Time to plant some trees in our small Devon wood

The other week we went to Cove garden centre up the road to get some spuds for chitting. Whilst there we saw they had bundles of hedging whips - hornbeam, field maple, bird cherry, spindle. So we bought  a bundle of each (ten whips per bundle).

Today was the first chance to plant any of them, partly becuase the weather has been so wet and mostly becasue I had a bit of a problem with a stroke that knocked me back a bit and has left me with a few problems with vision.

As there's nothing we could do about either the weather or the stroke we waited a few days and carried on. No point moping about and those whips won't plant themselves!

The plan was to use some of them to deepen the front hedge above the road, plug some gaps in the long hedge running from the gate to the top corner of the wood and plant some of them as specimen trees in the wood where there were some gaps.

I was especially pleased to be able to get the spindle and bird cherry. The former because I hadn't seen many before and they are great for the birds. The only other ones I'd seen were in the small fenced-off orchard in the middle of the field going from Rowley Field in Stratford-upon-Avon over to the Warwick Rd. There are 2 in there.

The spindles remind me very much of good days walking the Welcombe Hills with my friend Ian Andrew. The spindle is unremarkable and not easy to spot most of the year. However, when it fruits, it is unmistakable. We spotted a couple of the spindle trees and thereafter regularly looked out for the distinctive berries. I had collected some seeds but it would take 2 years to get anything started. That made the purchase of the whips even better.

We went up the wood this afternoon with various tools, tree guards, the spindle and bird cherry whips, some microzyme powder to dust the roots with and of course 2 four-legged helpers. Our chosen spot was on the edge of the wood near the newly-laid hedge in front of the conifers. Here was plently of light, shelter and space for them to grow. On our walks up through the wood we could keep an eye on them and in a few years appreciate their beauty.

Digging the holes for the sapplings was surprisigly easy - here it's woth noting that the hill is called 'stony hill' - and we quickly dug the four holes. Honey joined in the digging and as we sat back to admire our work, once again I thought of Ian as I realised we had planted them in a straight line. Too late to change so we set the whips in place with their guards and sticks, heeled them in and went back to the house feeling pleased with ourselves.

A bird cherry and 2 spindle trees set and protected. A 2nd bird cherry is set in the hedge to the left.

Have I been whittling since moving to Devon?

That was asked by friends from the Welcombe Hills in Stratford-upon-Avon when we messaged over Facebook the other week.

I suspect I will never be able to stop carving and there is no way I would stop when I have loads of wood and in particular loads of spalted beech readily available. Some examples below.

 Spalting is the effect caused by a fungal attack on a tree. The action of the fungal growth inside the tree can produce sought-after colours and patterns. Beech produces some of the best but other trees are good such as birch.

 When taking a log for carving, the spalting can usually be seen in the end grain but predicting the way the final artefact will be coloured and patterned is difficult. Sometimes the spalting will result in symetrical patters. At other times you can get more of a splash. See the two spoons above. Both are attractive I think.

 Maggie showed me a Country File episode where someone was using the end grain of spalted wood to create moths/butterflies. The technique involves using a bandsaw to slice thin pieces of end grain and bookending them to create matching patterns on the 2 wings.

 With the right piece of spalted wood, the end result can be amazing. All of these were bonded to a simple body using epoxy resin, finely sanded and finished with varnish to bring out the colours.

 Below is a selection of other efforts. To the left are 'shrink pots' from birch and one from beech, spoons are to the right and behind the spoons is a spalted beech 'kuksa'.

A shrink pot is of scandinavian origin I think. It involves hollowing out a log so that it forms a tube with no bottom, forming a groove just a few mm inside one end and inserting a wooden disc to fit tightly inside. When the log dries it shrinks and the disc is squeezed into the groove forming a tight base. Lids are fashioned form other wood and usually have a decorative handle attached. I quite like the Jarvis heads.
A kuksa definiately is scandinavian. It's a traditional wooden drinking vessel. There are traditional styles/designs. Mine's not one of them.

Of course I still whittle whilst walking the dogs when out and about. I also sit quietly in our wood and whittle away. Well, who wouldn't?

Jarvy-proofing my small Devon wood

A note about this blog

The first few entries look back over the preiod starting in late May 2019 when we first took possession of the wood. So the posts weren't too long, I composed a few and published them all over a couple of days. I'm now up to date but it would be worth going back to the first blog entry as that one gives quite a lot of detail about the layout and structure of the wood.

Well, I had quite a long break from my job over xmas so there was lots of time to carry on with the ground cover of bramble clearing and Jarvy-proofing other parts. There's plenty of hazel around so using the traditional and sustainable technique of coppicing enabled me to be able to create simple hurdles. As I wanted to Jarvy-proof before we lost him to the scent of pheasant I rammed stout rods into the ground and wove thinner rods between them to create a rudimentary  fence. These won't last more than a year or so but in the short term we'll be able to walk Jarvy in the wood without worrying about him going awol.

Honey and Jarvy contemplating the hurdles work and no doubt wondering what it's all about.

This will form a small corale where H&J can be left whilst I work. More hurdles needed at the back by the water tanks or Jarvy will be off!

 I also make portable hurdles that also serve as gates. These have stout uprights and horizontal rods for strength, joined by drilling holes in the uprights with the brace and bit (I like to use simple tools when in the wood), tapering the horizontal ones at the ends so as to make the basic frame.  A little bit of weaving other lighter rods competes the job. These should last a while longer and eventually I will make lots of these and move them around the wood as needed. The above pic shows a small hurdle. Others will be 6ft long and about the same height (3' or thereabouts).

Simple fencing using traditional sustainable coppiced hazel rods.

The above pic shows how the fencing works. Jarvy could force his way through if he really wanted to but he's a bit lazy and tends to go for the easy option . This area is fenced off because from there he can freely wander into my neighbour's wood and also up onto the quarry. This area is also Base Camp 1 and the water tanks. I will also be fencing off the other side, effectively making a small corale where H&J can be left if I need to get on with work that may be dangerous for them.

Coppicing hazel and making simple artefacts with just a few hand tools in the quiet of the woods is very satisfting. Me and the dogs go through the garden gate and lumber up the curved track together with just a shoulder bag containing, in order of importance:

• gravy bones
• poo bags
• pruning saw
• bill hook
• bit and brace
• bow saw

Then it's simply selecting hazel to coppice, sawing the rods near the base of the tree, carrying the rods to the working area, trimming them up and assembling the hurdles. This is as good a way as any to spend a couple of hours.: outside doing something physical  with natural materials and simple hand tools. Meanwhile H&J busy themselves with some digging (mainly Honey) and sniffing (mainly Jarvy). Gravy bones keep them close by and are a good incentive to come when called. I really can't think of many better things I would want to be doing.

Hedge Laying in my small Devon wood

Hedge laying and Base Camp 2

The long northern boundary to the wood running from the bottom garden gate entrance right to the beech-topped stone walling at the top was once a good hedge, mainly made up of hazel, ash and some blackthorn, elder and oak. There is some evidence of the hedge being grown on top of stone walling in the Devon style  but  my side is higher than the other where there's a ditch, so it's not easy to tell.

The hedge has long since grown out and come November it was a priority to sort out. Never having done hedge laying before my niece Merry came over with her kit and with me brandishing my birthday present billhook, we set to work.

We did the best we could with the state of the hedge as it was and Merry assured me that it looks bad before it gets better! I'll have to trust her on that. We left some standing trees and laid others as much as we could, filling gaps with dead hedging so as to keep Honey and Harvey on the right side.

It was satisfying work and after a day making the most of Merry's skill and knowledge I was confident enough to carry on alone over the coming weeks. Thanks Merry!

A little bit of our work.

Base Camp 2 was sited in the north-east corner of the wood. This location was chosen because there was a large fallen beech tree limb nearby needing to be harvested and kept dry. Up with the tarps then. Some kind of shelter is handy as well because it sometimes rains and the dogs can shelter and I can keep tools dry when it does.

Base Camp 2 and behind the large beech limb full of spalted timber

Plan A is to do something with what we are calling the 'chicken shed' which is in the middle of the wood and a block built shed with corrugated tin roof and pretty much derelict. We've cleared it out, removed the tree that fell across the roof and have been discussing how we rebuild it in the hobbit style with a grass roof... More of that in due course...

This is the life in my small Devon wood

Tarp up...hammock up... 

May 2019, Base Camp 1 was quickly established, being the first level area in the wood from the track curving its way from the garden towards the old quarry face. Beech trees and sunlight combine to make patterns of light and shade on the woodland floor: at that time covered in Dog's Mercury and Wild Garlic. Oak, ash and hazel complete the scene - a perfect setting for an old boy to rest his rump on the hammock and rock gently to and fro as his dogs relax in the late afternoon Devon sunshine.

We hadn't been in the cottage for very long and the dogs thought we were on holiday, having often stayed in holiday cottages with them over the years. 7 months on and they bound through the garden gate up the track like they live there! Base Camp1 has now been dismantled as I want the ground cover to return to its previous lush state for next summer. There I plan to set up some benches made from woodland materials as it's a great place to sit and carve with the afternoon sun filtering through the trees before disappearing below the hills across the river valley opposite.

Spring bulb planting in my small Devon wood

Wild Garlic galore and bramble clearing

When we took ownership of the cottage back in late May 2019, the spring flowers we were told were abundent were just about over save for an occasional tardy bluebell. Much to our delight the woodland floor was now carpeted with wild garlic. Ironic in a way because we'd collected wild garlic bulbs on a visit to the Bristol area the previous spring and planted them in pots (they would have run rampant in the garden if planted out). When we moved, we of course took the pots of garlic with us...

May and the wild garlic still in flower

Now in Jan 2020 the garlic bulbs are starting to come to life. Scrape just about anywhere on the woodland floor and they'll be found just below the surface, green shoots just emerging.

But what of all the spring flowers we were promised? Well, as the wood hasn't been tended for a couple of years bramble has taken hold, sending out long shoots that have rooted to start another bramble patch. So around the xmas period, the weather being mild, we went out for a couple of hours each day with the sickle and leather gloves to clear as much of them as we could.

As an insurance against there being few spring bulbs we planted a hundred English bluebells, dozens of snowdrops and 50 daffodils in the bank leading up to the quarry. There we would be able to see them every time we visited. As it turned out though, our bramble clearing uncovered existing spring bulbs and we think there will be a good show in just a few weeks time. 

Jarvy: 'You've made a right mess of this bank'.

Me: 'Yeah, but look at that great pile of brambles I made'.

Over the summer we saw a couple of fritillary butterflies in the garden so we want to make sure we have dog violets growing as they are the caterpillar food plants. Not sure where we'll get those from but we'll see.

Snowdrops are starting to come through now and I'm glad we did the clearing or they wouldn't be visible. Lots of daffs coming up too and we were told they would be wild ones. The wild garlic was rampant in the spring (see top pic) and is already forcing its way through. The other spring plant that seems to do well here iare the primula, also known as the Darling of April. A while to wait then before we see those lovely pale yellow flowers.

Our small Devon wood - first impressions

Cliche alert - Dream come true


The area is great, the house is just what we wanted, the garden has loads of potential but well-stocked, there's a river across the road, tawny owls hoot at night, bats and moths abound in the evenings and the dark sky provides starry nights when clear. Exmoor is up the road and we are about an hour from the North Devon Coast. A 5 minute walk down the road and we're in Bampton where we have everything we need - doctor, chemist, chippy, bakers, greengrocer, mini-supermarket, cash machine, post office, pubs and restaurants. People are friendly and there are loads of local things going on. Tivvy is 15 minutes away if we really need to go to a supermarket.

It was the wood wot clinched it though!

The garden gate leading to the wood beyond (May 2019)

Behind the garage at the side of the house are some steps. These lead to an old gate and beyond is the wood that came with the property. The wood is a modest size of about 1.5 acres which I think is plenty big enough for one old boy and his dogs to look after.

Beyond the gate is a straight inclining path that rises east the length of the wood and is bordered by a hedge, the other side of which is a ditch on my neighbour's land. The hedge has not been managed for many, many years  so has gaps as well as some mature trees and previously layed hedging which has now grown out. These are mainly ash with lots of hazel. There's a little job for the winter. Along part of this stretch are some spruce and larch 20-30ft tall providing a litlle bit more variety in anotherwise broadleaved wood. 

At the top end is an old stone wall that runs south and rises to eventually meet the old limestone quarry face marking a clear boundary. The quarry face is 20-25ft at its highest. The whole of the boundary to the quarry face is lined with mature beech trees. Their roots have dislodged parts of the stone wall and at the top of the quarry the roots can be seen where they have grown into the limestone rock face and dislodged chunks of stone. One of my tasks is to reinstate the wall so as to ensure a good solid boundary and return the wood to it's former state. The original stones are still present. That work should also prevent the dogs from straying beyond recall, as Jarvy will do when his nose is in gear and his gander is up. In this corner I set up Base Camp 2 (see pic below).

Base Camp 2 at the north-east corner of the wood. This was taken after some hedge laying was done in November 2019. Beyond the tarp shelter can be seen the large fallen beech limb which has provided some lovely spalted timber for carving. December 2019.

To the south, my wood is continuous with my neighbours', there being no artificial or natural boundary. This is also sloping, quite steeply in parts, and comprises ground cover of wild garlic and dog's mercury but thankfully hardly any bramble. There are saplings of beech, ash, the ubiquitous hazel and oak which also make up the mature trees. These are not crowded so plenty of light falls. We hadn't had the wood long before Jarvy picked up the scent of pheasant and was off. Running after him we saw he was at the top of the quarry face and clearly aware of the anxiety in our voices took the quickest and shortest route back. Fortunately that was not over the vertical edge but a steep slope covered in beech leaves which he surfed down, not without some discomfort due to the hidden rocks. So, there's another job - Jarvy-proofing the whole of the south end of the wood. Shouldn't take long...

The old quarry face at the eastern edge of the wood. Jarvy surfed down there. Luckily he went down the leafy slope just to the left of that holly bush. Silly boy. (Autumn 2019)

The boundary leading up and on towards the quarry face. These old beech trees  have done for much of the stone wall on my side and I'll be reinstating over the winter months. (Autumn 2019)

In this brief description of the wood there remains the western edge. This runs from above the bottom garage just off the main road to the south along and across the top of the garden above the house where it joins the track previously described and the boundary hedge.

This part of the wood is quite interesting as it has two concrete block water tanks that were fed by a spring high above and provided water for the cottages before they were combined into one. Apparently these are common in the area and we have seen other examples. At present they don't function but we will see what we can do with them having located the spring and various bits of pipework.

There is a nice flat area (which became Base Camp 1) by the tanks of about 25 square metres (see pic above). It has a lovely old beech tree providing shade and overlooks the garden below (not that  you can see much of it through the trees) and further afield across the river valley. It's just above roof top level. From here a track curves up to the old quarry one way and down the other way curves back to the track leading to the gate.

Base Camp 1 and the water tanks. (Autumn 2019)

This track would have been used to bring the stone back down from the quarry which is why it is gently curved so as to take the steepness out. It has a bank to the house side (west) and on the other side is bordered by the steep rise of the wooded hill. That side is mostly covered in bramble at ground level and the range of mature trees found elsewhere are - hazel, ash, oak and beech.

The 'chicken shed'. (Summer 2019)

That's nearly it, except for what we call the 'chicken shed'; a ruinous single walled, block built and corrugated tin-covered building about 20ft long and 6 ft wide. This is situated towards the north part of the wood and faces west. We'll have plans for that once it's cleared out and the fallen trees removed.

That should set the scene. More posts will recount the work undertaken to improve the woods, including some hedge laying with Merry, rebuilding stone walls, clearing brambles and planting spring bulbs. Oh, and most important of all, Jarvy-proofing access to the top of the quarry and the woods to the south beyond Base Camp 1.