The Two Mile Ash Environmental Group (TMAEG) has now entered its sixth year. Its autumn season running into winter in December 2016 has been marked by a typically extensive programme of environmental projects, ranging in scope from the annual overhaul of the Stone Hill pond and other landscape maintenance, to gardening and to bulb planting throughout Two Mile Ash. And thanks to the hospitality of Smita and Harshad we also held a members’ evening which generated new ideas for future events.
Through the pictures that follow, we give a flavour of our environmental schemes – the locations of these are shown on our environmental projects plan.
Ash Brook Corridor (Project area 1)
In November, a total of 13 TMAEG volunteers cleared leaves and other debris from the Stone Hill pond, trimmed the surrounding landscaping and wildflower areas and swept the path.
Towards the Stone Hill frontage we cleared an area of ivy and planted wood anemones, a plant native to English woodlands.
We dug over the bee garden area and re-sowed it with a Friends of the Earth meadow flowers/ grass mix. Fingers crossed that the bee attracting plants will flourish this second time round!
In an earlier session in the Local Park, steady rain failed to deter our dedicated volunteers who trimmed back the hedgerow and planted native wildflowers and bulbs
Edge of Golfcourse and Milesmere Woodland footpaths (Project areas 2 & 3)
At the eastern edge of the Golf Course, we cleared a new area of land alongside the public right of way that links the High Street with the northern end of Leafield Rise. Holly bushes were planted. We also overhauled the log path which we constructed in 2013 .
TMAEG’s first log path, through the Milesmere Woodland, was rebuilt this spring using logs cut from the felled poplar trees. In this autumn’s session we topped up the path surface using chippings supplied by the Parks Trust. One of the attractions of Open Gardens 2016, this has proved to be a popular woodland walk, the nature of which is captured in this poem by one of our volunteers.
Gardening Work (Project areas 4,7 & 8)
The linear garden at the eastern end of Kepwick has been one of TMAEG’s biggest successes in 2016. The picture at the left was taken in July when the perennial geraniums were particularly evident. Since that time, many other plants, including spring bulbs have been planted and the garden has been extended to give it an additional ( Capian Walk) frontage (picture at right).
One of our members, Kathleen Dunmore has been maintaining the two big planters in Park Gateway, on behalf of their owners, Two Mile Ash Dental Practice and Hair Culture. The picture on the left shows the summer 2016 planting scheme, the one at the right the present autumn scheme. It is hoped to develop round the year planting which will further enhance this improving area.
Winter flowering pansies being planted in the tubs at Ashbrook School as replacements for the former geraniums.
Bulb Planting
This autumn, well over a thousand bulbs have been planted in Two Mile Ash by TMAEG volunteers on sites in Kepwick, Capian Walk, the High Street (rear of One Stop) and at the end of Badgemore (near the redway on the western side of the golf course). A further (almost) 200 have been sown by entry year schoolchildren through a continuing very successful partnership between TMAEG and Ashbrook School.
Daffodil planting on one of two sites in Capian Walk. The bulbs here are a mixture of two varieties which together will give a longer flowering season.
Painstaking work! Crocuses being planted in the green at the rear of One Stop. Some 200 bulbs have been sown, a blend of blue and white varieties.
This year’s planting site for Ashbrook School, on the High Street directly opposite the school. Each entry level child had the opportunity to plant three February Gold daffodil bulbs.
A cluster of three Dawn Redwood trees in their autumn colours, (High Street, Two Mile Ash).