Above are some videos of me demonstrating Horticultural skills that I've learnt throughout my course and during my placements over the summer in 2014.
- As part of our Horticultural Practices module I learnt how to use some machinery. I had a go at using a brushcutter and a leaf blower.
- During our Soft Landscaping module I leaned how to prune roses and took some hardwood cuttings, which have now successfully taken! Also during this module I took part in planting up a border from a planting plan, whilst learning about plant densities for summer bedding, shrub and herbaceous border schemes. The densities proved to be quite challenging as the border doesn't want to look under-planted, especially from a clients point of view.
- I've also had a go at coppicing, which is a type of woodland management, where the tree remains a small stump and the shoots are repeatedly felled once they have rejuvenated. The more vertical they are the better! They can be used to create wattle fencing using willow and hazel types of coppiced trees.
- We also got the chance to have a couple of sessions learning how to lay a hedge on the Brackenhurst Estate.I learnt about the tools and how to use them correctly, especially as I had never used a billhook before either. We were taught to lay a hedge uphill and to trim back any lower branches that were growing out horizontally to create a 'bus shelter' effect. Any thin or twisted vertical stems were taken out they aren't suitable for hedge laying. A Staffordshire or Yorkshire billhook was then used to cut into the stem at the lower base of the stems at a 45 degree angle. I found the task invigorating yet challenging as it was hard work and I found it hard to get the hand of at first until I got into the swing of things. It was also very strenuous on the arms, however the outcome of what we all had achieved as a group was very exhilarating! It is definitely a valuable and satisfying craft to learn if you ever get the chance to have a go.
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