to chip a lot of the brash
that we then removed, and will
be using as mulch for some of our
hedges and landscaping jobs this
winter.
I always look forward to this time
of year! it’s probably because
I’ve forgotten how cold, wet and
windy the last winter was. If I
were to have a favourite time of
year, it would be the next few
months, but that’s me talking
now, ask me
the same
question in
the middle
of February
when it’s
raining
stair-rods,
is sub arctic
temperatures,
I’ve just
discovered
the dog has

eaten my lunch and it’s still only
ten in the morning, I might call it
differently…
Hedge and woodland planting
starts in earnest at the beginning
of December and any preparation
work that will assist the plants
growth, or make our job easier is
also being done, this can involve,
strimming/mowing and spraying
with a herbicide to control grass
and weeds.
Our tree nursery bulges at the
seams with different trees and
hedge plants. Just when most out
door activity is shutting up shop
our work in the countryside is
bursting into life.