Trimming the Willow Grove at Turnditch Orchard

 About 10 years ago we planted a willow grove to dry out a wet corner of the Orchard where a historic ditch ran before the embankment was built.  We planted a hybrid willow called Salix Viminalis. It grows fast and tall. We trim the willow to a chest high coppice at the end of some winters to keep it under control. The trimming looks harsh, but it soon regrows.

Dealing with overgrown Blackthorn

 I took some time to start tidying some overgrown blackthorn at the orchard, where it's encroaching the fruit trees. I cut the bushes to leave stumps about 30cm high.  We'll pull them up later with our Extractigator tool, but I wanted to get started before the wildbird nesting season. Here's a video if you'd like to get a feel for the work. Cutting down blackthorn is a hard job as these bushes a laden with thorns, of which the tips are coated with bacteria and fungus that can cause a nasty infected wound. Thorn proof gloves are essential for this work.

Now to tidy the mess!

 We've got some work to do to get the Orchard embankment tidied up.  Don't ask about taking the logs, they are already spoken for by friends.