Good progress and another discovery

The good progress made by our brilliant volunteer team last week has continued into this. Several beds are now cleared of weeds. They will need weeding again over the summer to get the soil reasonably clean. We should be able to plant some areas in the autumn.
 
It was not as sunny as our sessions last week but that did have the advantage that the contrast between light and shade was less, so the garden was easier to photograph.
 
We have made one interesting discovery when clearing the edge of the raised beds in the back corner next to the Pound Street wall. The bed edging in this area is different from the main part of the bed. The edge of the latter is made of overburnt brick which was often used for decoration in Edwardian middle-class gardens and must have been bought for the purpose. The newly uncovered area looked as if it had been assembled from whatever was to hand. There is some brick and flint but much of it is broken concrete. Was this a late alternation made by Lily Kirk Edwards or was it done by the Council who bought the house in 1939-40? What was on the site before the alteration? We might be able to find out by carrying out a micro-excavation in the plant bed but this will have to wait until more of the border is cleared.

The newly cleared bed edge in the back corner next to Pound Street

Detail from the above. The spotty material is concrete which looks a lot less attractive than the burr-brick used for bed edging in other parts of the garden

Jeannette and Mike working on the front garden

Sue having a well-deserved tea break!

John and Judy considering the cascade

Sue in action against the snowberry