Eden w/e 10 Dec 2010

Thursday 9th Dec 2010

A frustrating day because of the still-frozen ground. The first task of cutting back anemones and hellebore leaves was abandoned after an hour and a half because we couldn't feel our feet any longer. We tried planting ramsons in the forest garden but couldn't get the trowels more than a centimetre into the ground, if that. Later on the ground began to warm up and we finished off the cutting back, and then after lunch we headed up to Outdoor Med to pull out frost-hit osteospermums and pelargoniums. The pelargoniums had the most amazing scent when pulled - geranium oil, funnily enough - and it cut through the chilly air to give a most welcome faint hint of sunnier climes.

Friday 10th Dec
No frost! Visible relief on everyone's faces. Started off mulching the plane stairs before heading up to the compound to do some potting up of new bare-root plants. We collected far too much compost so deposited it on the forest garden and managed to plant a few ramsons while we were at it. Finished them after lunch and then headed off on a tour of the areas I'll be working on - a great range of plants so plenty of names to learn...

What I'm doing at Eden

I am very pleased to report that I've just started part-time work at the Eden Project in Cornwall: two days a week on Thursdays and Fridays. I'll try to keep a record of what I do on each day to jog my memory for future CVs.

2/12/2010
First day and straight into mulching, which was very welcome given how cold it was (didn't get above freezing all day). Mulched Banrock and Adult Play.

3/12/2010
Started off with Julie cutting back frosted perennials that had died back in the spiral garden (an educational/sensory garden for kids, used by Eden's education department for teaching purposes). Hard frost last night so everything looking rather white. Ground totally frozen. Cutting back anjelica, mallows, ox-eye daisies, buddleias, but leaving teasels for the birds. Then down to the parallel steps to help Jamie with pleaching of London planes - cutting back new top growth. Wobbly ladders but good fun once I'd found my feet/balance.