In The Garden this Term

IN THE

Garden this Term

Mid-winter in the school grounds means fewer gardening jobs whilst the grounds have a rest, but it does mean some of the less interesting jobs are accomplished. We were pleased to welcome Alan to the team as a new gardener, who is a welcome addition after being a person down for a short while last term.

ADAM GARDENER

TOM HEAD GARDENER

THE GARDENS AND GROUNDS TEAM GO SUSTAINABLE

Aligned with the School’s strategy to be carbon neutral by 2030, the Gardens and Grounds team are committed to investing sustainably in the cultivation, maintenance and management of our environment. They were pleased to receive their new STIHL equipment, powered by environmentally compatible engine technologies.

Energy consumption, exhaust emissions and noise, as well as health and safety, have been important criteria for investing in processes and products throughout the school, and the gardening team are looking forward to using their new longlife backpack batteries and quiet, emission-free equipment.

Thank you to Cornwall Farm Machinery for supplying the equipment.

THE ROSE GARDEN

The bedding of the Rose Garden took place in January. Here are some photos from behind the scenes showing the progress from before and after.

BEFORE

AFTER

NOTES

From the Garden Team

JANUARY – THE ROSES ARE PLANTED IN THEIR NEW GARDEN

Early January: bare root roses are ready to collect from The Cornish Rose Company and the bare root yew hedging is also delivered. We undertook formative pruning of the apple trees in the orchard to encourage a good branch structure and framework for fruiting in the following years. As well as mulching around the base of the trees, this supresses the weeds and retains moisture around the roots. We received eight tonnes of rotted horse muck, which was kindly delivered by our contact and Old Truronian Sam Kemp CO20. This was then raked across the Truro School Foundation’s new rose garden and rotavated into the beds to improve nutrients and soil structure.

We carried on weeding flower beds across the site, and mulching to supress weeds and improve nutrients and soil structure. Perennial seeds were sowed in the potting shed, including delphiniums, foxgloves, rudbekia and alyssum.

Gardening Club began! The club is organised by Ms Thurlow and we support where we can. The students have so far dug over the raised beds and incorporated some compost. They have also sown seeds in the potting shed including cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips and carrots.

Work took place on the sports pitches; this included spiking and slitting on the football pitches to improve drainage and reduce compaction. There was also marking on the pitches for fixtures, repairing divots and overseeding after matches. All the usual garden jobs were undertaken, such as grass cutting, hedge cutting etc. At the end of January, the whole gardening team finally got to planting the roses in the rose garden, and the yew hedging.

FEBRUARY – STORM EUNICE HITS

This month meant ongoing maintenance of the football pitches, which also included spiking to aerate the soil and improve drainage, and brushing pitches for presentation as well as maintaining the health of the turf. We cut cricket squares and spiked them to let air into the surface of the soil; following the spiking on the cricket squares, a granular fertiliser is applied. Of course, there was more weeding and mulching around site, and lawns were cut towards the end of the month, which was the first cut of the year. We also spike the lawns again to relive compaction and aerate the soil. We took delivery of new electric Stihl equipment, which is being used across site for grass cutting. The new equipment is better for the environment and the user.

There was more tree work this month, felling trees deemed unsafe from our annual tree report. A portion of these are ash trees, due to ash dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), with many more ash trees on the report to be inspected throughout the season for signs of dieback.

Spring bulbs including crocus, narcissi and snowdrops are flowing across site, as well as hellebores and the first azaleas. Towards the end of the month the magnolia trees are also beginning to flower. Seasonal bedding in pots and seasonal beds (polyanthus crescendo and tulips) are in flower now, so once a week we check all pots, deadheading and removing any diseased leaves and pests; we also remove weeds, feed and water when required (when the weather is dry we may do these three times a week).

Unfortunately, shortly after planting out in late autumn, a cold easterly wind whipped across the front of school where there is little protection and burned all the leaves on the polyanthus. We had to pick off all the bad leaves, which means they are a month or so behind where they should be. They recovered well until storm Eunice at the end of the month had another go. Never mind - that’s just the way it goes. During storm Eunice we all took the day off for safety reasons. School survived quite well, with only two trees down. Toby, our tree surgeon, came in the day after to take down remaining unsafe trees.

At this point, we were expecting our summer bedding plugs to arrive at the beginning of March, so we made more compost for potting. To do this we sieve our compost down, removing large stones and sticks; we then mix in grit and sand to improve drainage and also add bone meal to increase nutrients. We have also sown seeds for the summer perennials and bedding species, including foxglove, lobelia, echinacea, geums, sweetpeas, lupins and marigolds. The students’ Gardening Club has also been sowing veg seeds.

MARCH – SPRING HAS SPRUNG

March meant ongoing maintenance on the pitches, including their first cut of the year. We also applied an early application of calcium fertiliser to some pitches to condition the soil and improve root growth. This is when we also begin planning any spring renovations to the pitches, including overseeding and fertiliser applications.

The first trays of summer bedding arrived: 690 plugs of red pelargoniums. All potted in our potting shed using our compost and recycling our plastic pots, we then put them in our glasshouse to grow on ready for planting out in early summer. The summer bulbs and tubers for summer seasonal displays also arrived. These are also potted on and put in our greenhouses to get them started, ready for planting out as part of our seasonal displays and in our established beds and borders in early summer.

The new areas for wildflower are sprayed to kill the grass; we then rotavate these areas, raking them to a fine tilth, then sow our mix of native wildflower seeds.

Other jobs include pruning shrubs including berberis, hydrangeas (the flower heads are left on over winter as they protect young shoots from frosts) and dogwood, removing dead and crossing branches then thinning out old wood to create an open framework for new growth and a healthy plant. The team also had to spike lawns and cut when needed, including scarifying to remove moss and improve the health of the turf.

March included splitting and dividing perennial plants in the beds and borders, as well as moving plants that maybe were not happy in the position they were in last year. Jobs also included more deadheading of spring bulbs that are finishing, as well as seasonal bedding.

Towards the end of the month more plug trays of summer bedding arrived: 252 Bidens Sundrop and 300 Verbena rigida. These are potted on and put into the greenhouse to grow on.

By the end of the month we see the first signs of budding trees and shrubs across site, and begin pricking out young seedlings from trays sown last month. These are potted on and moved into the greenhouse from the propagator. By the end we will be preparing any areas of lawn for re-seeding. The students’ Gardening Club is also making a second sowing of veg seeds, as well as sowing some seeds including beans and peas outside.

Hopefully, with the spring season now here, spring will have really sprung and it should be warming up. However, that’s not to say we won’t get a frost, or even snow, before the spring season ends.

Celebration Garden

Truro School Foundation is pleased to announce that the first phase of the new Celebration Garden is now open for Old Truronians and friends to enjoy.

The Garden features formal rose beds planted with a variety of different roses and shrubs, and has been designed to create a beautiful space for reflection and celebration. The Garden is a celebration of our Truro School community: Old Truronians and friends, especially those we have lost but will not forget. This tranquil space has been designed by the Garden and Grounds team at the school, and will continue to be diligently cared for as time passes.

The Foundation is pleased to invite Old Truronians and friends to order a plaque which can be placed against one of the roses – the perfect way to celebrate a birthday, wedding or anniversary, honour a milestone, or remember someone special. In turn, your donation helps us provide means-tested bursaries to pupils and helps give them the opportunity to transform their lives and contribute positively to their families, communities and society as a whole.

Each plaque can be printed with a personalised message. As soon as the plaque is ready, we’ll get in touch.

You are then very welcome to visit and spend time in the Garden at your convenience, and return each year to watch as the roses thrive.

CELEBRATION ROSE AND PLAQUES:

Available from £75

CELEBRATION BENCHES:

There is also the option to purchase and sponsor a bench. Available from £500

For more information please visit truroschool.com/ foundation/celebration-garden, where you can also complete an interest form. To enquire, please contact Amanda Forde, Development and Alumni Relations: email foundation@truroschool.com or call 01872 246010