Category: Nature

When Did You Last Plant A Tree?

When did you last plant a tree? With November 30th being Tree Charter Day and the Woodland Trust planning to plant 35,000 trees on that day alone, here is a chance for you to consider what you can do to help.

Why bother? As the Woodland Trust says ‘as well as absorbing carbon, trees help to deal with the effects of climate change, stemming flooding, reducing pollution, sheltering livestock and nurturing wildlife’. So whether you are a farmer, councillor, run a business or have a large or small garden, this is for you to think about. And whilst big trees are great, even the smallest garden can accommodate an Amelanchier, Clerodendron or Acer. Alternatively you can sponsor the planting of a tree via the Woodland Trust. Jody Scheckter, ex Formula 1 racing champion who now lives in the UK says ‘A house without a tree is just a building site’. To back up his words he has planted 130,000 trees and 8 miles of hedgerow.

On the positive side some Wenvoe residents have applied for and should shortly be receiving packs of trees from the Woodland Trust. The Government has pledged to reach ‘carbon net zero’ by 2050 which could mean planting 30 million trees a year. Cornwall Council has pledged to plant 80 square kilometres of saplings with £1.7 million committed for the first phase. South Gloucestershire Council will be planting up 1,400 parks, verges and other green spaces with 14,000 broad-leaved trees. 2 million saplings will be planted in the Northern Forest north of Leeds thanks to a collaboration between Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency. It would be good to read in What’s On what the Vale of Glamorgan Council are planning on doing.

You will be hearing more in the coming months about the Environment Wales Act which is increasing pressure on government bodies, including Community Councils, to take account of biodiversity. But we have seen (and reported in What’s On) that there can be a huge difference between the pledges and commitments and actual delivery. England and Wales are woefully behind their own existing tree-planting targets and whilst we have praised Scotland for planting more than all the other UK countries combined we have now realised that these are mainly conifers and their own planting of broad-leaved trees is minimal.

This is a major issue for the decades to come and it is worth noting the words of Greta Thunberg who has considerable support from the youth of today:

‘You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you’.

So gardeners, teachers, publicans, quarry operators, farmers – here is an opportunity to make a difference. Plant a tree and (as the Welsh Government advises) if you cut one down, replace it with 2 or 3 new ones.

 

 

Upper Orchid Field

Upper Orchid Field

Visitors to the Upper Orchid Field will have noticed that the field has been cut and the cuttings removed which is essential to keep the meadow in the best condition for wildflowers to flourish. It is just over 10 years since some residents expressed concern that the field was becoming overgrown and was half-way to becoming woodland. The Wenvoe Wildlife Group was formed and we have been keeping an eye on it as best we can. The Vale of Glamorgan Council, who own the field, agreed to carry out an annual cut but 5 years ago they decided they could no longer afford to do this. The field is now cut by a local contractor with the costs shared between the Wildlife Group and the Wenvoe Community Council. This is one of less than a handful of wildflower meadows left in or near Cardiff but no funding is received from any public body to help to maintain it. The weather has not been conducive to conservation work but we shall continue to plant hedgerow saplings and clear vegetation if and when the sun shines. Our thanks to residents who have donated a Bay tree and 2 Damsons; the latter seem to do well locally. Our harvest of apples continues to go well with the Medlars just waiting for the first frosts. This year’s revelation has been Bullace* which is relatively uncommon in local hedgerows. We have planted it in the Wild Orchard near St Lythans where it has cropped well this year and has proved great for jams and pies

 

*The Bullace is a variety of plum. It bears edible fruit similar to those of the damson, and like the damson is considered to be a strain of the insititia subspecies of Prunus domestica

 

 

 

 

 

So Much Going On

So Much Going On

First a big ‘thank you’ to Frey and Isla for donating a very healthy Hazel to the group. It will be planted out at Goldsland Farm in the Cider Orchard alongside a Public Right of Way helping to form part of a hedge which will both protect the young fruit trees and provide food and shelter for wildlife. Further up the track is the new pollinator patch, referred to as The Bee Loud Glade. Plants, shrubs and trees that can supply pollen and nectar to bees and other insects are being planted there and we aim to add a bench or two and a pond over the winter period. We are delighted that Gwenfo Primary School will be involved with this project by helping with the design, raising funds for the plants and planting them. If all goes to plan we shall be submitting this Glade as our 7th Green Flag site for 2020.

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We have been working on the Community Orchard at the far end of the Playing Fields, having cut the grass and topped up the pond which was quite low after a lengthy dry period. Some patches have been left as tussocks which are good for wildlife such as small mammals, bees and butterflies. This year a grass called Meadow Foxtail has done particularly well which shows it is progressing towards a meadow community rather than just having coarser grasses such as Cocksfoot and False Oat Grass. Some of the trees have had reasonable crops including an old variety called Tom Putt. This dates back to the 1700s and was originally widely planted in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset where it became known as the Cottage Apple. It can be used as for cider, eating or cooking and a number of cider producers still use it for their cider.

The wildflower patch in Grange Park has again been a bit of a disappointment. In the 5 years that we have been planting it the amount of sunlight which manages to get through the gaps in the massive Horse Chestnut and Pines has reduced and the plants that have grown have a pronounced lean towards the light. Some of the trees are due to be trimmed by the Council but it is unlikely that this will make much difference so we shall be looking at other possible locations in the park which are in full sun. However first we must await the proposals from the Council to alter the layout and locations of the play areas.

If you have any spare stakes or bits of bamboo with reasonable-sized holes, the group can always make use of them. Throwing out an old beach wind-break? The poles make good stakes for young trees and bamboos are used to replace those in bee hotels. We cut down 12 cm lengths from bamboos so can make use of old and broken pieces.

 

 

RHS Tips For This Month

 

RHS Tips For This Month

  1. Divide established rhubarb crowns.
  2. Cut back perennials that have died down.
  3. Divide herbaceous perennials.
  4. Move tender plants into a greenhouse.
  5. Plant out Spring cabbage.
  6. Keep harvesting apples and pears.
  7. Prune climbing roses.
  8. Finish collecting seeds from the garden to sow next year.
  9. Keep up with the mowing as long as it’s dry enough.

10.Renovate old lawns and lay turf.

It was nice to see a great turn out at the Village Show. It is only due to the volunteers from the library that this event takes place. Their aim is to improve the experience year on year and they would welcome any ideas to make the show better. One of the veg judges, who shall remain nameless and lives on Old Port Road, failed to realise that the village gardener’s fantastic red fruit were obviously superior to the winner’s pale imitation. I lodged a complaint, but they informed me the winner has a nut allergy?? Mr & Mrs Hammond were once again winners; their veg plot in the back garden would be the envy of any veg grower. Anwar, the proprietor of the village shop, was also a winner with some very unusual veg. Thanks for a good show, long may it continue.

Do not neglect your hanging baskets. If you keep deadheading, feeding and watering, they should keep going untill at least mid autumn. Even with the increase in rainfall at this time of year, containers and hanging baskets close to buildings still need extra water.

We need to lift tender summer flowering bulbs and store over winter. Dahlias need the first frost on them before lifting and storing tubers. They may survive over winter in the ground if covered in mulch, but they will be later next year and give a poorer display of flowers. Any remaining summer bedding can be cleared away and replaced with fresh displays. October is a good month for moving and planting trees and shrubs and a great time for planting new hedges. A lot of trees and shrubs are available in bare root form at this time of year and are cheaper than containerised ones. They are especially good if you’re planning a new hedge.

Autumn work on the lawn includes scarifying and top dressing with autumn feed. Do not use any spring feed leftover from earlier as its high nitrogen content will encourage the grass to grow and consequently weaken it. Keep raking up the leaves before they block any light. Toadstools and fairy rings will be a sign that scarification and autumn lawn care is necessary.

Wenvoe Craft Workshop are holding The Christmas Reindeer Cafe event on Saturday 23 November where those who have asked about The Village Gardener’s Rustic Christmas Reindeers will be able to purchase one for a small fee. There will be a raffle in aid of the Wenvoe Wldlife Group, 2 or 3 Craft tables and a chance to sit and chat over a cup of tea or coffee and a piece of delicious homemade cake at the church hall from 12 – 4 pm.

Along with the local garden centre, B&Q are recycling plastic plant pots. Just go to customer services and hand in your old ones.

The former writer of this gardening column, Trevor Case, and his wife Marilyn are back home after they have both had spells in hospital, we all wish them a speedy return to full health.

Take care and happy gardening

 

 

A Good Year For Apples

A Good Year For Apples

Generally it has been a good year for our apples and many of the trees in our orchards have been heavily laden with fruit. Also doing well are the insects, particularly wasps and butterflies, that appreciate apples that have started to over-ripen. Our camera traps are also showing foxes and badgers taking advantage of the windfalls and with the first frosts blackbirds and thrushes will be tucking in. One revelation this year has been the size of some of our traditional apples, the photo showing different varieties but with a conventional apple in the middle. These are dual purpose apples, good for both eating and cooking and those in the photo all weighing in at around three-quarters of a pound (0.34 kilograms) each.

 

Also doing well are crab-apples which often turn up in our hedgerows and are covering a pavement near one of the village road exits. This is our traditional apple and was once a very common tree in our hedgerows but the apple that we eat originates in the Tien Shan mountains in Asia and eventually worked its way down the silk roads to reach Britain, no-one is too sure when but was well-established in the mediaeval monasteries. The heritage varieties we have planted often date back several hundreds of years so the apple you could be sampling might also have been tasted by Shakespeare although he made few references to them other than examples like ‘There is small choice in rotten apples

 

 

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.

 

 

 

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