Slow going

The great thing about a blog is that it becomes your memory. Mine isn't great, and I lose track of time. So, I can remember taking out the last of the Leyandii, but couldn't say which winter I did it in.
I thought it was a couple of winters ago, but looking back at the posts here it was actually 2011/12. Time flies.
With the last of them gone I was left with a 45 degree bank of bare, forbidding soil with tree stumps here and there. I decided to seed it with a meadow mix and bought seed with a good range of flowers added in.
Of course, it was a disaster. After a couple of rainy days most of the seed was washed downhill, so by mid-summer of 2012 the bank was still mostly bare but with pathetic patches of grass here and there.

But Rome wasn't built in a day, so I've stuck with it and I reckon this year could be the one that comes good. Early signs are very promising.
It's still very patchy, but it is getting better. I 'm particurly pleased that last year's single cowslip now has company. This spring there are half a dozen cowslips here and there among the rotting remains of the conifers, which is a real treat to see. 

Stumped, or almost

What did Churchill say in that speech about the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning? Well, after close to a decade here I'm past the latter and certainly well on from end of the beginning of Project Leylandii.

In the same speech he talked about blood, tears, toil, and sweat and there was definitely been some of each during what has been a long campaign.

Let me explain, my predecessor, the Baptist minister, clearly loved Leylandii. He surrounded most of the garden with a Leylandii hedge and then planted little blocks of the evergreen here and there too. 

Presumably he bought in bulk and decided to use the leftovers at the end of the hedge-planting. Anyway, bit by bit I've taken them out and replaced them over the years.

And I started out on the last remnant in November. A bank had been covered with Leylandii by the enthusiastic Rev and each of his saplings had done what they do so well - grow and gorw and grow. 

The biggest had a diameter of about 30cm at the base. My chainsaw made short work of the trees and the best of trunks are now in fireplace-friendly lengths and seasoning for the log burner next winter.

The brash went off to the council tip, leaving me with a collection of stumps to deal with - and that's proving to be a real slog. Today I've been hacking away at them again - England is in the deep freeze, but here on the Cych it's a mild, spring-like day.

I've also started out on the digging. The bank drops about two metres in a couple of my paces, so I need to build some sort of retaining wall at the base and then level the slope out a bit before replanting.

Lots to do, but at least the Leylandii is now no more. More toil, more sweat, hopefully no tears.