Wildlife Junior Workshop A Great Success



Wenvoe Wildlife Group



Wildlife Junior Workshop A Great Success


Our first Wildlife Junior Workshop for 7-11 year olds was a great success. Held at the Elizabethan Orchard, it was fully booked and all who booked turned up and enjoyed a sunny session, labelling the fruit trees, painting pebbles and toasting marshmallows. Our thanks to the organisers for making it happen and to Robert Reader who owns the land for facilitating it. Forest School leaders Angela Peterken and Claire Newland of Wild Thymes thoroughly enjoyed working with the local children, helping them to connect with all the natural wonders in the Orchard. For more ideas on connecting children to our natural world take a look at their Facebook page, Wild Thymes. Our second workshop takes place on 8th June.

If you fancy brushing up on your skills at identifying birds why not join our Bird Walk which takes place at Goldsland Farm on Saturday 3rd May starting at 9.30am. Led by bird and wildlife experts Rob and Linda Nottage, the walk will cover 2-3 miles and take in a variety of habitats including fields, orchard and Watercress Beds. Accompanied children welcome as long as they can walk a few miles. No dogs please as we shall be going into sensitive areas, and this is a working dairy farm.

Visitors to the Community Orchard on the Playing Fields will have been dismayed to find our noticeboard and bee hotel have been burnt to the ground by vandals. A police report has been made with the incident number 2500116669. If you saw anything suspicious on the evening of Friday 11th April at the Playing Fields please contact the South Wales Police

 

 



Pull-Up The Forget-Me-Nots


THE VILLAGE GARDENER


Pull-Up The Forget-Me-Nots


Before anything else, pull-up the forget-me-nots, to stop heavy self-seeding and reduce spreading next year. They look awful if you allow them to die back. Treat roses for black spot at the first signs of this disease. Tie in the climbing roses as they put a spurt on, also support the bush roses in readiness for the expected heavy and numerous blooms. Prune the spring flowering shrubs as soon as their blooms fade, to allow for good seasonal growth and flowering next Spring. Trim back the aubrieta after flowering to encourage a second bloom.

Take cuttings of pelargoniums and fuchsia as they will propagate easily at this time of year. We have a nationwide problem with fuchsias at the present, because of fuchsia gall mite. Removing affected parts helps but this is not a cure. Some gardeners have given up on them.

We all know how tiresome weeding is, but it has and always will be an absolutely essential activity. The planting up of hanging baskets is a job for May. These displays will always do better if you can keep them in a greenhouse or covered up at night until the end of the month.

Watering is becoming an increasing problem as we are having longer dry spells, using the washing up water will have no detrimental effect on plants. Placing water butts alongside down pipes, will help enormously towards saving tap water use.

On the allotments, gardeners are busy trying to keep up with the new season’s growth. Barry H has been watering every day to keep his well tendered plants healthy. On another plot first year apple trees are having the blossom removed to strengthen the young trees, which will give a better harvest in the coming years.

Protecting crops is a demanding and essential task especially with young plants and early cropping varieties. Netting is efficient but must be done diligently to stop birds being trapped inside. Mice seem to be the hardest to overcome, they will without doubt eat your strawberries the night before you’ve decided to pick them. Young runner bean plants are a magnet for pests. Other than having 24- hour security, you just need a bit of luck. All the effort is always worthwhile and that’s shown by the folk who love their plots.

Come along to the Tucker’s VE80 Wartime Plant Sale on Saturday 10 May in the Church Hall. Buy some lovely plants, try some wartime recipe food and dress in clothes of the era. And of course, buy raffle tickets in aid of Wenvoe Wildlife Group.

Take care and happy gardening



Keeping The Village Tidy

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP



Keeping The Village Tidy


On an overcast morning, a depleted team of six helped tidy up the rose bed on the village green. These folk have stayed loyal to their task of keeping the village tidy since 1988 when the group was formed, with the Rev Bernard Johns as chair. In those days the team was made up from pillars of the Community, clergy, doctors, councillors etc. Nowadays it’s kept alive by what can only be described in some cases as ne’er do wells. Best not to delve too deeply, especially Shady and of course, Big John who has missed two outings because of tennis apparently but we in the team know that the only court he’s familiar with has a judge and not an umpire. Racketeering is his forte. He has only gone missing since Trump announced tariffs.

For those not on remand, we will meet again on 14th April by the Community Centre

 


Things Are Starting To Grow


THE VILLAGE GARDENER


Things Are Starting To Grow


A cold start to March held back seed sowing, unless you had some form of heat to help germination. Now with longer days and a little more warmth things are starting to grow and seedlings catch up quickly. Patience is always the best way forward to get things done. With young plants we have to be aware of their needs, by protecting them from cold nights and most importantly, be very careful with watering. Too much and they will rot in the trays or too little and they’ll wilt. Try to check on them each day, it will be worth the effort.

Snowdrops, crocus and daffodils are the first to go over. A few steps now will guarantee a good display next year. As soon as the flowers die back, cut them off or they will try to set seed which will take energy away from the bulb. Do not cut back the foliage until it dies back, the leaves are where the bulb gets its nutrients from to store energy for next year.

Weeds will, without doubt, be growing faster now than anything you’ve planted so keep on top of them, or they will smother any young plants or older ones given the chance. Mulching around the plant is a good way to suppress weeds but only if you put it down at least 3” thick. Old compost is a good mulch, better still, if you see any of the tree surgeons working around our community, ask them for the stuff they are chipping, it’s perfect and they will be glad for you to have it. If you feel that you must buy some, get a few bags of bark from British soil in Wenvoe. Don’t buy that scrulch from garden centres, it’s only straw and an expensive waste of time and money. If you want straw, buy a bale from a local farmer or Arthur Johns in Cowbridge. Honestly, just lay cardboard down on the soil, with some old compost on top and the job is done.

On the allotments, Bernard has put up a tent like the ones you see on crime dramas when a body has been discovered. It must be a new method he has worked out to get a better crop of something and he’s not willing to share it yet. It’s not anything sinister, as you can hear radio 4 being played from inside. The site is looking great with freshly dug ground and gardeners busy planting their young crops. All early potatoes are in and trays of young veg under cloches. Do not even contemplate planting runner beans yet, you need to wait for the ground to warm even more for this tender king of crops to have a fair chance, remember patience is key.

Don’t forget to come along to the Tuckers Wartime Plant Sale on 10 May in the church hall. There will be a good selection of plants, wartime recipes to sample, a good quality raffle. More details can be found elsewhere in this edition of the Wenvoe What’s On.

Happy gardening.



Working With Forest School



Wenvoe Wildlife Group



Working With Forest School


The Group are delighted to be working with Forest School to hold a series of three junior workshops for those aged 7- 11. The first takes place on April 6th at one of our orchards and runs for three hours with a variety of different activities. Places are limited and must be booked with further information on our Facebook page. Further workshops are planned to take place in June and August. The project is funded with money raised at the Tucker’s Plant and Reindeer events.

After the Upper Orchid Field was cut by John Crockford members have been working to clear invasive Bramble and Blackthorn around the perimeter of the site. If you see some old-fashioned hay ricks around the field, Annie and Nicola have been raking up the dead grasses and there was a great turnout on Ian’s working party session including Ian, Pat, Roger, Judy, V’iain, Jane, Carys and Debbie.

Following the donation of £100 by the Wildlife Group to the School for books, Nigel and Jude met with the children to hear which books they had chosen and why.. It was great to hear their enthusiasm over their selections.

 

 

 



Shady Suffered From Cabin Fever

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP



Shady Suffered From Cabin Fever


Inclement weather along with colds and mothers not letting the boys out, stopped the teams work this month. Shady suffering from cabin fever, ventured out with his litter picker. While out, he saw 50p in a drain and wouldn’t let it be. Having got in to retrieve it, a motorist who Shady had reported previously for doing 21mph through the village, spotted him and put the cover back on.

Distraught, Shady phoned us. We got the cover off but had difficulty getting him out because he wouldn’t let go of the coin.

Grateful? Not a bit of it. He lambasted us for not turning up for work because of a little rain. If Big John hadn’t shown compassion, we would have put him back in.

The village green is our next task on Monday 10th March – whatever the weather brings

 


The Wenvoe Orchid Field

VILLAGE ENVIRONMENT GROUP



THE WENVOE ORCHID FIELD


If you don’t know how to find the Wenvoe Orchid Field, take the footpath at the top end of Walston Road (Walston Road is the road up past the village church), at the far end the road swings sharp right down to the Walston Castle. The footpath passes the old Walston Quarry, now filled and being restored, up past the gate used by the lorries providing the ‘clean’ infill material and on into the Orchid Field.

To the left of the entrance is a display board showing the shape of the field and where the different paths lead. Climbing to the top far side of the field there is a footpath exiting the field which leads to the Quarryman’s Stone, a tribute to past quarrymen of the different quarries of the area, the recently installed toposcope and Twyn yr Odyn with it’s recently refurbished public house.

The Orchid Field. known by some old residents as the sledging field when winters were colder, and snowier, belongs to the Vale Council and is being managed by the Wenvoe Wildlife Group. Orchids and many other wild flowers thrive best in poor soil rather than enriched areas, which is why, each year, the field is cut and the material removed rather than being left to rot down and fertilize the soil. Brambles also thrive in poor soil; new shoots grow over the top of last year’s old brambles leading to some dense bushes, these provide refuge for wildlife, but hence there is a constant battle to control them rather than let them run rampant by. pushing growth back towards the perimeter of the field. Black thorn is also a problem in some sections of the field if not kept in check.

The Orchid Field working party meet monthly on the third Monday morning of the month from 9.30am onwards and is always keen to welcome anybody looking to participate in some worthwhile outdoor voluntary work for a few hours (no set working times). You do need to provide your own tools, ie shears, lopper, secateurs etc along with a sturdy pair of gloves.

The field has recently been cut, leaving areas that the machine cannot reach and require cutting by hand. Members often select a certain area to concentrate on clearing over a few months and will return on other days in the month, when they have some free time and the weather is pleasant. What can be better on a nice summer’s day in pleasant peaceful surroundings than enjoying some easy exercise in the great outdoors.

 

 


Wenvoe Bird Watch Results




Summer Garden Birdwatch


After the success of the Garden Birdwatch just completed, we are planning a Summer Garden Birdwatch run along the same lines as the Winter Birdwatch but potentially including our summer visitors such as Swallows and House Martins. It will take place between Sunday 18th May to Sunday 25th May. This is a purely Wenvoe-based initiative. Full details will follow in the May issue of What’s On.

In the lead-up to this we have organised a Bird Walk which will be of interest to both complete beginners and more experienced wildlife watchers. This will take place at Goldsland Farm on Saturday 3rd May starting at 9.30. It will be led by Rob and Linda Nottage who have knowledge of both birds and other wildlife and will be an ideal opportunity to find out more about local fauna and flora. No dogs as we shall be going into sensitive areas.

To help our feathered friends we have put up around 15 nest boxes around the village from boxes for Robins and the smaller songbirds to Tawny and Barn Owls. These are in a variety of locations including the Village Green, Grange Park and the churchyard. Thank you to Mike Tucker for installing the boxes. And next a number of Swift and Swallow homes will be going into Goldsland Farm which should be visible on the Bird Walk. And, finally, Nigel Billingham has asked if you could drop him a line (nigelrbillingham @yahoo.co.uk) when you see your first Swallow, House Martin or Swift. You never know exactly when they will appear because the weather can affect their journeys from different parts of the world.

Happy Birding!


Orchard Maintenance Courses



Wenvoe Wildlife Group



Orchard Maintenance Courses


Two successful Orchard Maintenance courses have been held; one at Goldsland and the other at the Welsh Orchard, Maes y Felin. A number of our members attended but there were also plenty of keen orchard enthusiasts from elsewhere. The courses are run by the local Nature Partnership team, and we benefit as many of our fruit trees are pruned in the process. Mike Tucker ‘laid’ the hedgerow around the Goldsland Orchard in the traditional manner and although only planted a few years ago it is already supplying the local wildlife with berries and fruit.

February included Nestbox Week. We erected, around 12 boxes, mainly thanks again to Mike Tucker. Of these, several were Owl boxes.

Sian has strimmed and brushcut the Wild Orchard and with the trees steadily maturing, are hopeful of good crops of Cherry, Crabapple, Bullace, Wild Pear, Cherry Plum and Chequers.

 

 

 

 

 



This Month for Early Spring Bulbs


THE VILLAGE GARDENER


This Month for Early Spring Bulbs


This month early spring bulbs and ornamental quince will be in bloom. The quince would have been in flower since last October and will continue to flower for months. When we were pupils of Wenvoe school, a long time ago now, there never seemed to be any daffodils to be had for St David’s day, we made do with leeks which we all ate before going to the church. This winter we had daffs in bloom before Christmas on the village green.

Hardy annual seeds can be sown directly in the ground now, remember that these plants like poor soil, so don’t waste fertiliser on them. Please don’t buy tender plants yet, unless you have a warm place to keep them. These young plants will have been grown in perfect conditions, so a sudden change in climate will either kill them, or at best stunt their growth. It is always better to wait and let the garden centres or nurseries look after them until the weather warms up a tad. Tomatoes and chillies need a long growing season to get the best out of them and can be sown under glass or on a windowsill now. If you sow lupins this month, they will flower this year given favourable conditions. When putting young plants out in the garden, it’s a good idea to cut the bottom off a plastic pot and put over the top of the plant to protect from wind and cold, even if they are hardy. It will give them a better start. Mr Crump’s trick to protect his plants from late frosts is to put an upturned plastic pot over the plant then a bigger one on top of that so there’s an air pocket. This works brilliantly and with the cost of plants it is well worth the time.

On the allotments there is always a lot of activity at this time of year, with soil preparation and seed sowing taking place. Plants that were brought on at home will be planted out under cloches at the end of the month. Beetroot is ok to sow now as it germinates at lower temperatures, along with peas and broad beans. Also give kale a go. It’s one of those plants you can keep picking the leaves off and it regenerates. Early potatoes are sown now and there always seems to be an argument on whether they need to be chitted or not. Whichever way you prefer to plant them, just be sure that when they start showing you protect them from any late frosts by putting some soil up over them. As always, there is plenty of advice to be had on the best methods from the likes of Colin and Bernard. If you are feeling brave you could ask Lewis, as long as you’re prepared to listen to heavy metal, which he insists does his plants a power of good.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 



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