Horticulture Blog Post One

After joining the Grounds & Garden team as part of the new Level 2 Horticulture Apprenticeship back in July, it's been great getting to know the grounds and my team over the summer before the new academic year began. But now the year has begun and it's my first experience of working with the students on campus. It's great to see how well the departments work together and get the students involved in tasks around the grounds to build up their skills. 

Students from the Level 1 Horticulture classes and Level 2 Employability Skills in Horticulture joined our team to help cut back some hedging causing some issues to the electric fencing around one of the equine paddocks. The mixed native field hedge (which included; Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Dogwood, Spindle and Hazel) was so overgrown that it was disrupting the current around the paddock. Without the working electric tape horses weren't able to be kept in this field so was becoming quite an urgent job for the Equine department. 

The Grounds & Garden team included one full time staff member, a Level 3 Apprentice and myself. We took the students round to the paddock and together as a group of twenty strong, we cut back the hedge, weeds and trees quickly, neatly and all whilst guiding the students in proper tool handling and clear up procedures.