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We have been out and about when the weather permitted. Some more willows have been planted in the Community Orchard along with the King James 1st Mulberry donated by a resident. 4 Bullace have been planted in the Wild Orchard, St Lythans, two each of the varieties Shepherds Bullace and Langley Bullace. These are like small plums or large sloes. Our remote camera traps are showing some nice shots of foxes and pheasants but no rarities as yet.
In the churchyard work was done on clearing nettles and weeds from on the reconstructed wall. By the time you read this piece, the window boxes at the Community Centre will have been cleared of the remnants of the summer bedding, to be replaced by winter pansies and bulbs.
Next meeting 11th December, usual time.
A huge thank you to everyone who gave to Children in Need through The Village Gardener at the end of October. Some of you may not have realised, but your tips and donations raised £100. Brilliant.
There is an unusual vegetable taking over the garden at Judy Holmes house. A three year old cabbage which was grown from seed. Judy accidentally mowed the top off it and thought she would use it for cooking. She put it in water to keep it fresh and roots grew from the side. This remarkable cabbage is still providing for Judy with enough left to feed any insects that need sustenance. On the subject of greens, don't forget to put your sprouts on to boil or they will never be of the right consistency for Christmas dinner. The 1st of December should give them enough time.
As I’m writing this the weather is still unseasonably warm, which means that grass is still growing and will need cutting if dry enough to get on to, but keep the cut high. Slugs are still in abundance so a recommendation from the intrepid explorer, Joyce Hoy, will help. Joyce says to spray the rims of your terracotta pots with WD40, if pots are plastic soak a piece of string in WD40 and tie around the rim.
We still have time to plant bulbs especially tulips and then look forward to lovely colour in spring. There should be some bargains to be had now as shops and garden centres try to clear stock. If you have spare space, why not try some hardwood cuttings of deciduous trees and shrubs. Willow is good to try. Using this year’s growth, cut pieces into 6'' lengths. Cut on an angle above a bud so that water runs off and then cut again straight across just below a pair of buds. Plant outside to about 2/3rds of its length. Tree cuttings can take until next autumn to root. The same techniques can be used on honeysuckle, vines and fruit bushes.
Cold weather will be with us at some point so check your outside taps are covered. The RSPB say that the need to provide water for birds is just as important at this time of year as ponds and puddles are frozen. Their tips include putting a light ball in the birdbath as the slightest breeze will move it and this will help stop water freezing. Another good tip is lining the bath with polythene, so you can lift out the ice.
The BBCs Gardeners World series ended last month and I know how much you enjoy the programme with Monty Don. It is a great programme and we always watch it. That said two items really wound me up. The first was when presenter Adam Frost was mulching a huge border, on which weed control fabric had been put down, with Grow Sure Smart Ground Cover. This mulch is £9.90 a bag and i promise you all it is not worth it, any mulch will do the job. The second was towards the end of the series. Monty Don was shown raking leaves off a lawn then spreading them on a path only to run a mower over them to break them down to use as mulch. Just run the mower over the grass on a higher setting, with the grass box on and all the leaves are picked up and mulched at the same time. Roll on the next series.
Leading up to Christmas the one plant most of us buy or are given will be poinsettias. To care for these, keep on a warm window sill, only water when top of compost feels dry then give it a good soaking and feed once a week.
I hope you all have a lovely Christmas, take care and happy gardening.
It is great that so many new members of the group are coming from people who have recently moved into the village. Whether you are a specialist or generalist, whether you prefer digging and planting or spotting and recording, there is plenty of opportunity for everyone who cares about wildlife to do something positive. In the last month, when weather permits and it has not been wonderful, we have been strimming the vegetation, thinning out trees, planting bulbs in the wildflower planters, digging out self-sown trees, weeding vegetable patches, planting trees, trimming our hedgerows, treating our timber structures, putting up notices and leaflet dispensers. In the coming weeks we hope to plant up our fifth orchard, dig in some new Bullace trees, cut back a small wildflower meadow and generally get on top of things before Spring arrives and it all starts over again. For more detail follow us on Facebook – Wenvoe Wildlife Group.
Thanks to a donation from a Wenvoe resident the Wildlife Group has just planted a new Mulberry in the Community Orchard. Mulberries are not new to Wenvoe – there is a fine, mature tree at the top of the village that drips with fruit in late summer. But they are unusual and far less common than they used to be. The Community Orchard already has some interesting fruit in addition to the usual suspects, apple, plum, pear, cherry, greengage. You do not see Medlars too much these days but some new Medlar orchards are being planted around London and our 4 Medlars seem happy with our climate and soil and fruit regularly. Quince is also seldom seen but we have one fruit still persisting in the Community Orchard in mid November. So why not a Mulberry? It produces delicious fruit, the birds usually get to it first, but smaller mammals also find them irresistible. They have an interesting history and associations with our culture.
Our variety is called King James 1st (aka Chelsea) and it dates from the 17th century and thereby hangs a tale. King James was anxious to break the French monopoly on silk and the Mulberry is the main food of the Silkworm which produces it. Unfortunately he imported thousands of black Mulberries but it is the white Mulberry which the moths go for and these do not grow well in Britain. So the project did nothing for a British silk industry but the 4 acre Mulberry garden near Buckingham Palace was a popular recreational spot. Mulberries can be found in many of our stately homes, particularly those dating back to Jacobean times. We have fine specimens at St Fagans and near Llandaff Cathedral. They are incredibly long-lived – the artist Gainsborough who was born in 1727 had one growing in his garden which was already over 100 years old and is still there!
And who has not sung the rhyme 'Here we go round the Mulberry Bush'. There are many theories as to its origins but little proof so when you encourage your little ones to dance around the Mulberry bush why not come up with your own story. And if you think it is a good one, get in touch with the Wildlife Group who can publish it on the Community Orchard noticeboard.
To those of you, particularly those moving into Wenvoe, if you have an interest in wildlife and would like to help our furry and feathered friends, not to mention flowers, trees, lichens and insects, do get in touch with the Wildlife Group. We now have 7 sites and there is always plenty to be done. Over the coming months we shall be planting an orchard (yes, another one – our fifth!), putting in 3 ponds, opening up a sunken lane, pruning our 100+ apple and pear trees, creating a lichen trail, strimming, clearing and mulching. We shall be planting Bullace and Mulberry and preparing the wildflower beds for next year. We are already beginning to see more wildlife moving in – especially small mammals such as voles and shrews and the butterflies were also enjoying the windfalls. The caterpillar in the photo is a Yellow Tail moth.
During October we hosted a visit from members of Cadoxton Conservation Group and it is great to see the progress they have been making in Barry – follow them on Facebook. And talking Facebook, don't forget to check our Facebook pages – it is often the most up-to-date and visual means of keeping in touch.
I must admit that since I was a child, I’ve not been able to tolerate spiders, so I dread the reported invasion of giant spiders in the house this autumn . There are many gadgets and products on the market to remove spiders from the home and according to old wives tales, there are also natural methods Leaving conkers on window ledges is said to stop spiders entering the house, but scientists haven’t proved whether the saponin compound found in conkers is effective. Some swear by peppermint oil which has a high concentration of pulegone and methone which are natural pesticides. Drop 15-20 drops of the pure oil into water and add to a spray. Similarly eucalyptus oil or white wine vinegar mixed with water and then sprayed around the home are said to be good repellents. So I am going to have a go with the conker method- no problem with collecting conkers in this village is there?
Those venturing out on our local beaches in South Wales in mid October may have been in for a surprise. Spread along the shore – there were maybe 400-500 on Rhossili beach – were Portuguese Men of War jellyfish. They are usually to be found out on the open ocean but the lively weather and post-hurricane storms drove many of them ashore. Although small, they are quite distinctive with a 'pasty-shaped' bladder which keeps them afloat but they are at the mercy of winds, tides and currents unlike many jellyfish which can swim to a degree.
Strictly speaking they are not jellyfish but an aggregation of different individuals known as a siphonophore. Also unlike many jellyfish the stings from the venomous tentacles, which can be up to 10 metres long, can still be activated long after the creature is dead so resist the temptation to touch it and keep dogs well away. They have few predators although Loggerhead Turtles, Blue Sea Slugs and the Violet Snail will all happily munch away at them. The young Blanket Octopus will even carry broken bits of tentacle which can be used either in attack or defence
It's probably going to be cold, wet and miserable out in the garden but never mind. It is November after all and there's still plenty of work to be done. If you haven't already done so, empty any pots that contained summer bedding and put spent compost on to borders as a mulch. Alternatively, you can mix some wild flower seed in with the compost and spread it on an unused or unmanageable part of your plot and then just wait for nature to take its course.
At this time of year, it's good to take the tops off roses to prevent wind rock, the movement from which can damage them, sometimes beyond repair. I have said before about keeping the base of roses clear of fallen leaves and at this time of year it is very important so as not to harbour any diseases. Also keep lawns and ponds clear of any leaves.
We still have time to plant out winter bedding to keep colour in the garden for as long as possible. Now is a good time to plant up pots of Tulips, making sure that you plant them deep enough; most of us don't. You can then plant pansies or primula on top to prolong the display. My personal favourites to go with tulips are wallflowers.
Make sure you raise your containers onto pot feet or just a few small stones to avoid water logging. Tulips are especially vulnerable in very wet conditions.
Now is the time of year to move shrubs growing in unsuitable places. Only move shrubs that are of a manageable size where you can get the whole root ball out. The more root you leave behind the less chance of it surviving. Ordered bare root trees and shrubs need to be planted as soon as possible before they dry out. The R H S recommend now as a good time to plant roses but advise against planting in an area where roses were previously grown otherwise new introductions may suffer from replant diseases (rose sickness).
High winds can cause a lot of damage in the garden if steps are not taken to combat the problem. Newly planted shrubs and trees should be securely staked. Climbers, if needs be, should be trimmed back and extra ties put on.
Hardwood cuttings of ornamental shrubs can be taken now; Cornus and Hydrangea are easy to do. I just cut pieces about 40cm (16ins) and stick them in the ground next to the plant i cut them from. My reasoning for this approach is if the soil is ok for the mother plant its should be ok for the cuttings, though I'm not sure if you would get that advice from the RHS.
I hope to see you at the Wenvoe Christmas Craft Fair on Sunday 26 November where there will be a couple of the local gardening experts who have given me some advice this year. If you want to ask them anything I will point them out to you so they can share the blame for this column.
Take care and happy gardening
A stroll along the new cycleway and footpath on Port Road between Wenvoe and the Alps roundabout revealed some interesting plants lurking at the base of the hedgerow. Most surprising
because it has not been recorded yet in the parish is Dewberry. Similar to the Blackberry but with some clear distinguishing features. The berries have a bluish waxy bloom to them and there are far fewer segments per fruit, a bit like a raspberry in this respect. The leaves are closer together than is the case with brambles and they tend to creep along the ground rather than throw up long prickly stems. They are known on Gower as 'monkey grabbers' as their low creeping habit means they are easier to miss until they have snared you around the ankles. On Gower and other dune systems you will often see people gathering the berries which some adore but others find bland and insipid. In Wiltshire it is known as the Token Blackberry. The leaves can also be used to make a tea