PLANTING PROTOCOL
N.B. Cliff Gardens is still a construction site, so extra care needs to be taken while working.
Please bring your own trowel, gloves and kneeler (and watering can if possible). Wear sturdy shoes!
Using website www.benmiflin.net/cliffgardens go to blue tab at top right of screen and find your bed number – here you will find the plant list and planting plan for the bed. Working in twos per bed:
PRE-PLANTING: Check plants against list for your bed on your phone. Abbreviated names are written on side of pots. Remove any weed seedlings from pots
MARKING OUT: One person gets on bed with help from second – who hands up tools and canes. Find ‘centre’ of bed and mark with a cane. Divide up bed into quadrants – you can use outer perimeter to guide you. Using planting plan, place first plant in centre of bed. Work outwards from centre according to plan, spacing plant pots ready for planting. Makes life easier to work segment by segment and marking with a trowel mark or canes.
PLANTING: Dig a hole large enough to transfer plant and compost into it. Plant and compact soil around it. Second person hands up plants – often useful to work in small plant groupings. Work from centre outwards until it is easy to plant from the edge of bed. Complete one segment and then start the next one. Don’t panic re spacing – it doesn’t have to be exact. What is important to bear in mind is eventual spread of plant eg 20 or 30cm (so 10-15cm either side of main stem..). Leave outer 20-25cm (generous hand breadth?) of bed empty to allow for spread of plants
WATERING: The beds will have been recently well watered, so spot-watering only of each plant will be necessary We will arrange a watering rota for the next few days while plants are getting established