Category: Nature

Most Successful Reindeer Sale

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Most Successful Reindeer Sale

A very Happy Christmas and New Year to all our supporters.

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A most successful Reindeer Sale event took place again and our great thanks to Mike and Glenys for their generous support for WWG. This is our main source of funding, and we could not achieve a fraction of what we do without it. Our chutneys and jams, using fruits from our orchards, sold out quickly and we were delighted to hear of other residents using fruit such as Medlars in their home cooking. We have 6 Medlar trees, and they seem to produce an abundance each year – a great little tree with attractive blossom and seems to cope well with our climate.

The weather has conspired against some of our efforts to do maintenance in the orchards but there is always plenty to do if you can spare a few minutes. We were delighted to help the School on their Tree Day and Angela helped several classes with games and project work.

 

 

When It’s Wet To Stay Off The Ground

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

When It’s Wet To Stay Off The Ground

We are advised when it’s wet to stay off the ground. It causes a lot of damage if the soil gets compacted. This causes problems with drainage and restricted plant growth and includes the grass. There is still plenty to be getting on with, starting with trying to make room in the shed. This is for the stuff we are going to throw out from the house in spring but can’t bear to take to the tip. It’s the same ritual every year.

It has been such a strange year with a dry summer and a warm autumn. This has meant we have bedding plants still flowering in November. Pelargoniums are sometimes discarded but an old method of storing them is cut them back, pull up and shake off the soil, dry them out and store root ball pointing up and wrapped in newspaper. Ieuan uses the Guardian newspaper for his, but I’m quite sure the Telegraph would suffice as long as you don’t mind the plants leaning to the right when you replant them next spring. When the rain eventually came it seemed to bring all the insects, that had been waiting in the soil, to life. With not as much to eat in Autumn, they even started eating geraniums which are usually left unscathed. A lot of gardeners were bitten as well. A noticeable absentee from the late summer was the wasp, very few around.

Another piece of advice handed out at this time of year is to up the feeding of our feathered friends. They say it will encourage them to feed on the pests in the garden. I can’t say I’ve seen those little darlings ignore an easy meal to go hunting for the odd insect. What it does encourage is the larger pests (mice and rats) if we don’t keep the area cleaned regularly. If you’re putting apples out for the blackbirds, you will need to quarter them as they won’t peck through the skin. If you leave them whole, you are just inviting Pam Williams to recover them for her apple distribution network. Open feeders will bring in the sparrow hawk, it works like a McDonald’s drive through for these small raptors.

Working in and around the village throughout the year it’s an absolute pleasure to see the way the gardens are kept. I have to mention Mr& Mrs Cottle who always keep theirs in lovely order.

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas. Take care and happy gardening.

Chosen By ‘Help the Aged’

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

Chosen By ‘Help the Aged’

The team had a special task today, cleaning around the memorial in preparation for Remembrance Sunday. We were chosen by Help the Aged to try and include some folk who find mixing difficult. Mr Williams (in the tabard) was felt most welcome, along with his carer, Dr Martins (yellow coat). All went swimmingly until a vehicle went past a little too fast. This resulted in Mr Williams chasing it as far as the pub to berate the driver. The carer said that his patient had been knocked over so many times it had left him a foot shorter and with a dislike of thoughtless motorists.

Team elder, Ieuan, will be laying a wreath on behalf of our group. Being a young lad at the outbreak of WWII, he has many memories of the shenanigans that went on in Wenvoe at that time and with a bit of persuasion could even give a talk on this. There may be lawyers involved if some of the families descendants are still around.

This band of good folk will meet on the 8th December to swap our prescriptions. It’s loads better than exchanging presents, as you never know what you’re going to get.

Wishing everyone a lovely Christmas, especially those who help us home after our meetings.

It Was A Cow’s Nest

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

It Was A Cow’s Nest

Our aim this month was to clear the bamboo in the Community cemetery.

While working amongst the dense undergrowth the team discovered what was thought to be some sort of nest. Our British bird expert Martin Snr took a look and failed to identify the object. Apparently Martin’s expertise only covers birds in the Sun newspaper. Thankfully, Ieaun had seen a similar version, only with glass bottles at Topindu farm as a youngster, it was a cows nest. These are a rare sight, although the cow is a common animal in these parts, to find a nest is astonishing. We knew it hadn’t been there long as all the cartons were in date. The Ministry of Agriculture told us to leave it well alone and work elsewhere.

Problem we had was that Gareth had already helped himself to a semi skimmed. He has a long history in the family of devouring rare specimens, turtle poached in milk is one of his favourites. His father scoffed the last dodo!

We took the cut bamboo to the Twyn Yr Odyn allotments, thinking they’d be glad to have them. Nicola & Barry dismissed our wares, saying their beans grow so big they tie them to the mast. They must be American beans.

We will meet on 3rd November to tidy up at the memorial in preparation for Remembrance Sunday on the 9th.

Definitive List Of Welsh Apples

Definitive List Of Welsh Apples

There has been some press coverage recently following an announcement by the National Trust of the publication of a definitive list of Welsh Apple varieties. There are 29 listed. As we have gone to great lengths to plant many of the Welsh varieties in our orchards, we have been considering the list and its implications. In fact although 29 are listed they are broken down into 3 categories. The first category is the Historic list – apples unique to Wales with evidence of cultivation in the country pre-1950. There are 16 of these and include varieties planted in our orchards such as Cissy, Gabalva and St. Cecilia. We have 11 varieties of these.

 

The second category is referred to as Modern which are unique to Wales but introduced by a Welsh breeder or nursery post 1950. One of these is Bardsey which is claimed to date back hundreds of years as it was found in an old orchard on Bardsey Island and sold around the world as such. However, as there is no evidence to support the claim and it was discovered in 1998/9, it is officially post-1950 and thus Modern. There are 5 of these of which we have Bardsey and Machen.

The final category is called Associated and these are not unique to Wales but may have been given a Welsh name and widely cultivated in Wales or the Marches. There are 8 of these of which we have only planted Morgan Sweet.

However, we have another 7 which we understood were Welsh but do not fall into any of these categories such as Afal Wern, Pig Aderyn and Cadwallader. The implication is that these are English apples which were just given a Welsh name. So, this list does help to clarify which varieties are truly Welsh and which were adopted and introduced from elsewhere. To check out the full list go to the National Trust website.

Orchard Maintenance

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Orchard Maintenance

Sian has cleared a section of the Watercress Beds at Goldsland. Llewellyn from the Vale Local Partnership team has done a fantastic job cutting the Community Orchard, Wild, Goldsland and Elizabethan orchards whilst also widening the paths around the Upper Orchid Field.

These and many other jobs are made possible through the money raised by the Tuckers’ events and all of you who support them. Other items we have spent this money on include new benches in the Community Orchard, new noticeboard in the Community Orchard, junior workshops for 7- to 11-year-olds, insurance, schoolbooks and items in the wildlife patch, leaflets, signage, tools and materials. Thank you to all who support us directly and those who participate in the Tucker events.

Date for your 2026 diary. The Garden Birdwatch takes place between Friday 23rd and Sunday 25th January. More details will follow nearer the time.

Go For It – Plant The Bulbs

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Go For It – Plant The Bulbs

Go for it – plant the tulip bulbs, they will produce excellent blooms if put in this month. Just make sure the pointy bit is aiming to the sky and they are deep enough. Daffs are cheap to buy now as the success rate diminishes with each week that goes by. Don’t even think about buying snow drop corms, they never do well. Wait until they are available next year, in the green, around March and April; you will be guaranteed a display the following Spring.

Some of the begonias flowered right through October. The mild, if somewhat windy, weather saw to that. Just make sure you save the tubers by drying them out and storing in a dry place, free from frost. The roses have also been producing blooms later this year, which has delayed any pruning until November. I will be putting the hedge trimmer through the roses and leaving the real pruning until the end of March, or when the buds show signs of growth. Do not leave any of the infected leaves around the base of the plants, as the black spot spores will thrive in the soil.

A lot of berries on the holly again this year, so if you need some for Christmas then cut off what you need and stand in water, it keeps for ages. If you don’t do this the wreath makers and wood pigeons will make short work of it before the first day of advent.

November is the start of the bare root season, these shrubs and hedging plants are generally cheaper than pot grown ones and take very well when planted. Apples and pears can be pruned at the end of the month through until the end of February. Don’t prune plums or any stone fruit until the Summer.

There is still plenty to get on with at the allotments. Mike Johnson along with others will be collecting leaves to fill the compost bins along with waste generated off his patch. This Autumn Mike is going to dig some of the leaves directly into the soil so the worms can speed up the process of decomposition. In the village you can leave the leaves on top of the soil for the same effect but up at Twyn Yr Odyn the wind will blow them into the Bristol Channel if you use this method.

Old hands Colin and Bernard have been pleased by the way the allotments have been cared for this year, producing good results in what has been a challenging year weather wise.

Reminder, if you’re having a bonfire, please check for hedgehogs. If you leave them in for too long they become crispy and take on a barbecue flavour. Barry Oliver wraps his in foil, to avoid any mishap.

Take care and happy gardening.

Hit & Toddle

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP

Hit & Toddle

The team had been put under pressure by the residents (Brenig) of Clos Llan Fair, to tidy up the entrance adjacent to the church. We always start our work after the school run, so as to avoid the heavy traffic. The men did not factor in the younger element running late for nursery. Two of these little terrors came hurtling down the road, with the one in front mounting the kerb and pinning Hapless Gareth to the floor.

The culprits toddled off into the church and hid. As luck would have it, we had a medical man in our midst, but it wasn’t dentistry poor Gareth needed. So, with shock setting in the medic gathered all of us together and took us back to his home for refreshments.

October 13th is our next time out. We can guarantee that it will be well away from any danger (the cemetery).

Many Tributes to The Late Ian Moody

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Many Tributes to The Late Ian Moody

There were many tributes to the late Ian Moody in the last issue of What’s On but he also played a major role in the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. A founder member, it was Ian who started the ball rolling by suggesting we formed a group to start maintaining the Upper Orchid Field. Ian was closely involved with the planting of the orchards, the design and construction of the Bee Hotels, excavation and stocking of the ponds and clearance of vegetation. Ian also instigated and ran the monthly conservation sessions on the Upper Orchid Field. One of the activities Ian participated in was the recording of Ancient and Veteran trees. These receive no special protection and only by recording them on the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Register can we reduce the risk that they will be cut down. Ian and Bruce recorded these whenever they came across them on their walks around South Wales. On one occasion Ian spotted a large Oak near Tretower.

The tree was measured and photographed, and it turned out to have been unrecorded up to that point. An Ancient, pollarded Oak proved to be one of the oldest in Wales. A WWG member subsequently mentioned reading a book called Running for the Hills by Horatio Clare in which he describes growing up on a farm near Tretower where there was a massive Oak. It turned out to be the same tree, so it had appeared in literature but had never been officially located and described. At over 9 metres in girth and many hundreds of years old, it was thanks to Ian’s eagle eyes that the tree was registered and celebrated.

So, the legacy is there. Orchards that should be good for 100 years and a tree that could have witnessed the times of Owen Glendower.

We shall be covering the topic of funding and what we spend it on in the next issue but meantime our grateful thanks to Glenys and Mike and everyone else who supported the event for raising the amazing sum of over £1,200 for WWG at the Village Show

There Are Good Gardeners Around Wenvoe

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

There Are Good Gardeners Around Wenvoe

The village show highlighted the fact that there are good gardeners around Wenvoe. Bernard, who judges the vegetables and takes his job seriously, was so impressed by the quantity and quality on display. There is of course a small minority that get their produce from Waitrose, but the judge has seen it all before and advises that removing the price sticker might help. He was nevertheless taken by surprise by an entry from Nicola of the Twyn, who had obviously been on her travels to Lilliput. Nicola brought along what she claimed were tomatoes, in what can only be described as a Lilliputian snuffbox. Without glue they refused to stay on the display plate, being blown off by the waft of a butterfly wing. The only way they stood a chance of being judged was a taste test; unfortunately, they slipped down the throat like a greased paracetamol before you could bite them. All this added to what was a really enjoyable day.

The garden will start to look bare after the annuals have been discarded and the perennials cut back. You have choices to make now on how you’re going to protect the soil from erosion over winter. Using the spent compost from pots that had annuals or tubers in, buying in bark or leaving the fallen leaves on the borders for the worms to mulch down for you will work. Admittedly the leaves look messy, but they will do your soil a power of good. You can, of course, dig them in which will speed up the composting process. Always collect rose leaves with black spot and burn them.

Some have managed to keep displays of begonias and dahlias going until recently. Looking after the corms and tubers of these showy plants is a must. We need to make sure there is no foliage left on them and that they are dried out properly before storing in a dry frost-free environment. The late John Rich always kept his in kiln dried sand and had a very good success rate.

Take cuttings of your favourite shrubs, just cut below a leaf joint, peel off the leaves and poke in the ground next to the shrub, so you’ll remember where it came from.

Take care and happy gardening

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