Wednesday 4th February 2026 - Foxes Park, Perowne Way, Sandown GG #1066

Mark's photo 

Alison's photos

Rootball sprinkled with mycorrhizal funghi

Checking the depth of the rootball

A lot of rubble was discovered

Scots pine

The communal washing puddle!

Beautiful alder catkins

Phil's photo

Team GG had reason to be grateful this morning – the sun was shining and the morning stayed dry!  After all the recent heavy rain, it was quite a relief.  We were working with Tony, the IWC Tree Officer and his colleague David, planting trees again.  However, today the venue was a new site for us.  Foxes Park is a couple of fields orientated northwest – southeast off Perowne Way in Sandown.  It has a path running through it and is very popular with dog walkers. 

In the first field (the northern) six holes had been pre-dug for us and six trees laid out with all their requirements.  The trees planted in this first field were silver birch, alder, hornbeam, ornamental pear, field maple and a disease resistant elm.  The method for planting was the same as at Los Altos Park on 14^th January.

In the second field four trees were planted.  They were hornbeam, liquidambar*, Scots pine and a wild service tree. 

Due to the recent heavy rains, the ground was saturated.  Quite a few of the holes had to be backfilled before the tree was planted and it was extremely hard work.  The soil was also full of house bricks and rubble.  The clay soil(!) was keen to stick to the shovels and reluctant to leave them and our boots.  At the end of the session, we took advantage of a handy puddle to clean both tools and ourselves.

* Comment was made about the liquidambar trees that we have been planting.  The RHS website states ‘A deciduous tree which grows to 20m tall, broadly conical in outline, with rather glossy, maple-like, 5 to 7-lobed leaves which turn to shades of orange, crimson and purple in autumn’. 

Thank you to Mark and Phil for the additional photos and to Tony for the biscuits.

 

Wednesday 28th January 2026 - Los Altos Park, Sandown GG #1065

 Terry's photos

Transferring compost into the wheelbarrows to take to the site

The newly planted and mulched hedgerow

Mark's photos

We returned to Los Altos Park in Sandown this week to continue with the tree planting project managed by Tony, the IWC Tree Officer.  Funding has been secured to increase the tree canopy within the Bay area, and there are several of these planting sessions both with GG and with the public. 

Today we concentrated on planting a hedgerow parallel with the railway track.  As can be seen from Terry’s photos, a double row of holes were dug and the turf retained.  A small amount of compost was put at the bottom of the holes along with some water retaining granules and a sprinkling of mycorrhizal fungi.  The whip was put into the hole at the required depth and the cut-out turf replaced upside down around the roots and then backfilled with soil.  At the end of the session chipped bark was put down as a mulch around the whips.  The whips were planted in groups of six of each species in a random pattern along the hedgerow.

The varieties of trees planted were oak, field maple, black elder, rose, wayfaring tree, blackthorn, hawthorn, willow, hazel, wych elm and guelder rose.

Thank you to Terry and Mark for the photos.

Wednesday 21st January 2026 - All Saints Church, Freshwater GG #1064

 Terry's photos

Enjoying the hospitality on offer

Julie wringing out her gloves!

Alison's photo

Fungus on dead wood 

The GG team was reduced in numbers this week due possibly to the weather which was awful!  It rained and rained!  For those of us driving across the Island, just getting there was a challenge with all the road closures, temporary traffic lights and flooding…..

However….. we returned to this lovely churchyard to help Jill, the Churchwarden of All Saints, Freshwater, with bramble management.  We worked on this patch of bramble a year ago and were asked to cut back all the regrowth so that any spring bulbs (primarily snowdrops) would get the required amount of light.  The churchyard has a wonderful show of spring bulbs and already snowdrops and narcissi are showing.  All cut material was transferred to the bonfire site.

See link for further information - The All Saints Church Yard | All Saints and St Agnes

Thank you to Jill for the refreshments at break time and to Terry for the photos.

Wednesday 14th January 2026 - Los Altos Park, Sandown GG #1063

 Terry's photos

Moving compost to the planting hole

The briefing

Preparing the base of the hole

Sprinkling in the water retaining granules

Checking the level of the root ball

Backfilling

Tamping down the soil

Applying the mycorrhizal funghi to the roots

Putting in the perforated watering pipe

and adjusting it.....

More backfilling

Is it straight?

The final backfill

Completed with stakes, tie and woodchip (this is the Sequoia)

We headed to the Bay area today – Los Altos Park in Sandown.  We last visited this site in March 2025.  We were working with Tony, the IWC Tree Officer, who maintains this lovely site, to plant seven standard trees.  This doesn’t seem like very many for 20 people to plant within 3 hours…….  However, the amount of work that went into the planting of each tree was considerable.  Terry’s excellent photos show the majority of the stages.

Firstly, the planting holes had to be dug to specific dimensions.  A few had been prepared for us; one had to be re-dug as the original had flooded and the remainder dug by the GG team.  The base of the holes was then covered with a mix of compost and soil and the level checked so that the tree would be at the correct depth in the hole.  Water retaining granules were scattered throughout the soil/compost mix.  The trees (in 45l bags) were manoeuvred into place and the bags removed.  A perforated watering pipe was placed around the root ball with 20cm vertical above ground level.  Mycorrhizal funghi was applied to the root ball and then the holes backfilled.  A fleece weed mat was put around the trunk of the tree.  Tony and colleague David then added a ‘doughnut’ of woodchip and carefully positioned three stakes around each tree and tied them in.  In due course, a protective wire fence will be erected around each tree. 

The trees planted were four oaks (two varieties), an alder, a liquidambar and a sequoia.  In the coming weeks we will be continuing with tree planting in the Bay area as this is one of the most tree depleted areas on the Island.

For further information about Los Altos Park see link - Sandown Parks & Open Spaces | Enjoy Nature, Trails & Play Areas

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RIP

Derek Comper

March 2010

September 2013 - our 500th GG and 10th anniversary

May 2023 during a visit whilst we were working at the Riverside Centre

Derek was one of our long-standing GG-ers and contributed a considerable amount of time and energy to the group over the years.  He was a popular member of Green Gym and will be fondly remembered.