This will be the first full year of active management.

Our plans for 2012 are to: 

• Undertake enhancement planting of the hedges around the site.
• Plant willows for coppicing in the conservation area at the easternn end of the plot.
• Re-grade the hump in front of the wharf gate and sow grass.
• Finish trimming and top soiling the conservation area.
• Finish sowing wild flower meadow grass in the conservation area.
• Start cutting the wild flower meadow in July, once flowering is complete and seed has set.
• Create a log pile for beetles and other invertebrates.

We are making good progress with our plans.

The meadow sown in autumn 2011 has germinated well and by the end of June looked like a hay meadow with a good scattering of cornflower, corn cockle, poppies and corn camomile.  It has continued to flourish through July but will sonn have to be cat.  We will have to wait until 2013 before we see many of the perennial wild flowers.

The meadow sown in the spring of 2012 is making progress but was initially plagued with more unwanted wild flowers.  To date we have made two attempts to eradicate thistles by hand weeding.  Now that the annuals such as corn camomile have come into flower and will shortly set seed we will soon be able to cut this area which should help control species such as thistle.

Over five hundred hedging saplings were planted late in March.  Virtually all have survived, possibly helped by the exceptionally wet weather from April to June.  In early June and again in late July we have undertaken a cut of the weeds to reduce competition for nutrients.

Limited grass sowing was undertaken beside the new welded mesh fence adjacent to the towpath in March and this is establishing well.

The hump in front of the gate by the wharf has been removed, a thin layer of topsoil spread and meadow mixture sown.  This has germinated well, though we are having to cut this area frequently to prevent nettles and thistle from encroaching.  With luck as the grass becomes more established a less severe cutting regime can be adopted.

The log pile in the conservation area has been started and we can continue to add to that.

Ten willow saplings were planted in the conservation area and seven appear to have taken.

The challenge for August will be to prepare the remainder of the landscape area so that can be sown in September. The weather did finally dry enough to complete the preparation in September so the remaining patch at the west of of the meadow could be sown in September, just.

Later in the autumn we are expecting delivery of more hedging plants which will allow us to replace the few that have failed to survive the summer.