Bulb planting at Aira Force

With winter fast approaching, and frosty evenings and mornings more than likely not far behind, it was our last chance to plant bulbs.

Some 12,000 bulbs where destined for a large bank above the main car park at Aira Force. The old path has been re directed and a number of large trees removed. This has meant that over the summer months the grass has started to grow again.

  

With the help from donations given to the National Trust, we were able to purchase a mixture of bluebells, snowdrops and daffodils, all locally sourced and all native to the UK.

With 12,000 bulbs and only a small team at Aira Force, we called for help far and wide and we weren’t disappointed. We where assisted by volunteers, rangers from other parts of the property and even our sales assistants where happy to lend a hand.

  

It's amazing how so many bulbs can look so small when they are bagged up, but believe me when you have made over 2000 holes it doesn’t seem like a small amount.

The bulbs where divided up and we spread out over the bank. We had customised some old branches to be ‘dibbers’ (basically sharpening the end of the branch to a point); they where used to make a 2 inch hole in the ground.

  

Then a bulb could then be dropped into the hole, ready to burst into life next spring.

The team worked extremely hard over two solid days, there was a plan afoot to plant the bulbs in some sort of design on the bank, but in the end it was hard enough to remember where we had been.

So if you are around Aira Force next spring, please drop in to view the explosion of colour that will be adorning the large bank in the main car park. We look forward to seeing you.