Ivy Removal and Dock Burning

West Beckham Old Allotments is surrounded by an old but rather leggy hawthorn hedge which has long played host to sinuous Ivy, which uses the hawthorn as an unwilling host, as it climbs towards the light. This is wonderful in one particular way: ivy flowers provide autumnal succour to many insects, when all other sources of food have died off. But … and it’s a big but … as the Ivy grows it weakens the Hawthorn so that, when a strong wind gets up, the Hawthorn is more likely to topple. And topple some of our taller Hawthorn have done in recent storms. So, the solution is to limit the hold of the Ivy, to allow the Hawthorn to last for a good few more seasons.

Before

After

So, today’s work party focussed on beginning to reduce the Ivy. Four pairs of Volunteers, including a newcomer, Simon W, fought their way through the undergrowth to reach the trunks of a number of Hawthorn trees, where they cut through the thickest part of the Ivy, removing a chunk of trunk – the result of which will be, in coming months, less dominant Ivy. This was quite hard, demanding work – but hugely satisfying.  The cuttings were loaded onto tarpaulins and dragged or carried across to the bonfire site, where ….

the other members of the work party were tasked with setting fire to the pile of cut docks – a pile that had been lying, gently rotting, for several months or more, bringing back happy (?) memories of dock-bashing work parties past. After checking the heap for any sheltering wildlife, we set to. The bonfire, once lit, smoked pleasantly and when Ivy was added, leapt into life. A huge amount was burnt, with Nigel, Simon G, Trevor, John and Alan feeding the hungry flames and dodging the smoke, which unfailingly follows wherever you go. One large pile of Ivy, left from an earlier Ivy-removal session, was left untouched to give hedgehogs and other mammals cover for the winter.

The Ivy teams – Nigel and Simon G (until they were ordered to the bonfire), Bev and Sophia, Biddy and Simon W, Stu and Elizabeth – made really good headway but a lot remains to be done, so the next work party, on Thursday November 20^th, will be at WBOA again, to continue the work on the Ivy.

John found a half of a dead, and rather smelly, rat with an enormously long tail in amongst the docks; and, on a more cheerful note, Trevor pointed out a party of Lapwing passing high overhead.

Peter Maingay

November 6^th 2025