New Arrivals - hedgehogs and an orchid

On Monday 27th June the volunteers oversaw the transplanting of a Pyramidal Orchid to the Walled Garden lawn. This orchid was donated by someone who was moving house.

We have twice tried and failed to transplant a wild orchid from one of the volunteer’s garden, but this failed!

We found a local expert who went to see the orchid, anacamptis pyramidal, in the Stroud garden, observed its orientation, when and where the sun caught it, and then came to the walled garden to work out where best we might transplant the orchid, and marked out the spot on the lawn.

They then prepared the spot for the orchid and went to dig out the orchid from the Stroud garden, keeping the roots of the orchid undisturbed. They also collected the turf from around the orchid, marking it so that it could be replanted at the walled garden in the exact same positions.  

After planting the orchid in the lawn the turf from the garden was placed around the orchid in the same orientation as it was found. We then placed a barrier around it to protect it.

At the time of writing the orchid is doing well, so far!

In June we welcomed two hedgehogs into the garden. These were re-housed by Annie from the Help a Hedgehog Hospital. She was accompanied by students from Thomas Keble School. Puffin (male) and Prickleberry (female) took up residence under the plum tree in the wild meadow of the walled garden.

We had a good number of visitors to our first Stroud Open Gardens event. Our ‘Match the Vegetable to the Leaf’ challenge occupied many families, young and old alike!