80th Anniversary Of VE Day


THE VILLAGE GARDENER


80th Anniversary Of VE Day


This year sees the 80th anniversary of VE Day. May 8th 1945 was the day the war in Europe officially ended. I’ve been thinking of plants to grow to remember that time. As we know most gardens, parks and open spaces were turned over to produce vegetables and there was little room for flowers. Some flowers and weeds stayed long in the memory of people of that time. Rosebay willow herb, or fireweed as it was known during the war, grew in abundance on bomb sites, as it loved ground that had been subject to heat. Ragwort was also prevalent. These plants brought in the hawk moth and multiple insect life. Which in turn became breeding grounds for redstarts and wheatears, which had never been recorded in London before. The leaves and roots of deadly nightshade were collected from the countryside to extract atropine, a drug used in eye operations. The late Noel Williams, of Walston Close, remembered collecting foxgloves to aid the war effort as a teenager for its digitalis. This powerful drug was used for regulating heart rhythm.

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands took refuge in the United Kingdom during the war, she remembers the daisies being in bloom when her country was invaded. To her it always represented hope and resistance. Food became so scarce in her country during the war that tulip bulbs were a regular source of nutrition. The capital city of Canada is a riot of colour in the spring with millions of tulips in bloom. The Dutch still send 20,000 bulbs each year. These flowers serve as a tribute to the unique friendship between the people of Canada and the Netherlands which developed during the Second World War. Thanks to the authors for these extracts and of course google.

Reading about what was produced on allotments at that time it seems little has changed on the growing side of things except that broad beans were considered a waste because the varieties then had no resistance to blight. Modern hybrids, make for heavier yields of most veg today. They also give us a longer growing season, unless you have a plot at Twyn yr Odyn, where the weather can be a little inclement on occasion.

Take care and happy gardening.

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 



Nest-boxes for Swifts and Swallows



Wenvoe Wildlife Group



Nest-boxes for Swifts and Swallows


By the time you read this the first of two Orchard pruning courses should have been held. We were delighted to host these as it means that some of our trees get a bit of professional TLC. We were also pleased to hear that the Welsh Ornithological Trust has given us a grant to install nest-boxes for both Swifts and Swallows. This will take place at Goldsland Farm. If you have not yet copied your Big Garden Birdwatch results to us it would be good to hear from you. We would hope to publish our local results in the next issue of What’s On. And, finally, the first of our new programme of nest-box installations has taken place thanks to Mike Tucker. This is clearly visible as you drive or walk past the Village Green

 



Shady Didn’t Return On Time

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP



Shady Didn’t Return On Time


Our first assignment of 2025 was to tackle an untidy area adjacent to the Walston Castle, identified by one of the team. A couple of traffic cones kept us a little safer from the traffic, which to be fair behaved well. You get the odd one who’s in a rush, which is like a red rag to a bull to Shady, who gets so irate and this ends up in confrontation. To keep Shady out of trouble, we asked him to put up a nesting box donated by the wildlife group, well away from any traffic. When Shady didn’t return on time we set off to find him. He was seen standing on a box, nailing the nest box to a tree, apparently for flightless blue tits. Because of the notoriety surrounding Shady, he insisted his profile be removed from the photograph

 


Wildlife Camera of a Woodcock




Wildlife Camera of a Woodcock


Those who follow our Facebook page, Wenvoe Wildlife, will have seen a clip from our wildlife cameras of a Woodcock in a patch of woodland near the village. With only one previous record in the Parish the bird is rare and classified as RED, i.e. threatened with extinction. It also has Protected status in the UK. Although a wading bird it spends much of its time in woodland as with our example and is mainly nocturnal. Most of the birds that breed here are residents but we often receive large numbers of migrants from Finland and Russia in the winter. In Spring and Summer male birds perform a display flight known as ‘roding



Very Blustery Weather

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP



Iery Blustery Weather


A good turnout considering the very blustery weather. The work party set about clearing the debris from the footpath on Tarrws Lane. Shady, as always, took his litter picker and was removing rubbish on the road, when a gust of wind got hold of him and he went flying past us at a rate of knots. Fortunately, Shady grabbed a tree branch.

The problem was trying to get him to let go. Big John suggested we leave him there as a windsock. Martin said we ought to wait until the wind subsided. It all ended abruptly when Ieuan found Shady’s bankcard and invited us to the pub, at which point Shady fell on him.

The team wish you all a successful 2025 and next month will be putting up bird boxes donated by Wenvoe Wildlife Group, weather permitting

 



Happy New Year Everyone


THE VILLAGE GARDENER


Happy New Year everyone


This time of year, I love to look through seed catalogues, wondering if the plants will ever be as good as they look in the pamphlet. They never are.

Don’t start trampling all over the soil unless it’s dry as compacting it now will make for heavy work come the planting season. There is always something to be done, whether it’s weeding or taking some of the leaves off hellebores to expose the flowers. Dead heading the winter flowering pansies is a must or they’ll go to seed. These pansies are never as good until early spring when they flourish, and we’re loathe to take them out to make room for spring bedding. If you have managed to get another year out of the wallflowers, you will find they flower so much earlier than the new ones planted out last autumn.

The storms this winter will make us all think twice about planting trees. Trees are one of our biggest assets against flooding, by slowing down the flow of water, absorbing rainwater and reducing soil erosion. Choose a species that fits in the space you have and prune regularly or the local authority will be on your case if it encroaches on to a road or pavement. The lowest branches have to be 2.5 metres above the footpath and 5.3 metres above the road. Yet if it grows too close to your dwelling, you will need their permission to cut it back. Just a thought, after seeing all the fences that have come down lately, why not if you have the room plant a hedge. There are so many different plants that can be used, and they don’t blow over, last a lot longer, look good, great for wildlife and good for the environment. Not leylandii!

Cloches should be making an appearance on the allotments and veg gardens to warm the soil for planting peas. Take any yellowing leaves off brassicas, to stop any disease. Mr Gareth Lewis will have started potatoes off in grow bags inside his hot house, just to be the first with new season spuds.

If you’re like Big John of the Environment team whose tool is always sharp, then you won’t need the service of a free hand tool sharpening session starting on the 6th January in the Wheelwright’s shop by the Church Hall. What’s On recipients can bring them along that week. Shears, loppers, secateurs and mower blades.

 

Take care and happy gardening

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 



The RSPG Big Garden Bird Watch



Wenvoe Wildlife Group



THE RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRD WATCH


The Big Garden Birdwatch is the UK’s largest garden wildlife survey and it is run by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). It has been running since 1979, and every year, over half a million people take part. It takes place over the last weekend in January each year. In 2025 the Birdwatch will take place from Friday 24th to Sunday 28th January. It is hoped it will be the biggest Birdwatch yet.

It’s easy to take part – you simply watch the birds in your garden or local park for one hour, and record what you see. It is a great activity that you can do either on your own or with family members including children. Don’t worry if you know very little about birds. The RSPB has a guide on their website to show you the different species.

Why is it important?

Big Garden Birdwatch provides a vital snapshot of how the UK’s garden birds are faring, taken over one weekend. This gives a good general impression of birds that are doing well, and the ones that are struggling. As the first Birdwatch took place more than 40 years ago, RSPB now have a wealth of data to look back on. Shockingly, the UK has lost 38 million birds from the UK’s skies in the last 50 years, so it’s crucial we do all we can to look after our bird life. Big Garden Birdwatch helps to monitor how garden birds are faring. We are asking you to share your results with the RSPB and the Wenvoe Wildlife Group so we can get a more accurate picture of the birds that live in our parish.

How do you take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch?

  1. Just count the birds you see in your garden, from your balcony, front room or in the local park for one hour over the Big Garden Birdwatch weekend. It doesn’t matter what time of day you do your Birdwatch, but you will see more birds if you do it first thing in the morning.
  1. Only include birds that land, not those flying over. Count the highest number of each species you see at any one time. For example, if you saw four Starlings together, then two Starlings later, your final count will be four (not six). If you see one robin 6 times you only count one robin. If you see very few birds or none at all, that’s also really useful information for RSPB and the Wenvoe Wildlife Group
  1. You may attract more birds to your garden if you regularly feed them. If you have never fed birds in your garden the RSPB website will help you get started.

What to do with your survey results

You can send in your results to the RSPB online. There is a simple form to fill in. Also please send the list of the number and type of birds you have seen to the Wenvoe Wildlife Group; Nigel Billingham (nigelrbillingham@yahoo.co.uk or post to Woodside

Cottage 5 Church Rise CF5 6DE or Bruce McDonald bruce7@btinternet.com or post to 5 Walston Close, CF5 6AS). Please include your postcode as that will enable us to log where the different species of birds are within the parish. The Wildlife Group will publish the results in Wenvoe What’s On as soon as possible.

Remember it only takes one hour to undertake the survey during the weekend 24-26 January. Please put the date in your diary. Thanks for your time


Since the last issue we have had the results of the Tuckers’ Reindeer Sale and were so pleased to receive a substantial sum from Mike and Glenys. Our thanks to all who attended the event, donated raffle prizes, manned stalls, dispensed beverages, baked cakes – you name it! Chiefly, of course, thanks to Mike and Glenys who do so much for the village and without whom these events would not happen.

Following on from our recording project we have been running over the past year, we are currently looking into a funding application to improve nesting habitat for birds within the village. From the data we collect through the project and the garden birdwatch we have been able to identify species that are struggling within the village, and we would like to help them through putting up nest boxes in gardens and the orchards managed by us. In addition, we will be looking to improve our information displays to improve the experience for visitors from the community. An important part of success in this is you – the community. We encourage you to get involved with the Big Garden Birdwatch to help us further understand bird populations within the village which will help increase our chances of success with this project. We would love to get as many people involved as possible, so if you are interested in getting involved with the wildlife group, then please get in touch with us.

Using skills learned earlier in the year on a fruit tree pruning course members have been working on the trees in the Community Orchard. We have heard that two more pruning courses are to be run in the village on Wednesday 29th January and Wednesday 5th February at the Goldsland Orchard and Welsh Orchard (Maes y Felin). To be confirmed which orchard on which day. Check Facebook for booking details. These are free but you must register.

And finally, do you have any Mistletoe berries left from your Christmas decorations? Don’t throw them away but try pressing them against a suitable tree (underside of branch) to see if you can get your own Mistletoe to grow. Suitable trees include Apple, Hawthorn, Acer (Japanese Maple), Poplar. You can try any other tree, but they may not stand much of a chance. The little seed is inside the sticky, pulpy bit. Patience is required as they can take years to get established. Plenty more information online.



Amazing Photo Of A Honeybee Nest




Amazing Photo Of A Honeybee Nest 


Sent in by a resident was this amazing photo of a Honeybee nest in the wild. A local beekeeper pointed out that this will probably not survive the winter. Bee colonies in a hive and sheltered from the elements stand a fair chance of getting through. So if you come across one outside a hive, get in touch with a local beekeeper and they will try to recover the nest and bring it to safety.


The Honeybee is not a native of Britain but was introduced because of the honey it produces and most honeybees that visit your garden will have flown from a nearby hive. Several residents keep bees and one of the Wildlife Group orchards is host to a couple of hives.
Not only do they produce honey, beeswax and royal jelly but they help to pollinate our crops and flowers.



The Wildlife Group Thank All



Wenvoe Wildlife Group



The Wildlife Group Thank All


By the time you read this the Tuckers Reindeer Sale will have taken place and, again, we would like to thank all those who have supported the event and, not least, Mike and Glenys for arranging the occasion and giving so much support to the Wildlife Group. We get no other financial help and this is invaluable in enabling us to maintain our 7 Green Flag sites. During November we have had strimmers and brushcutters in to clear the rampant vegetation at the Goldsland Watercress beds and the St Lythans Wild Orchard. On behalf of the Wildlife Group we would like thank all of you who have supported us through the year and wish you a Very Happy Christmas.

 



The Festive Season Is Upon Us


THE VILLAGE GARDENER


The Festive Season Is Upon Us


With the festive season upon us, the garden gets a bit neglected. That is probably one of the reasons artistic gardeners say we should leave the dead stalks of perennials standing, as it gives structure to the plot. It’s bad enough that the garden starts to look untidy let alone adding to the mess. If you must have some winter structure, get some dogwoods as they have colourful stems and really do look like you’re trying to do your best. Most of the bulbs we’ve planted are in pots that have been dug into the ground so that when they’ve finished flowering, we can retrieve the pots and give the bulbs a feed then let the foliage die down out of sight ready for the Autumn. Hedgehog houses are a good addition to the garden and we are encouraged to help our little friends but check on the occupants as rats love the dry space you have so kindly provided. The Wenvoe Wildlife Group and other prestigious charities would like us to have a wood pile which provides shelter for insects and a snacking area for birds, frogs and hedgehogs. Don’t just throw the wood down like some irate fly tipper; stack it properly so it’s not an eyesore. A couple of stones stacked up will entice the snails to settle in for the winter, then just before the green shoots of Spring appear you can collect and dispose of the blighters.

If we are properly organised, then we should be sending the mower for a service. There is usually a discount at this time of year. If you wait for the Spring when the workshops are busy it can be weeks before you get your machine back. Sharpen all your hand tools now so you’re ready when growth starts. There will be a sharpening day at the wheel wright shop in January for shears, secateurs, mower blades and hooks. Details of dates in the next issue of What’s on.

 

Have a lovely Christmas and a good new year.

Take care and happy gardening

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 



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