Category: Nature

Noticeboard and Bee Hotel Resurrected

The Noticeboard and Bee Hotel has been re-erected

Visitors to the Community Orchard on the Playing Fields will have been delighted to see that the Noticeboard and Bee Hotel has been re-erected after it collapsed some weeks ago as the main posts had rotted. Our thanks to Mike Tucker for managing this – we had assumed a small army would have been needed to get it upright. Mike used branches from the nearby oak which has also come down to provide additional support. Our other noticeboards are being stripped of their notices in preparation for treating the timbers with preservative and the Welsh Orchard structure is already a subtle shade of sable. Many group members have been taking the opportunity when on their once a day exercise excursion to spend a few minutes carrying out maintenance work on our nature reserves. Fruit tree supports are being removed where they are no longer needed, beds weeded, willow screens and tunnels trimmed, and trees mulched.

A combination of good weather and the lock-down has encouraged many more people to get out and about in our local countryside and to enjoy visiting our orchards and nature reserves. Unfortunately a small minority of landowners have taken the opportunity to try to keep out members of the public who are using legitimate rights of way. Notices have been put up on our noticeboard in the Upper Orchid Field asking people not to use stiles or gates to protect farm workers. We stress that these notices were not put up by the Wildlife Group and we can see no reason why people should not continue to exercise themselves and their dogs whilst observing social distancing and sensible hygiene precautions. Dogs, of course, should always be kept under control particularly when near fields with sheep and lambs.

 

 

 

RHS Tips and Advice for April

 

RHS tips this month

  1. Protect fruit blossom from late frosts.
  2. Tie in climbing and rambling roses.
  3. Start to feed citrus plants.
  4. Sow new lawns or repair patches.
  5. Hardy annuals can be sown outdoors.

Environment team tips for April

  1. Don’t forget to put on sunblock, even in April.
  2. Try to keep on top of weeds.
  3. Check shrubs, hedges etc for nesting birds before any work is done on them.
  4. Get your hands into the soil. It has known anti-depressant qualities.
  5. Use 7up drink to prolong the life of cut flowers.

April used to be a month when daffodils would be in full bloom. Most had gone over before this month had started. The mild winter and excessive rainfall has seen some cutting the grass in February on the odd dry day. Weeds have been the biggest beneficiaries of the longer growing season, along with ash and sycamore seedlings. The sooner we get the hoe out the better!

This is the time of year we start feeding our plants. Please don’t overfeed as this is a waste of money and the excess will find its way into water courses and could affect wildlife.

Remove any faded flowers from spring flowering bulbs but don’t cut the leaves down until they die back, as they are the energy source for the bulb. Hanging basket enthusiasts will be planting up this month. Kenny Condick, a Cardiff in bloom competitor of the past, would never put a basket outside until June 1st. The longer you’re patient the better the basket. Sweet peas sown last year can still be planted this month along with some seeds to prolong the season. If you’re really keen to get a good display then Mr Crump, who took part in the Wenvoe Open Garden Day last year, is the man to see. Climbing and rambling roses will need to be tied in now. Try to keep the stems as horizontal as possible; this will slow the sap down, give you more side shoots and consequently more flowers. Last October the family at Belgrave house in Wenvoe gave instruction to staff, that some of the older roses should be cut right back to just above ground level. There was a slight concern as to the recovery capacity of the said roses. I have now been informed that they came through a very wet winter and are healthy with new growth.

Spring is a good time to try layering. A propagation technique such as this is an easy way of getting more of your favourite shrubs and climbers. Just make a small wound on a flexible stem near a bud and peg it into the soil next to the plant. When it has taken root, just cut away from parent plant and pot up. Clematis and honeysuckle are good for this type of layering. RHS has a very good explanation of the different ways of layering on its website.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

Welcoming A Fox Into Your Garden

 

Have you seen a fox in the village recently? The photo shows one in a Wenvoe garden at midday during last August and sightings from other residents are not uncommon.

Whilst there is no clear demarcation between ‘rural’ and ‘urban’ foxes, ours are likely to be more of the countryside variety. However many urban areas of Britain have large populations of urban foxes and if you wander out from dusk onwards you might see several. And if you do not see any, you can read about them in the tabloids and how balanced is that reporting? One myth is that they are getting bigger and bolder. A 40 year study in Bristol found that urban foxes were no bigger than rural ones and had not increased in size over that period. In London it was found that some individual foxes were bolder than others but there was no evidence of any trend towards increased boldness. Ah yes, say the tabloids, but what about foxes attacking babies! Researchers suggest that there are no cases of ‘attacks’ although there are a few cases of babies being bitten, usually on the fingers, hands or lower feet. Unpleasant and distressing though this is the statistics suggest only 7 press reports of bites in the last 9 years. Over a similar period at least 21 people (adults and children) were killed by pet dogs.

The press will also regularly report foxes attacking pets. A fox can catch a wild rabbit but if it is a pet rabbit, it becomes an ‘attack’. Foxes attacking cats is another popular news item. Researchers however found that in a confrontation between cat and fox, it is the fox that is most likely to flee. Information on cats being taken to vets indicated that wounds on cats are 40 times more likely to have been caused by other cats than foxes. Cats are known to catch and kill young foxes so it is not surprising that there will be the occasional fight.

What do you think about foxes visiting your garden? A poll last year suggested that a third of those asked would not welcome them although a half did not want the neighbour’s cats in either. 14% of British adults actively encourage foxes to visit their gardens which the Daily Mail interpreted as ‘Cunning! How the fox has wheedled its way into the affections of 1 in 7 families’ Those devious, scheming creatures!

Whilst no-one could claim that foxes are vegan and altruistic animal saints, they are carnivores after all, maybe it is time for us to look at the evidence more objectively. For more on this theme, take a look at the article ‘Time to stop vilifying the urban Fox’ by Stephen Harris and, maybe, consider welcoming a fox into your garden.

 

 

100 Saplings Donated

Woodland Trust is donating over 100 saplings

We were pleased to hear that the Woodland Trust is donating over 100 saplings for our new hedgerow at The Bee Loud Glade. These will be delivered in the Autumn. A number of people have expressed an interest in the best plants for pollinating insects and we hope to have a handout prepared in the next couple of months on which ones to consider. So far we have planted the Bee Bee Tree (Tetradium daniellii), Buddleia, Gipsywort, Lavender and Purple Loosestrife. Salvias will be going in during March. We were not successful in getting RHS funding for this project but will be carrying on regardless.

The pond at the Farm Orchard is in and very quickly became full of water. It has several aquatic plants placed in it including Iris and Marsh Marigold (aka Kingcups). Wildlife cameras left in the orchard recorded the usual suspects; rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, fox and song birds but also field mice and voles. A Conference pear has been planted along with numerous wild primroses.

The Great British Spring Clean has been postponed until 11th September but we will continue to pick up litter on our sites in the meantime. Hopefully we will see more village-wide litter-picking activities as there is no shortage of waste material to be found once you start looking

 

 

 

A Lot More Blossom About

By the time you read this there should be a lot more blossom about. In mid February we can see the first white splashes in the hedgerows of Blackthorn, from which you get your sloes, and early flowering cherries are popular in gardens. At the entrance to Clos Llanfair is a quite uncommon Purple-leaved Plum or Black Cherry Plum, one of the Myrobalan or Cherry Plum family. This variety is named after Monsieur Pissard, the French Head Gardener to the Shah of Persia, who sent the first one back to France in 1880. This is already covered in blossom which in a good year is followed by plenty of fruit.

Wild Cherry Blossom

Whilst Blackthorn, sometimes called Quickthorn, is abundant in our hedgerows, there does not seem to have been much interest in planting other fruit trees in hedges and it will be some time before we see the next splashes of white; the Hawthorn, also called May blossom for the month in which it traditionally bloomed. One exception is Crab apple which does pop up all over the parish. It is not always easy to spot as it straggles up between the Hazel, Hawthorn and other taller trees but once the apples appear it is difficult to miss. However, in other parts of the country other fruiting trees have been planted which help the hedgerow to be more than just a stock-proofing fence. You have only to drive up to Herefordshire and towards Shropshire to see the masses of Cherry blossom by the side of the road. Faversham in Kent and Harrogate in Yorkshire also have spectacular displays. We have little growing wild in the parish although it has been planted in the Wild Orchard at St Lythans and the trees are already galloping skywards.

Most people around here will not have heard of Bullace but this wild plum, somewhere between a sloe and damson in size, is much more common in some parts of the country. The Wildlife Group have planted it in the Wild Orchard and in 2019 our jam and preserve expert, Daisy Graze, made Bullace jam which she considered one of the most flavoursome she had made. The real wild pear, Pyrus pyraster, is hardly recorded now in South Wales yet has been around since the Stone Age. You can find it planted on the edge of the Upper Orchid Field and, of course, the Wild Orchard. It can be very difficult to buy so it is hoped that cuttings can be taken and will lead to further plantings around the parish. The Wild Service Tree or Checker Tree is a rare native, samples of which can be seen growing above the cliffs of Jacksons Bay in Barry. The blossom is followed by a fruit like a small pear, often called Chequers and, as they were once used in the beer-brewing process, it is thought this led to many pubs being called Chequers. The tree is particularly good for a variety of wildlife. You can find them in the Wild Orchard but one also grows in the Community Orchard.

So, enjoy the blossom and the fruit that often follows. Find some space in your garden for these more unusual trees and encourage our Councils to include them in our park and roadside-planting schemes.

 

 

RHS Top Tips For This Month

RHS top tips for this month.

  1. Divide perennials.
  2. Prune bush and climbing roses.
  3. Top dress containers with new compost.

4 Start feeding the fish and switch on the pumps.

  1. Mow the lawns on dry days.

Environment team top five for March

  1. Be careful of late frosts.
  2. Try to resist buying overpriced small plants at garden centres.
  3. Get early potatoes in.
  4. Please refrain from using the best house scissors to cut back plants.
  5. Add a bit of lime to your soil.

Buying very small plants at premium prices at this time of year can result in a lot of work trying to bring them on. Watering, feeding, potting on as well as frost protection. Then off to the garden centre to purchase bigger plants later, if your efforts fail.

I have mentioned before in this column about the benefits of adding lime to the soil. The soil in and around Wenvoe has a lot of clay in it. Putting lime on the garden will make the clay friable which in turn will enable the soil to hold on to nutrients whilst raising the Ph level. Just be aware that you must keep lime away from your acid loving plants such as Azaleas and Camellias.

Plants in tubs and containers need the top layer of compost replaced now as this layer will be harbouring all manner of pests and diseases harmful to your plants. Do not put the waste material on to the garden until it has been composted.

Make sure you finish cutting back the roses this month. You can be quite severe in this task as this will encourage a growth spurt. A lot of the plants in the garden will be showing signs of new life so be on the lookout for increased slug activity or the new shoots we have been looking forward to seeing will be decimated. Summer flowering bulbs such as gladioli, lilies and agapanthus, can be planted now. Plant up dahlias in pots to give them a good start and plant out after the last frosts. Vegetable gardens will be a hive of activity now with shallots. onion sets and early potatoes being planted out. Too early for kidney bean plants yet. I have found that, even when you plant the beans a few weeks apart, as soon as the sun warms the ground they catch up with the earlier ones.

We will be holding a Spring Plant Sale and Cafe in the Church Hall from noon till 4pm on Saturday the 2nd of May. Local crafts people will once again be present and amongst them will be Llinos Metcalfe, who will, probably, have the best strawberry plants for sale this side of Offas Dyke. There will also be the usual raffle, proceeds from which are to be donated to the Royal British Legion to tie in with our celebrations for the 75th anniversary of VE Day the following weekend. Next month sees the return of Gardeners Question Time hosted by Library volunteers. This will take place in the Community Centre where the panel will include global plants woman Joyce Hoy and the irrepressible, and most knowledgeable of Welshmen, Gordon Jones. Hope to see you there.

Take care and happy gardening

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

 

Open Gardens Day In Wenvoe?

Open Gardens Day In Wenvoe?

We were wondering if there is sufficient interest for
another open gardens day in Wenvoe?
We would probably be thinking about early July
and would like to do it in aid of St Mary’s Church
building fund.
Are there any gardeners from last year and
hopefully some new volunteers, who would like to
join in and make it another enjoyable village day
event? If so please contact Brian and Sandra Jones
at brianmanseljones@icloud.com or 029 2059 4248
or call in at 6,Walston Road.

 

 

Notice Board Shock

 

We had a bit of a shock when we found our noticeboard and bee hotel at the Community Orchard flat on the ground. This happened before storms Ciara and Dennis and it is clear that the very damp conditions on this site have rotted the posts. The structure itself is still more or less intact and our plan is to re-erect it and position the remaining posts in Metposts. The big challenge will be lifting it up as it weighs a lot.

Fallen Notice Board

When weather permits we have continued to plant the new hedgerow at Goldsland Farm and our thanks to residents who have donated saplings. The small pond has been installed and one benefit of the rain has been the speed at which the pond has filled up. We have another small pond to install at the Bee Loud Glade and then a large replacement pond at the Welsh Orchard. We shall by then have installed 5 ponds as well as keeping an eye on the Holland Pond and Watercress Beds.

We have been monitoring which plants appear to be good for pollinators so that they can be planted at the Bee Loud Glade. During January Mahonia was frequently visited by bees – mainly Queen Bumblebees which are on the wing during warmer sunnier spells. In February Hellebores tended to be the most popular as pollen and nectar sources, particularly the large, white-flowered varieties not just for bees but some of the larger hoverflies.

We are always on the look-out for help whether volunteering time or surplus benches, tools or stakes.

 

 

Leeches Not Cute And Lovable

Leeches Not Cute And Lovable

Leeches are abundant and all around us, yet few will notice them. They are not exactly cute and lovable – indeed they might generate a frisson of terror in some, particularly those who remember Humphrey Bogart being covered in them in ‘The African Queen’. Stories in the press such as the removal of a leech from the nose of a woman in Vietnam (yes, you can watch the procedure online if that takes your fancy!) just add to the anxiety they can generate.

However, unless you are setting off for foreign climes, rest assured that in the UK there is only one species of leech that is believed to suck your blood – more of that later. If you have a garden pond, and particularly if it contains fish, you are likely to have leeches in it, most fairly small. But the Horse Leech is quite common in and around Wenvoe and the photo shows one living in the stream that runs between Clos Llanfair and the new Grange development. Despite their name, they do not attack horses nor any mammals for that matter. They live on small larvae and snails, whilst occasionally moving onto land in search of earthworms. They can be up to 15 cms or 6 inches long, so are easy to spot.

The Medicinal Leech is the largest in Britain and has been used as a health cure for hundreds of years. It was thought they removed bad blood as they were placed on the body and drank their fill – ‘blood-letting’. References to the medicinal use of leeches go back to 200BC with the Greek physician Nicander. Ancient Sanskrit texts also refer to them. The use of leeches has seen something of a resurgence since the 1970s (see hirudotherapy) in association with a variety of treatments such as skin grafts and varicose veins. However the chances of you coming across medicinal leeches in our countryside are remote as they are now limited to possibly no more than 20 isolated sites in Britain and the species is so rare that it has European protected status. So if you are being treated with leeches they will have come from a leech farm, of which one of the main suppliers is Biopharm not that far away in Hendy.

 

 

Tips for February

Tips for February

RHS tips for February:

  1. Prepare vegetable seed beds.
  2. Chit potato tubers.
  3. Protect blossom on apricots and peaches.
  4. Make sure netting covering veg is still intact.
  5. Prune winter flowering shrubs as soon as flowers fade.

Wenvoe environment group tips:

  1. Use a hand barrier cream especially at this time of year.
  2. Ferrous sulphate needs to be applied to lawns to kill off moss.
  3. Look upon your garden from the comfort of your home and decide on changes.
  4. Maybe put up a nesting box. Be sure to face the entrance North/East.
  5. If purchasing a new spade etc, make sure the handle is long enough to ease stress on the back.

Here we go! The days are getting longer – even though on wet days it’s hard to believe. We can all look forward to dirty hands and a stiff back in the name of gardening. Please don’t go at it like a bull at a gate. A little and often is always the best way and hopefully you won’t get disheartened. Weeding is the most tedious; if you start this month, it will stop these devils from spreading as the soil warms up.

Keeping equipment clean is always the right way. That I’m afraid is something I don’t practice as much as I should. Betty James on the other hand is always so good. All her pots cleaned and stored when not in use. Betty’s propagation success is high because of this and her plants are checked daily without fail. It also helps if you love gardening as much as Mrs James does. Bringing on seedlings on a sunny windowsill is a good way of always being able to give them the attention they need.

People fortunate to have Wisteria in their gardens will be cutting side shoots back to three buds, encouraging a profusion of spring flowers. Late flowering Clematis can be cut back to a healthy bud about 30cms from base. Buddleia and elder can be cut down to the ground, keeping the plants to a manageable size in the process. Any deciduous shrubs in the wrong place are best moved now while still dormant.

Wenvoe, along with all parishes in UK, will be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of VE Day in May. If you want to get involved, then a lot of village groups will be organising events. The late 1940s brought a big change to British gardens. People started to grow flowers instead of vegetables in their front gardens. As we are encouraged to plant trees to help the environment, it seems right to plant one this year on this anniversary. Just be careful what tree you plant as this can, in future, cause a dispute with neighbours.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

 

 

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