We consider the woods as part of the garden. They don't have cultivated or specimen plants throughout, but we do intend to have 'surprises' at intervals during any walk through our woods. These will sometimes consist of plants, or may be cleared views of the river or the surrounding hills.
The steepest bank below the house has been made into layered embankments of dry-stone walls, many years ago. This almost looks like ruined fortifications, and so it was named Babylon. And hence the name of Babylon Wood.
This is probably the area we have changed least. We have simply cleared the scrub, and started to give the place some light. It contains some great old beech trees, but is mostly conifers, including some magnificent firs. There is less scope for us to plant new material here as it is already well-planted, but we shall see what may be done.
We have made a small riverside clearing which we call the glade. This will be kept as an open grassy area, but with a number of specimen trees growing in it. Currently we have added a Liquidambar sylvatica or sweet grum, a golden variety of Metasequoia sylvatica or dawn redwood, a Eucalyptus ?? which is the only eucalyptus suitable for growing on wet ground, and a Paulownia ?? or ??.
Walking over the ridge provides great views over the river and the rest of the woods, so we are designing this as a walk. We have recently cleared the area of scrub, and are proposing to add a number of woodland plants. So there will be rhododendrons here, and a carpet of primula beside the burn.
This is the main area of conifer plantation in the property. We have good reason to think that this ground was once owned by the Forestry Commission. However, there are some good trees in the wood, and it is now open woodland, and reaonably bright. One of the chief delights of this area is the carpet of bluebells in spring. For the rest of the year it is carpetd with wood-sorrel and moss.
When we arrived at Waterside, this area was entirely covered in poor willow scrub, which we have cleared. We have now replanted this entire area with two varieties of tree suitable for wet ground,and which are known for autumn colour. These are Quercus palustris or swamp oak, and Acer saccharinum or sugar maple. To these we have added some other specimen trees, including Nothofagus dombeyi and Cercidiphylum. We have also added flowering shrubs, such magnolia, and bush roses.
This really is a water meadow, and not therefore woodland, although it is at the top end of our woodlands. It is a lovely flat area of grasses, with a great bank of sessile oak behind it on the rising ground.
It is full of wild flowers. We have added and removed nothing here, and mow the ground once a year at the end of summer. Part of the joy is watching the colours changes as successive flowers take over in their turn. The principal flowers include Red Campion, Forget me not, Harebell, Devil's bit scabious, and swamp thistle, but there really is a great mixture. We have hardly touched this area, and don't see any good reason to change it.
This is an area consisting mostly of willow scrub growing on the shingly and silty ground. It is a flat area, and have certainly been recovered from the river within the last century. Given the way that the river moves over time, it could easily be lost again.
We have added a number of trees in empty areas here, including snowy mespilus and balsam poplars. We want to try coppicing the willows at some stage to see how they respond. Otherwise it is still a great area for wildlife, with many birds seen on the river, and newts, frogs and toads in the ponds.
