Trees planted in March have given us concern and on August 25th we held a tour of inspection with Di Morgan, the Council’s tree expert:
•Most of the new trees are doing quite well (notwithstanding the strong winds and some dry weather) with the exception of three – these are likely to be replaced later this year under the Council’s tree donation guarantee scheme.
•Brian and Ellen Hitchen have kindly gifted three Holm Oaks for planting on the west side of Palmeira garden.
•Trees over-shading cherry trees in the rose garden need to be trimmed and two old trees at risk will be removed.
•Other developments from the past summer which affect our present and future enjoyment of the gardens include:
•Our hope that the Council will help fund planting four new trees on the south side of the Floral Clock garden to replace those lost in the hurricane of 1987.
•Peter Simpson persuaded Southern Water to instal a more robust mechanism for the FOPA water point and so the bird bath in the Palmeira rose garden is full again (although pigeons tend to monopolise it!).
•It has been a pleasure to observe how many children enjoy the gardens, especially at weekends, but we regret that their enjoyment (and that of their parents) can be easily impaired by the thoughtless behaviour of others.
•One resident complained about dog fouling in the long grasses and I note that it is also all too common also on the cut grass. We must encourage dog owners who use the gardens (many do not live here) to act in a responsible manner.
•The new Eleagnus hedge in Adelaide is doing well following weeding by the gardeners, application of woodchips to suppress further weed growth and three top dressings of NPK fertilizer. There are at present 107 individual plants in the hedge with six gaps which will be made good in due time.
•The summer meadow in Adelaide has recently been trimmed to facilitate seed regeneration while shrub beds in Palmeira are now sufficiently well established to allow the removal of windbreaks.