Le Bois de Marie, is a Cherry Orchard and Nuttery containing chestnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts. It is named in honor of my Mother-in-Law, Marie, who kindly donated the trees for this particular project.
After the cherry trees failed to take in the orchard (unlike the rest of the trees) 2 years in a row, we decided not to throw good money after bad and to create an area for our cherry trees elsewhere at Willowbrook. So, 2 years ago we started to convert a corner of WBP around The Lime Walk...
We mowed the area, and then Peter used a petrol powered 'rotorvator' to loosen the soil...
Below: Apollo and Diana guarding the entrance to the Limewalk, which cuts through the Boise de Marie and the Nuttery.
Then around the entire arc, formed by taking a graceful curve around each of the three lime avenues, we planted the cherry trees. We chose Lapin cherries, as they were the ones which had done the best in the main orchard...
Below: A view back up the central of the three Lime avenues, towards the statue of Bacchus (which is standing on the future site of the Roman Rotunda).
Below: The carefully laid out copper beech, with an enclosing circle of Hazelnut trees (the yellow standards). We have planted a whole carpet of cream coloured crocuses extending from the copper beech in the centre to the circle of hazelnuts trees to create a floral carpet.
The 3 Lime Avenues...
The Copper Beech...
The Hazelnuts around the Copper Beech...
The Almonds in front of the Hazelnuts...
The Walnuts...
The Chestnuts in front of the Walnuts...
The Lapin Cherries encircling the entire project...
We mowed the area, and then Peter used a petrol powered 'rotorvator' to loosen the soil...
Below: Apollo and Diana guarding the entrance to the Limewalk, which cuts through the Boise de Marie and the Nuttery.
We had laid out the lime trees already, so we created wooden boxes around them for bulbs and mulch. We then ran strips of buxus down each of the three avenues of lime trees, on both sides of the wooden boxes.
Below: Peter planting and mulching the buxus hedges which run either side of the boxes containing the lime trees. The insides of the boxes are also planted with Spring Green Tulips, and the space between every box, bordered by the buxus hedge has been planted with Erlicheer Daffodils..
Then around the entire arc, formed by taking a graceful curve around each of the three lime avenues, we planted the cherry trees. We chose Lapin cherries, as they were the ones which had done the best in the main orchard...
Above: The curve from farm end of nuttery.
Below: The curve from central lime avenue.
Below: The carefully laid out copper beech, with an enclosing circle of Hazelnut trees (the yellow standards). We have planted a whole carpet of cream coloured crocuses extending from the copper beech in the centre to the circle of hazelnuts trees to create a floral carpet.
Below: The curve from Apollo towards the central lime avenue.
Now 2 years on we are starting to notice some changes. They are not as dramatic over winter as they will be in summer...
Above: The Bois de Marie showing Almonds and Cherries (with the Hazelnut circle off to the left).
Below: The Truffiere and Nuttery showing Walnuts (foreground) and Chestnuts (background).
Above: The view of the Nymphaeum from the BDM when we first planted it.
Below: The Nymphaeum now!
Apollo with his back to the setting sun...
The sun setting on the Bois de Marie...
%201838%20-%201921%20A%20Quiet%20%20Moment.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment