Category: Nature

Must Do Gardening Tips for April

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Must Do Gardening Tips for April

Tips from two of the nurseries that will be attending The Tuckers Plant Sale on Saturday the 30th April at 29 Vennwood Close.

Firstly Joyce Alpine Hoy

  1. Give the plants in the greenhouse a bit of space so air can circulate and prevent disease taking hold.
  2. Make sure the drainage is adequate in your pots and containers especially for Alpines.
  3. Keep potted plants near the house as this helps with shelter and when watering.
  4. Always remove the top layer of soil from pots in Spring and replace with fresh compost. Doing this removes weed seeds and pests.
  5. If you order plants by post, unwrap water and repot as soon as possible, or they will take a long time to recover.

Gordon & Elizabeth Jones of Belgrave Horticulture.

  1. Composting is essential to bring balance to the work of gardeners.
  2. If you have room plant a native tree. Crab apple are great for wildlife. If you have a larger area then an oak tree would be great as they support the most life.
  3. Put freshly mown grass under your trays of seed. The heat generated will bring them on in no time.
  4. Remove some of the leaves from hellebores to expose the flowers.
  5. Foxgloves are easy to look after and great for bees and other insects.

It is quite the thing at present to plant a wildflower patch. If you follow the instructions on the packet to the letter then a good display will follow. The main thing to do is to make sure the area is weed and grass free as the wild flowers cannot compete with perennial weeds. The wild flowers prefer poor soil, so no need for fertiliser. What they don’t say on the packet is that, if you don’t want your garden completely smothered in wild flowers the following year, you will need to cut them down before they set seed.

A greenhouse or cold frame will enable you to buy smaller, and inevitably cheaper, plants to bring on in April. Repot these young plants as soon as you can and be careful not to overwater, especially at this stage, or the plants may rot. There is still time to sow sweet peas and they will be ready a little later and prolong the season. As the weather warms stand the plants outside during the day. This may seem a bit of a fuss but will give you a lot stronger plant.

Compost. We endeavour to make our own but usually buy a few bags every year. As long as the compost used in pots growing annual flowers or veg has not caused plants to suffer from disease then it can be reused. Folks mostly put the spent compost on the garden as a mulch but it can be rejuvenated by simply sieving and adding a slow release fertiliser. The one thing it shouldn’t be used for is seed planting as it may contain pathogens that will harm new seedlings. There are loads of tutorials online which will save you quite a bit of cash

April is a good time to give roses a preventative spray against the main diseases they are about to face. To get bigger blooms on roses you need to reduce the amount of buds, this is done by growers who enter shows.

On the allotments the tenants are planting early potatoes. Runner and French beans are sown under glass ready for planting out in May when all risk of frost has passed. Peas and beans have long roots so toilet roll holders are great for giving them a good start. Planting carrots early will beat the carrot root fly but if too cold the seed will not germinate so cloches are used to warm the soil. You will always see onions grown on allotments. They are easy to grow and store well. If your intention is to grow oregano, make sure you keep it in check or it will take over your patch.

With everything costing more, it is worth shopping round. The cost of wooden fencing has rocketed and the price of plants is ridiculous. Blue Diamond garden centre at St Mellons always have a table where prices have been reduced. British Soil in Wenvoe sell their products well below D I Y stores and garden centres. If you need timber then Bruno fencing in Barry are good value. If you know of other places that give good value please share. Pam & Phyllis always make a list before venturing into garden centres, otherwise it’s like shopping in the middle of Lidl where you come out with things that make you wonder how you ever managed without them.

Take care and happy gardening

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Least Favourite Wild Animals

The Adder 

The Adder is possibly one of the public’s least favourite wild animals yet it has an important role in our local ecology. Maybe its reputation as Britain’s only venomous snake does not help but cases of humans being bitten are few and far between, less than one case a year over the last hundred years and most of these occur when people pick the snakes up. Between 1950 and 1972 there was only one death from an adder bite in England and Wales compared with 61 who died from bee or wasp stings.

There should be records of them in the parish but there are none on the Aderyn database. Despite that there are several anecdotal reports of them, so if you do come across one locally, do get in touch with the Wildlife Group preferably with a photograph and details of the location. The snake is quite easy to identify with its characteristic zig-zag pattern, the female brown and the male black. You are more likely to come across a grass snake which is much larger and completely harmless. They have been seen at the Watercress Beds and the Elizabethan Orchard.

Like so much of our wildlife, adders are in decline. Much of this is down to habitat loss and disturbance by people and dogs. They are also predated on often by pheasants which frequently kill slowworms as well. Larger birds of prey, like Buzzards, are likely to be a threat. The future for this unique species does appear bleak.

 

 

Gardening Tips for March 2022

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Must Do Gardening Tips for March

St Mary’s Church florist Sandra Jones tips for the month

1. Start feeding shrubs with slow-release fertiliser.

2. Trim winter flowering heathers.

3. Clean up paths and patios.

4. Put supports in place before plants start to grow.

5. Dead head daffodils but don’t touch leaves

Ray of Church Rise and the perfect lawn.

1. Always brush away worm casts or weed seeds will find a home.

2. Cut as often as needed but not too low.

3. Spend time on edging as finish is everything.

4. Clear thatch annually.

5. In dry weather don’t attempt to water the lawn unless you have enough time to do it properly.

Here we go then, Spring is here, and we look forward to the growing season. We will see what plants have survived the Winter in the greenhouse and shed. What we can be sure of is that hundreds of slugs and snails will be gearing up to eat anything tender that pokes it head above the soil. After listening to gardeners over the years slug pellets were always the favourite form of eradication but the most popular now is a margarine tub sat in the soil with some beer in it. The little blighters can’t resist it. You must empty it often because they will stink if you leave them. As slugs and snails are mainly nocturnal, you can catch them in the act by taking a torch and removing them as they forage. For pots on a path or patio a ring of salt around the base of container will sort them out.

We often have some inclement weather in March, so don’t be tempted to put tender plants out. Once the warmer days come things will soon catch up. Going by last year’s weather when there were roses blooming in the garden on Christmas Day and daffodils in flower on the village green by mid-January, I will be staggering the sowing of seed to have a longer season. The one plant that does well by planting now is the snowdrop. Buy them in the green just after they’ve flowered, and you will be guaranteed a good display next year. If you just plant the dried bulbs they don’t often multiply. With Spring bulbs such as daffodils, take the flower head off as soon as it starts to go over so the plant can put its energy back into the bulb for a good display next year. Remember to make a photographic diary of your garden as it comes into life so you can make adjustments for the following season and not put the spade through dormant bulbs later in the year. You need to give the roses a prune now if you haven’t already done so. We are trained to cut them back to an out facing bud like rose experts Mr & Mrs Cottle of Gwenfo Drive but don’t worry as they are tough plants and can take a lot of misplaced secateurs. Clematis is another plant that needs cutting back before growth starts. There are so many varieties that flower at different times of the year, so you should check before you cut into it. If you have a problem with this plant, then Mrs Clare Ellis is the lady you need to speak to as she is very knowledgeable on these plants. You can usually find Clare working in the library on a Saturday.

There will be a plant sale on Saturday 30th April in Vennwood Close, where local growers will have stalls showing off their wares. There will of course be loads of free gardening advice, a few local crafters, cakes and a raffle with proceeds going to the Wildlife Group.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

February Tips From the Experts

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Must Do Gardening Tips for December

February tips from Sharon at British Soil.

  • Cut down deciduous grasses left standing over Winter.
  • Cut back late flowering clematis.
  • If you need to move deciduous shrubs, then now is the time.
  • Cut back elder and buddleia
  • Give Winter flowering heathers a light trim, being careful not to cut into the old wood stems.

 

Advice from Barry Harper of Twyn allotments.

  • Chit early potatoes.
  • Plant rhubarb crowns in rich soil.
  • Cover strawberry plants with fleece or cloches to give them a good start.
  • Prepare beds for sowing by weeding. Then cover soil with garden compost.
  • Check what the other allotment folk are up to, so you don’t miss out.

 

There are countless magazines, radio and television programmes offering advice on what we ought to be doing in the garden in any given week. We need to be checking the local weather forecast before we start planting. There can be as much as four weeks between planting times between the southeast of England and the Scottish Highlands. Plants grown under nursery conditions will not take kindly to being put out in cold wet weather. Unless you can take care of the plants you see early in the season looking very inviting in neat rows on the garden centre shelves, please wait until clement weather can give them a good start.

The really warm weather in December has kept the grass growing as well as weeds and has also brought on daffodils early. During January the cyclamen and pansies were being pushed out by overzealous, under planted bulbs and corms. The Autumn sown sweet peas have put on a lot of growth and need the tips taken out to promote new side shoots. Repotting will help to give the roots space to grow.

Wisteria should have its Winter prune now to make sure it flowers well. Cut the shoots back to three or four buds but be careful to leave the main frame alone. Mahonia can be cut back now as the flowers fade. If the shrub has a good shape about it just remove the flower spikes. If it’s looking straggly you can prune it hard, and it will come back strongly.

The wet weather in late Winter will make greenhouses damp, the lack of sun to dry the air out can bring about grey mould which can do serious damage to over wintering plants. On milder days open doors and windows, check the leaves of plants and remove damaged ones. If some plants are badly infected remove the whole plant to the outside.

Allotment and veg gardeners have been troubled with potato blight over the last couple of years. It is very difficult to control but there are some preventative measures to take. One thing which can help is to grow early varieties such as Charlotte and Anya. Sarpo potatoes have a good resistance to blight. Experienced gardeners always leave a bigger gap between the tubers when planting as an increased air flow when plants are maturing helps enormously in blight prevention. If you grow potatoes in containers make sure you clean them out and disinfect to stop any infection and change the compost. Those gardeners who planted broad beans in the Autumn have seen a lot of growth due to mild conditions, which means they will need support.

Take care and enjoy your gardening

 

 

Went to Mow the Meadows

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Meadow Mowing

Our thanks to the Vale Local Nature Partnership who not only cut the Community Orchard for us last month but have now cut Cae Ysbyty at Goldsland, the Hospital Field. This is the first time the small meadow has been cut properly and should help to ensure an even better spread of wildflowers next year. Next year several of our sites will be cut in late summer by the machine in the photo which also gathers wildflower seeds and this can be used to create new meadows around the Vale of Glamorgan.

Our thanks also to the Cardiff Rivers Group who have started to clear around the Watercress Beds at Goldsland. They will be starting to remove the willows that tend to dominate and overshadow a large part of the site.

And particular thanks to Mike and Glenys Tucker who have donated so generously from the Christmas Reindeer sale. This money is so important to the work of the group as it enables us to offer match-funding when we apply for grants.

 

 

Ladybirds

Ladybirds 

Many of you will have noticed large numbers of ladybirds congregating on the outside of houses. These come in many different colours and patterns but they are most likely to be the one species, the Harlequin Ladybird, which, as its name suggests, has a variegated colouring.

The one in the photo is plain orange but they come with spots, blotches and stripes – some even have 19 spots. An Asian species which first arrived in Britain in 2004, they have spread rapidly and are believed to out-compete our native species. Introduced into North America it is known as the Halloween Bug where it invades houses and is now the commonest species.

 

 

Gardening Tips for December

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Must Do Gardening Tips for December

Ex Wenvoe Cricket Club Captain Alan Grant has some tips for us.

  1. Do not make excuses for not getting out in the garden.
  2. Adapt the garden to the amount of work you are capable of.
  3. A water feature will add serenity to any garden.
  4. My main aim is to have colour in the borders for the whole year.
  5. Having an edge to the lawn really sets it off.

The Women’s Institute secretary Mrs Ewington has some reminders for Winter.

  1. Poinsettias will keep longer if the pot is allowed to dry out a bit before watering each time.
  2. Make sure the Amaryllis you were given for Christmas goes on display, as the gifter will check.
  3. Give those Christmas Hyacinths a good feed before they die back.
  4. Don’t forget to deadhead the violas and pansies. The displays will only get better from now on.
  5. Check for any dead or diseased plants amongst the ones you are over wintering.

 

At the Walled Garden, Victoria, who now heads the gardening team, has handed out the overwintering jobs to the staff which includes the insulation of ceramic pots with bubble wrap, water butts to be emptied in case of a severe frost to avoid cracking, and hose pipes stored away and taps covered.

The fuchsias in hanging baskets and containers that have been flowering right up to the end of November, can be kept for next year. Leave them in their planters and remove all leaves to cut down the risk of disease and store in a garage or shed. They do not need light and only very little water to stop them drying out completely. In the Spring cut them back hard and repot in fresh compost. Hellebores will soon be in flower. We can remove some of the lower hanging leaves to show off the blooms. Hellebores can suffer from blackspot so remove infected leaves and destroy. Forget-me-nots seem to pop up everywhere. A lot of people regard them as weeds as they have the ability to crowd out other plants, but they do bring some early spring colour. You need to thin them out or mildew will take hold and ruin the display.

What a year on the allotments; they have been well tended. The new plot holders have taken really good care of their patches and some are already digging trenches to fill with material to feed their runner beans next year. Old hand Herbie suggests moving leeks to the edge of allotments and heeling in. They will keep for ages like this, and you can then prepare the ground for next season. On one of the allotments, you will see a lot of compost bins; the owner uses these to excel in growing a variety of crops. He is a font of knowledge and very approachable, not like Herbie at all!

A big thank you to What’s On for letting me write this column for another year. We are fortunate to have a group of dedicated people who give their time to produce such an informative magazine.

Have a lovely Christmas. Take care and as always – happy gardening

 

 

Autumn Activities

Wenvoe Wildlife Group

Autumn Activities

Our thanks to John Smith for cutting the Goldsland Orchard site. It is a lot tidier now and this will see us through until next Spring. We hope that gradually grass and wildflowers will replace the Bramble, Teasel, Dock and Burdock. VoGC have used their seed-harvesting machine to cut the Community Orchard on the Playing Fields. The seed has been gathered and will be distributed around the Vale to create new meadows. If you visit there regularly and have a minute to spare, the grass cuttings need raking up and piling around the fruit trees as a mulch. You will need to take your own rake over. Possibly also by the time you read this, the Upper Orchid Field will have had its annual cut by the contractor. A reminder to horse owners that this is a nature reserve and not for galloping through. Nor is there any bridleway access to this area – only footpaths.

Planting of Betony, Oxeye Daisy and Sneezewort has taken place at Cae Ysbyty on Goldsland Farm. The moth trap continues to register new species for the parish although as the nights get colder, fewer moths are on the wing. The photo shows the green Merveille du Jour which looks even better in colour. Check our Facebook pages for colour images. (and here )

The Barbastelle Bat project continues with deployment of detectors around Wenvoe. One detector in 3 weeks generated 36 Gigabytes of data! By November the bats will start to go into hibernation and may not emerge until April or May depending on the weather.

 

 

What, No Acorns? 

What, No Acorns? 

Have you noticed the lack of acorns this year? Robert Reader got in touch as he had noticed they were few and far between combined with large amounts of the husks of conkers lying around. So, what are the squirrels up to?

Last year, 2020, was a ‘mast’ year for acorns. ‘Mast’ derives from the Old English ‘maest’ which simply means the nuts of forest trees which have accumulated on the ground. We tend to use mast to mean years when there are a lot of them and this applied last year all over Britain. This year, the reverse applies and whether you are in Glamorgan, Somerset or Yorkshire people are reporting few if any acorns. Interestingly the Knopper Gall which distorts growing acorns and can often be found scattered on the pavement underneath the School oaks, are not to be found. The reasons behind mast years are varied including the weather but also may be linked to ensuring the continuation of the oaks by producing a bumper crop, many of which are buried by squirrels, birds and rodents. These are then followed by lean years which keeps the populations of small animals under control.

So with a shortage of acorns this year for the squirrels to bury are they turning to conkers? Well, yes and no. Conkers contains a poison which squirrels can detect if they try to eat them but this will not prevent their hoarding instincts from kicking in. So wherever you find loads of conker shells but no conkers you can assume that the squirrels have been carrying off the conkers and burying them. The net result will be loads of Horse Chestnut saplings next year!. More recently Sweet Chestnuts have been falling and the squirrels are losing no time in gathering these up. Grange Park is a good spot to see them in action.

A few things to look out for at the moment. Every garden seems to be festooned with spider webs, most of which will be the Garden Spider which can be quite a chunky size. And the Harlequin Ladybird is everywhere. These come in different patterns but they are larger than our familiar 7-spot Ladybird. They also move into houses and can be found in any gaps around doors and windows where they can gain access and spend the winter. Also check out the flowering Ivy which is all over the place in Wenvoe. If you see what looks like a wasp but has a hairy back it is probably the Ivy Bee which only arrived in Britain in 2001 so has made a good job of spreading around the country.

 

 

Gardening Tips for November

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Must Do Gardening Tips for November

What golf and gardening star Leslie Sherard will prioritise this month

  1. Newly potted Japanese maple must be kept in a sheltered spot over winter.
  2. Do not allow fallen rose leaves to stay on the soil, or blackspot will spread.
  3. Great time to buy bare root shrubs and hedging at lower prices.
  4. One still has time to pot up tulips.
  5. Must send off for seed catalogues.

Sandra Anstee of the famous gardening dynasty has some thoughts on patio gardening.

  1. Always buy the biggest pot or container you can afford, they won’t dry out so quickly.
  2. Keep pots off the ground during the Winter months to prevent waterlogging.
  3. Next Spring use cardboard and paper in the base of containers for runner beans to help retain the moisture.
  4. If you’re going to grow brassicas give them plenty of room to mature.
  5. Don’t buy tulip shaped pots as they are so difficult to empty if there is a big root ball.

 

Check For Wildlife

Please check for wildlife, especially hedgehogs before lighting your bonfire. The best way to avoid harming any wildlife is to build it on the day. If you do find a hedgehog, using gloves remove it with as much nesting material as possible and place in a high sided cardboard box and place well away from any heat or activity. The next day after things have cooled, place the hedgehog as near as you can to it’s previous home. Not all people show enough care when it comes to looking after our wildlife. When Archie Condick was asked what he would do if he found a hedgehog in the bonfire, he said,” take off the foil and give it another thirty minutes”. Only joking, he said leave the foil on.

Lawn mowers

There are always things to get on with even at this time of year. Mr Robbins will always make sure his lawn mower goes in for a service around now, as come Spring everyone sends their machine in and there is usually quite a wait for it to be returned. All of us with petrol run equipment need to be aware of the new fuel at filling stations. E10 is the standard fuel. E5 fuel has more plant based ethanol in it and you may need a fuel stabilizer to get it to work in your machines. It also has a shorter shelf life.

Young Shrubs

High winds and wet weather can mean a torrid time for young shrubs, especially those in pots. Even when you have cut them back to avoid them being damaged by the elements. Wind rock can move the main stem of the plant where it meets the soil, creating a gap where water can puddle and as the weather gets colder this can turn to ice, which can do irreparable damage to the crown of the plant. Prevent this by firming the soil around the stem and add soil if there is a dip.

Alpine Plants

Alpine plants do not appreciate being soaked continuously and will need a sheltered spot in wet weather. Joyce Hoy is the go-to lady on looking after alpines as she is with most things to do with gardening.

Pruning

Still busy on the allotments, where warden Colin is waiting for the first frost to lift his parsnips and Herbie is starting to make a raised bed to help his poor back. From now until February you can prune your apple and pear trees. Apple trees really benefit from an uncluttered form, so take out any diseased or crossing branches. Don’t prune plum trees now as they are susceptible to the silver leaf fungus. You need to wait until mid Summer to prune them.

Take care and happy gardening

 

 

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