Category: Nature

Your Programme for September

RHS to do list for September.

  1. Divide herbaceous perennials
  2. Pick Autumn raspberries.
  3. Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals.

4 Dig up remaining potatoes, before slug damage ruins them.

  1. Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway.
  2. Keep up with the watering of new plants.
  3. Start to reduce the amount of water given to houseplants.
  4. Clean out greenhouses and coldframes ready for use in the Autumn.
  5. Cover leafy vegetables with netting. unless plump pigeon is on your menu.
  6. Plant spring flowering bulbs.

This month sees two of Wenvoe’s annual Autumn events. The village show on the 7th followed by the scarecrow festival two weeks later on the 21st. These events will only survive with participants, so please enter as there are so many categories to choose from. I have heard on good authority that the Ferret’s outdoor tomatoes will take some beating but not eating. The Hammonds have barred entry to their rear garden so that their show entries remain a secret. The doyen of the village show G J, is keeping his veg close to his chest and I’m quite sure he will not disappoint on the day.

If you haven’t already started composting, now would be a good time as there is a lot to cut back and clear at this time of year. Help will be on hand at the village show if you are unsure of how to go about this; just ask Heulwen who, by the way, is very knowledgeable on the setting out of wildflower gardens.

There will be a lot of work to be done on lawns this month. Scarify the lawn with a long tined rake. This is no easy task and will make you tired and upset when you see the state of your lawn when you’ve finished. This is only for a short while. You will then need to aerate with a fork and apply an Autumn lawn feed which will be low in nitrogen. Reseed bare patches and water if no rain is forecast. To see what a fabulous lawn should be like, just take a look at Mr Darlington’s, which is the 1st house on the right in Larchwood.

Spring bulb planting is upon us. If you intend to plant bulbs in the lawn just remember that after they have flowered, you will need to wait at least six weeks before you can cut the grass. Putting bulbs in the border can leave it looking untidy for sometime at the end of their display. It may be an idea to put them in baskets first so they can be lifted and allowed to die back in a hidden corner. This also allows more room for later flowering plants.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

 

Wenvoe’s Rarer Trees

Wenvoe’s Rarer Trees

Summer is often the best time to appreciate some of Wenvoe’s rarer trees. Just opposite the park is a stunning Eucryphia nymanensis which was covered in flowers this year and as it is popular with the bees, needless to say it was covered in them as well. This hybrid of two Chilean Eucryphias is called after Nymans Garden in Sussex which many readers will have visited. After seeing how good it is for insects we intend to plant one in the Bee Loud Glade which is dedicated to pollinators.

Close to the library is the unusual Loquat with leathery leaves and this year it is bearing fruit which it does irregularly. It originates in China and you will not see many of these in South Wales although Bute Park has a finespecimen. A little bit of the exotic to be treasured in the heart of Wenvoe. Nearby is a Clerodendron with amazing metallic blue berries and more used to tropical and warm temperate parts of the world than here. Not far from the Eucryphia is a variegated Sycamore which is the exact shape of a thatched sunshade you would expect to see on a Mediterranean beach. You will be able to follow the updated Wenvoe Tree Trail when it is reissued in the Autumn.

Although the intention was to extend the trail, another reason for having to amend it has been the loss of a number of Wenvoe’s specimen trees including a Walnut, a Tulip tree and a Weeping Silver Lime. How many of these have been or will be replaced? So while we still have them take time out to enjoy our trees and look out for some others in the meantime such as The Wedding Cake Tree, the Contorted Hazel (Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick) and Parrottia persica or Persian Ironwood.

 

 

 

 

Fox and Cubs = Orange Hawkweed

Fox and Cubs

Early July saw lots of these flowers in and around Wenvoe which with the benefit of colour would appear orange and brown. Nice to see that gardeners had often mowed around them. They are a wildflower known either as Fox and Cubs after the colouring or more correctly as Orange Hawkweed. Not only are they attractive but insects enjoy them as well for their pollen. They never seem to cause us a problem but in Canada, North America and Australia they are regarded as a noxious weed as this extract from the Washington State Weed Control Board indicates:

‘It’s an aggressive, unpalatable competitor of pasture and range plant species, crowding out more desirable forage. It is a serious pest of lowland pasture, mountain meadows and lawns.’

This is often what happens when a plant is introduced from another country as we have found with Japanese Knotweed and Winter Heliotrope where there are no natural predators. Meantime enjoy your Fox and Cubs safe in the knowledge that it will provide a modest splash of colour either in the lawn or the border. It has been introduced to the wildflower section of the Elizabethan Orchard where it pops up each year but has not spread beyond the point where it was first planted.

Some people in the village have commented on the apparent lack of buzzards around this year – others say they still see them regularly. We nearly lost them in the 1950s (persecution and myxomatosis) but since then the numbers have increased steadily. Causes of death and high chick mortality are usually down to the lack of food, persecution by gamekeepers and taking poisoned carcasses. But if numbers have declined this year it is difficult to see that any of these factors will have applied and even if the chicks have not done well the adults should still be around as they can live for 25 years. What do you think?

 

 

Six Green Flag Awards

Six Green Flag Awards

Six Green Flag awards was our tally for this year putting us well ahead of any other village in the UK and with more awards than most towns. The Green Flag Award programme is delivered in Wales by environmental charity, Keep Wales Tidy, with support from Welsh Government. It is judged by green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including biodiversity, cleanliness, environmental management and community involvement. Our success is down to our few active volunteers and the support of the landowners, the Reader farmers and the Vale of Glamorgan Council. The sites now include the Upper Orchid Field, Community Orchard, Elizabethan Orchard, Wild Orchard, Welsh Orchard and now, Goldsland Farm. Why not visit some of them during August? We have led two guided walks so far this year and plan to do more.

Thanks are due to the Village Hall Committee for donating their old noticeboard to the group. With some adjustments and refurbishment, we plan to put the noticeboard up at Goldsland Farm either in the orchard or the new Pollinator Patch. We had fine weather for our Poisonous Plants walk with visitors from Barry and Cardiff joining Wenvoe residents.We would have had more but on a day when Culverhouse Cross was gridlocked, Five Mile Lane virtually impassable and the road past Dyffryn House closed, several gave up and went home. A pity as the weather was ideal.

We found 8 poisonous plants and trees in the middle of Wenvoe and a further 24 in the hedgerows and orchards. Whilst cases of poisoning are very rare, they do still happen often to children and those foraging so it is as well to know your plants.

One of the least pleasant tasks we undertake is to empty the dog-poo bin on the Upper Orchid Field. Dog-owners are very good at making use of the bin and the field has very little litter on it. The bin contents are emptied into bins in the village which are collected by the Council although they will not empty the bin on the field. Although we have been doing this for 8 years there have been instances recently where we have been challenged by local residents who presumably assume we are depositing household rubbish in the bins – hopefully now you will understand what we are doing and why.

 

 

Your Garden Tasks For August

 

July saw the passing of Dorothy Miller at her home in Grange Avenue. Dorothy was, at the time, the oldest resident born in Wenvoe. She worked at Anstee’s Nurseries, now Pughs Garden Centre, where they propagated roses and sold the cut flowers. Dorothy was known there as the rose queen. Dorothy had an allotment for many years and believed that most ills could be kept at bay by using herbs and plants found in hedgerows. This belief certainly worked for her as she was 97 when time finally caught up with her.

 

RHS tips for August.

  1. Prune wisteria.
  2. Don’t delay Summer pruning of fruit trees trained as restricted forms.
  3. Dead head flowering plants regularly.
  4. Water regularly, particularly new plants and those in containers.
  5. Collect seeds from plants.
  6. Harvest sweetcorn and other veg as it becomes available.
  7. Continue cutting old fruit canes on raspberries.
  8. Lift and pot up strawberry runners.
  9. Keep ponds and water features topped up.
  10. Feed the soil with green manure.

Slugs and snails are well known enemies of gardeners. The old slug pellets are to be banned from use next year because they contain metaldehyde which is water soluble and pollutes water courses and is harmful to wildlife. The new pellets contain ferric phosphate which will degrade harmlessly into the soil. There are numerous tricks that people who tend the soil have been using to deal with these pests. Egg shells around plants do not work, the same goes for copper foil strips. You would need a strip of copper 6” wide for it to work, then some scallywag would, no doubt, relieve you of it. If you decide to catch the molluscs alive don’t just throw them over into next door’s garden as they will be back. Apparently you have to take them at least 20 metres away as their homing instincts only cover short distances. Trials have shown that beer traps work well but you should empty regularly as they smell awful if left. A piece of wood or slate left on the soil will allow cover during daytime, check underneath before dusk then dispose of the little blighters as you see fit. When watering the borders you should only water the ground close to the plants as slugs and snails find it harder to cross dry soil.

Our milder climate means that we have a longer flowering season, especially with Roses. When dead heading your Rose bush or climbing Roses don’t be afraid of cutting back a bit further on spent stems to a healthy bud and you will get more flowers this year. Rambling Roses are different and will only produce flowers next year on this season’s growth. All side shoots that have flowered can be cut back to one or two buds.

August is a good time to take cuttings of your favourite perennials, over-winter these young plants

under glass if you can. One of the RHS star plants for this time of year is the Japanese Anemone. They say it can be invasive but is easy to control. Don’t believe it. You will be pulling up offshoots from this plant for ever.

We must continue to weed around our plants. While doing this look out for self seeded plants and pot them up. They may not come true to the original but will help fill the borders next year.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

 

Clutching our maps, proudly wearing our Wenvoe Open Garden stickers and not going very far in the lovely summer sunshine before stopping to say ‘Hello’ to friends and neighbours, we all enjoyed a wonderful afternoon.

The sense of community had been evident since Brian and Sandra Jones suggested Open Gardens in Wenvoe and started carefully planning for the event earlier this year in aid of St Mary’s Church Building Fund. ‘The Village Gardener’ gently encouraged and cajoled, and last week twelve keen gardeners and their families warmly welcomed visitors of all ages.

Here was an opportunity for people to enjoy the diversity of the gardens and to see how the simplest ideas could be effective in a garden of any size. Photographs, written information and personal anecdotes about the history of individual gardens, added another dimension. People were generous with their knowledge about what plants to grow, how water features had been constructed and how to balance the often-eclectic mix of flowers, herbs and vegetables; their modesty about such beautiful gardens and their honesty about the pleasure taken from daily and seasonal care, was an inspiration to the visitors.

Brian and Sandra would like to thank everyone for contributing to the success of Wenvoe Open Gardens. A very special thankyou to the gardeners and their families who opened their gardens to visitors, and to Rachel from St Andrews Road who was the first person to support Brian and Sandra and add her garden to the list. Thank you to Mike Tucker who encouraged all the gardeners, gently soothing some through last minute nerves. By advertising the event in the ‘Barry Gem’, Mike and Glenys also ensured that many visited the village from the Vale of Glamorgan. Thankyou both for this. Carol, the Church Social Committee and the neighbours in St Andrews Road also have a very special thankyou for providing cakes and refreshments in the Church grounds and at 7, St Andrews Road. Both these venues provided a welcome opportunity to take a break and meet up with friends.

Rachel said: ‘It has also been a pleasure to meet the other hosts, especially Brian and Sandra, to share our love of gardening with each other and to make new friends in the village’. Rachel’s daughter pictured here certainly enjoyed helping out and keeping an eye on the lovely cakes that had been kindly donated.

Everyone will be delighted to hear that the contribution to St Mary’s Church Building Fund will be somewhere in the region of £1,500.

 

 

The greatest pleasure for Brian, Sandra and all the gardeners involved, however, was the enjoyment that this well organised event created for so many people.

Congratulations Brian and Sandra on the success of Wenvoe Open Gardens!

 

 

The Ongoing Felling Of Trees

 

It is with great sadness I witness The Ongoing Felling Of Trees in and around our lovely village. When nature itself wields the axe there is little to do but acknowledge the circle of life and the safe removal of the fallen tree that inevitably follows is also a necessity.

However there does seem to be a big appetite to fell or seriously trim back other trees that are standing tall, strong and magnificent. There seem to be innumerable reasons justifying such activity from disease; danger; leaves blocking drains or trees allowing animals to access rooftops. Factor in so called expert opinion of Arborists and those of us who wonder at trees stand little chance of countering any such claims and the trees’ destiny is down to a simple signature on a form authorising destruction.

Hundreds of years of incredibly slow growth gone in an hour; the home to thousands of insects; animals; birds and even other plants gone in a day. Replacement with 10’ saplings is little compensation for the magnificent 200 year old 150’ tall Ash or the 150 year old Horse Chesnut.

At a time when we’re all being urged to fundamentally change our thinking away from exploiting nature to helping to heal its wounds, this ongoing determination to change the wooded skyline of Wenvoe is so sad, irrespective of what rationale you choose to apply…

 

Martin Thomas

 

 

To Do List For July

RHS to do list for July

  1. Check clematis for signs of clematis wilt.
  2. Arrange care for house plants while on holiday.
  3. Keep tubs and pots watered, but be water wise.
  4. Dead head bedding plants and repeat flowering perennials.
  5. Pick courgettes before they become marrows.
  6. Treat apple scab.
  7. Clear algae and blanket weed from ponds.
  8. Order catalogues for next year’s Spring flowering bulbs.
  9. Give the lawn a quick acting Summer feed.
  10. Time to harvest apricots, nectarines and peaches.

To keep the garden full of colour we need to dead head regularly. Hardy geraniums can be cut back to ground level with a pair of shears. Delphiniums and other taller perennials should have their flower spikes cut back to encourage new shoots. Annuals like pansies and petunias can be cut back a little to stop them looking straggly. Give all the plants a feed and water and you should have new displays later in summer. After flowers have faded on irises they can be divided as larger clumps don’t tend to do so well. Smaller sections will give a better display If you still have gaps to fill in with summer bedding then this needs to be done promptly, to allow time for plants to flourish. When removing the spent blooms of roses make sure you prune back to a bud in a leaf axil lower down the stem to make sure they flower again this year. Bulbs that have been heeled in to allow foliage to die back can be dug up and dried out ready for planting in the autumn.

The RHS has some good advice on making sure your runner beans are successful. Add a small handful of hydrated lime to a full 10 litre watering can and apply this along the base of the row, it will help the flowers set and produce more pods. Always put on gloves and wear a face mask when using lime, but it will be well worth the effort.

Earlier in the year quite a few people had problems with their lawns. Mrs Harvey of Gwenfo drive set about making her lawn good again by improving the drainage and careful feeding, which has worked wonders. We now have a lawn expert in the village. Opposite Mrs Harvey are Mr & Mrs Cottle who are recognised for their rose garden, worth a look as you walk by.

Ponds at this time of year are covered in algae and blanket weed. This should be removed as it starves the water of oxygen. Peter Ferris of Old Market, a renowned amateur naturalist, says we should leave algae and blanket weed on the side of ponds to dry out so that any pond life can return to the water.

This month will see some Wenvoe gardens open to the public to help the ongoing commitment to keep the church looking its best. There will be quite a contrast of gardens on show from the cottage garden to modern design. One absentee this year will be Carol Whylie’s wildlife retreat. There are sections of this ladies garden that have been used to make nature programmes. As they will still have cameras set up we have been denied access this year. Carol herself will be present at the church on the day [20th July] handing out the passes and answering your queries on wildlife habitats.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

Surviving the Drought

 

During June last year we were having to spend time getting water to our newly planted fruit trees and all but one survived the drought. This year has been a different story with the wet weather causing considerable growth in the weeds and grasses. So it has been a case of strimming and weeding non-stop. We took part in Open Farm Sunday down at Goldsland Farm where we had a regular stream of children doing drawings, making daffodils and stick people, and decorating their work with stickers. An example of a rather fine Dragon is shown in the photo.

And congratulations to Abi Reader for being recognised in the latest honours list. A leaflet showing the locations of the orchards should be out during July. We shall soon be starting work on the new Pollinator Patch and the school are hoping to take part in the planning, planting and maintenance of the site

 

 

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