Unbelievably, it’s just about a year since we cut the first hazel at Centenary Wood, between Pulloxhill and Greenfield, Bedfordshire. In fact it was 12 January 2016 when we started. All in all, the trial has been a success and the new growth, although variable in vigour is pretty good. The wood dates from the […]
Imagine a day spent in a peaceful hazel coppice, listening to the songs of melodious warblers flitting frantically amongst the trees; being brought home made cakes and cups of tea and enjoying the company of a small group of like-minded individuals, as you are driven half crazy by the frustration of trying to make a […]
I got into the swing of hazel over Christmas and have cut a bit now. I like to cut a little, process it, then cut more; that way, by alternating activity, I avoid spending too much time doing either (and the associated muscle pain), but more important it avoids creating a cat’s-cradle of fallen stems that’s a pain to unravel.I’ve […]
In the usual run of things, I wouldn’t usually have much to say on the subject of ‘the toilet’. Poor hygiene or a complete absence can of course be irksome, but that’s about as far as I would usually go. However, for some months I’ve been searching the net for bog blogs and tales of alfresco pooing. Suddenly I’m fired up […]
We have been sold plenty of hazel pea sticks and bean poles during the last month. I know the weather here has been more autumn than spring and it sounds like we may have to wait a few days for some warmth, but if you have been putting off thinking about supporting your climbing or leggy […]
A couple of weeks ago I built a four metre long tunnel using hazel poles. This was for a client who is developing a great garden and wants to grow more veg. She spent the day helping which was great too. The idea is to create something that will carry climbing plants – lots of […]
Last week we had a trip to Northamptonshire to visit Caroline Church and Hugh Ross who own, manage and live in Rawhaw Wood. Trading under the name Hazel Woodland Products, Hugh and Caroline, were kind enough to spare a couple of hours to show Jane, myself and our friends and makers of things, Martin and […]
Creating a woodland is a slow old business. Since we planted Bottoms’ Corner, our small hazel wood, we’ve been watching every small development with a fair degree of excitement that we tend to keep to ourselves – we’ve found that most normal people don’t particularly see the joy in growing sticks. The first cut of […]
Every so often in July or August, when the bluebell seeds in our bit of ancient woodland are ripe, we collect some and spread them in the new plantation – Bottom’s Corner. This hasn’t been in any way scientific and we haven’t recorded anything. For the first time, flowering bluebells have appeared in Bottom’s Corner this […]
We spent a wonderful couple of hours last Friday in Bottom’s Corner (our small hazel coppice in Gravenhurst). It’s just brilliant; I can’t think of a place I’d rather be in mid April. We’ve been producing bundles of pea sticks for sale at Harpenden farmers’ market and it’s great to be doing something rewarding in such […]