Planting Cricket Bat Willow
An opportunity to introduce CBW (Salix alba Caerulea) to Kedleston Estate materialised in February 2016. The three areas previously identified as having the ideal growing conditions required, were successfully planted by JS Wright & Sons Limited from Essex. The fourth area was planted in February 2017.
The enterprise is new to the Estate; Quarndon Cricket Club a long standing tenant on the Estate may well benefit from cricket bats made from the CBW grown and harvested on the Estate in twenty years from now.
The trees are introduced as 15 foot spears. These are driven into the ground at 10 metre spacing and are quick to self root. The management involves pruning epicormic growth from the ground up to 6 feet.
Luckily we do not suffer damage from deer browsing our new plantations. The four plantations are located in suitably wet areas allowing for optimum growing conditions.
