Category: Nature

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

Two expats, Sean Connor and Penny Wise, give their thoughts on aspects of gardening.
Sean Connor
1. Consider turning a small area of your front garden into a veg patch, it will create interest and, if kept well, will be an asset.
2. Do not overdose when feeding plants, it’s a complete waste of money.
3. If you see totally green leaves on a variegated shrub, remove them or the plant will revert to type.
4. Pull suckers off from the base of roses or they will weaken the parent plant.
5. A battery powered hand pruner makes life so much easier in the garden.
Penny Wise, on how to negotiate a garden centre.
1. Do not buy small pots which are on offer, they are never big enough when you get them home.
2. The farm shop must be run by Fortnum & Mason
3. Check the limit on your Visa card before entering cafe.
4. Avert your eyes when passing the charismatic man selling conservatories that you can’t live without.
5. In July be careful driving in as the car park is full of lorries bringing in the Christmas stuff.
The gardens are in their second flush now after the Spring flowers have faded, so dead heading is a regular pastime. Peter Beale the rose grower advises that when taking faded blooms off roses you should cut back to a leaf joint but most just snap the the bloom off just below the spent flower. The recommended way to dead head delphiniums, foxgloves and Canterbury bells is to cut off the flower stalks just below the spent flowers but Sid & Lyn Cottle always take the individual flowers off and leave the spike and have good results. Plants like lady’s mantle and herbaceous geraniums can be cut back to the ground, they will recover well enough to give you another flush.
On allotments and veg patches the first crops will be ready to harvest. Beans, lettuces, spring onions and early potatoes will be waiting to be picked. The main problem at this time is the fact that most people take their annual leave and go away which leaves some gardens without someone to water, so be nice to your neighbours and they may assist.
Parsley is notoriously difficult to germinate outside but this month is known to have the highest success rate. They can then be potted up and brought indoors later in the year.
The village show in September will be your chance to show off your wares, to keep this event going we need plenty of entries. Anne Daniels might be in with a chance with her secret tomato food blend.
With a lot of May and a big part of June being really dry it is essential that we save as much dirty water as possible to use on the garden. Water butts don’t have to cost the earth any vessel that holds water will suffice. According to the people who know about these things we are going to have long spells of dry weather and when it does rain this will be prolonged so make use of the down pipes on houses and outbuildings. If you can cover these containers, it will stop evaporation. We are also going to have to consider which plants we grow if this is to be the norm. If you have unglazed or terracotta pots water will dissipate through these quickly, it is good practice to line the inside with plastic, bin bags will suffice, or paint the inside. Putting some weed fabric on the top around plants then some bark or stone will slow down the evaporation considerably.
Sadly, Trevor Case passed away at the end of May. Trevor wrote the gardening column in the What’s on for many years. He also led the environment team and was a driving force when Wenvoe competed in the best kept village competitions. A good man.
Take care and happy gardening

 

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THE VILLAGE GARDENER

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Gardening Thoughts From The Silver Foxes

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The gardening thoughts this month come from the Silver Foxes, who meet their probation officers at the Library Hub on Fridays.

1. Reduce the buds on roses for bigger blooms if you’re going to enter the village show.
2. Cut back dogwoods and use the trimmings for pea sticks.
3. Leave any bulbs growing in the lawn for at least 6 weeks after flowering before cutting back.
4. Fill the runner bean trench with newspaper to help retain moisture during dry periods.
5. Sweet pea seeds can be sown outside now.
6. Split hostas before they start vigorous growth.
7. Put fresh gravel around early flowering alpines to show off the blooms.
8. Slugs will be on the march now and very hungry as well, so be vigilant.
9. Place canes adjacent to tall perennials before they put a spurt on.
10. If you could do with some excellent conversation and company then come and join us.

The 20th March is officially the first day of Spring but we know this can be cold and wet, so please don’t be tempted to rush to the garden centre and fill your trolley with all those lovely plants that have been grown in heated greenhouses. These plants will suffer badly when you get them home unless you have the right conditions to look after them. Nurseries and garden centres know this happens and will have replacement plants back in over the next few weeks so you can buy again when the first lot fail. Once the weather warms up, plants you delay in purchasing will catch up without fail. In Wenvoe we are lucky to have a garden centre on our doorstep and people want to support local businesses, just don’t throw your money away. We are encouraged to go peat free and from next year peat products in England will be banned for everyday gardeners. Professional gardeners will initially be exempt but a ban is planned for them too. Head gardener at Hestercombe gardens, Claire Greenslade, has said they are going peat free but the bedding plants that are purchased from nurseries are still grown in peat at present so, if you’re concerned about the use of peat, check that your supplier is doing their best to bring this practice to an end. British Soil based in Wenvoe have been peat free for a number of years and produce some good composts to grow plants from seed and to bring on young plants.

If some of your daffodils have not flowered it may be that the clump is overcrowded and may have to be split up. The main reason for daffs not producing blooms is that they are not planted deep enough, they need to be inserted at least three times the depth of the bulb.

One of the jobs that will give you a good return on your time is to remove the top 5cms of compost from your containers as this is where most pests, diseases and weed seeds congregate over winter. Replace with some fresh compost and a general fertiliser or, for roses, a balanced rose feed will give excellent results.

On the allotment they are still adding manure and preparing the ground. If the ground is too wet you are better off waiting as the ground will be compacted which will reduce the yield. Spring broad bean seeds can go in now as well as early potatoes. Be aware that there may be late frosts so don’t plant more than you can protect with fleece or cloches. One of the allotment holders is a renowned horticultural show judge so expect a critical eye on your produce at Twyn Yr Odyn.

There are plans for another Gardener’s Question Time in the Spring ( date to be announced). This will give you a chance to ask any questions you have and pick up some tips to enhance your love of gardening.

Upcoming events include the Spring plant sale Sat 29 April 10 – 3 at 29 Vennwood Close and the Wenvoe Open Garden Day on Sat June 17th 10 – 5.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

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