Category: Nature

August 2016

Green Flag Award

 

We have heard that all three of our applications for a Green Flag award have been successful so the Upper Orchid Field, Community Orchard and Elizabethan Orchard will soon be displaying their award certificates. We have not yet seen the results for the rest of Wales but the probability is that we are the only village in South Wales, possibly all of Wales, to have three sites with Green Flags and we may have the first green space on farming land to have achieved accreditation.

Despite the indifferent and unpredictable weather the wildflower plantings are doing well and the Alps roundabout has been spectacular with its open and ‘sunny’ location. The blues of Borage and Bugloss came first followed by the oranges of Californian Poppy, Closer inspection (don’t try this when you are driving) reveals Clarkia, Cosmos, Zinnia and Coneflower.

We are grateful to Waitrose at Barry for including us as one of their charities for June. Unfortunately we heard too late to let people know for the June issue of Whats On so that they could consider voting for us. If you want to keep abreast of news from the group keep an eye on Facebook (Wenvoe Wildlife Group) which has up-to-date information and images. We would particularly like to hear from schools or other groups of young people as we can arrange guided visits, outdoor activities, pond-dipping etc.

The image in the photo is of a small bug and bee hotel which you will see popping up in our orchards. These can be purchased for a few pounds, look good and are used by solitary bees and wasps.

August in the Garden

 

Well, we’re already more than halfway through the year and what a rotten summer it’s been so far. It seems to me that the few sunny days we’ve had have lacked warmth due to the continuous wind, and I mean wind and not gentle breezes. Already the winter seed catalogues are being delivered – I’ve had a few, almost before I’d planted out my summer bedding and I don’t really want to be thinking about winter pansies and primulas in July.

Recently my attention has been drawn to a couple of gardening questions in the newspaper that are appropriate to this dismal summer season.

First of all advice was sought as to what trees, if any can be planted in very wet ground. The answer is that very few trees like to be permanently waterlogged although the Swamp Cypress is a deciduous tree that thrives in the wet. The Alder and Aspen grow well in boggy ground, as do Willows, particularly the Weeping Willow.

The second questioner wanted a rescue plan for lawns that have been soaked repeatedly by heavy rain. The advice is as follows – Assist drainage by pushing a heavy garden fork into the earth, therefore breaking up the subsoil to allow the water to drain away more freely. If the grass has grown a lot longer than usual, raise your mower’s blades before the next cut. A few days later, when the grass has recovered, mow a second time with your blades at their usual height. Don’t be tempted to feed grass damaged by too much heavy rain as the roots won’t be able to take the nitrogen

Bluebells

It has been a pretty good year for Bluebells and we are well blessed in the parish for the number of woods that are carpeted with them. With over half of the world's population of Bluebells being in the UK it is vital that we look after them but they are under threat from a number of directions. In the past many woods were stripped of bluebells by people selling them on to gardeners although with the current legal penalties on uprooting the bulbs this may have diminished recently. Then there is development either by removing woodland or planting it with conifers as bluebells struggle under the permanent shade of evergreens. However, possibly the major threat is from the Spanish Bluebell which is very commonly planted in Wenvoe.

The two species, ours and the Spanish hybridise easily and the resulting plant is no longer our native bluebell. The two do not have to be growing close together – all it needs is a pollinating insect to fly from one to the other for hybridisation to occur. As we are surrounded by woods with bluebells all of these are at risk from the Iberian interlopers which are well within a short bee flight. So how do you tell them apart?

The native Bluebell is curved at the top and the flowers tend to grow on one side of the stem. The Spanish Bluebell is bigger and more vigorous (which is why gardeners like them) and the flowers grow on all sides of the upright stem. Our native species has a distinct, sweetish scent; the Spanish virtually no smell and the leaves are much broader. The native Bluebell tends to be a much deeper blue colour. Is it an issue?

A survey by Plantlife found that one in six woods in Britain now contains hybrid plants. What can you do to help matters? If you have Spanish Bluebells the only thing you can do is to get rid of them and that does not mean driving out and throwing them out of the car window. That is precisely how so many clumps are appearing by the roadside. They can go out with the green waste collected by the Council as the heat in the composting process effectively kills the bulb and seed. And why not plant the native bluebell? They can be readily obtained online from reputable suppliers and can be bought as bulbs from Garden Centres.

The Wildlife Group has planted quite a few in the orchards that have been bought locally and experience has been that it is better to plant bulbs in late Summer and Autumn than potgrown plants in the Spring as the latter seem to be particularly favoured by small mammals who love to dig them up.  

Wallflowers

Sow wallflower seeds in the next few weeks ready for a display next spring. Wallflowers germinate readily if sown thinly into shallow drills in a wellprepared seed bed. Make sure the soil is moist just below the surface. You can expect the seedlings to show in a few weeks. If necessary irrigate the ground afterwards, taking care not to disturb the seedlings which you want to grow into stocky, wellbranched plants.

In October the young wallflowers will be ready to plant out where they are to flower. The “Persian Carpet” variety which I’ve grown several times is a mixture of warm shades and has full perfume. Recently a stunning photo of Bodnant Garden’s enormous laburnum tunnel appeared in some newspapers. Years ago most gardens boasted a laburnum but they’re not so popular these days. It may well be that we have become more aware that laburnum seeds are poisonous, although the best variety – Laburnum x watereri Vossii is almost sterile, so seeds are not produced.

Tomato Care.

Greenhouse tomato plants should be growing fast by now. If raised as single-stem cordons they will need supporting canes or twine. Tie the delicate young plants to their supports using soft jute string. When you pinch out any side shoots, take care not to bruise the stems. Feed with a general fertiliser such as Miracle Gro All Purpose until the first trusses begin to flower, then switch to a high potash feed such as Tomorite. Bush varieties are better for growing outside but don’t put out protected plants unless the weather is warm. Tomatoes can be killed by the lightest frost. 

March 2016

A mix of news this month, some good and some not so good. To start with the not so good, the area known as Molluscopolis on the Upper Orchid Field has been destroyed by a vandal or vandals. It has been in place for 6 years and in 2011 won an Innovation Award from Keep Britain Tidy, the only time this has been awarded in Wales.

Sometime in early March in a systematic attack, every pot was broken, every notice ripped down – even the nestboxes and an owl box built by the Scouts were pulled down and smashed. It will be reconstructed but it is a mystery why anyone should go to such lengths particularly as vandalism is relatively rare around here.

The police are involved and have examined the area. If anyone sees anything suspicious or noticed anything unusual going on at the beginning of March please contact our local police officer, Kieron Byrne, on 07584 883323.

On a brighter note we have been offered funding of £250 by the Vale of Glamorgan Council to develop and enhance the sensory garden on the Community Orchard. This involves installing two additional planters with appropriate 'sensory' plants, providing signage including, hopefully, some in braille, purchasing tools that can be used by visiting groups such as Scope and creating a living willow structure. 

Conservation work by the group has involved planting replacement fruit trees as well as primroses, bluebells and snowdrops. We have cleared much of the undergrowth that runs the length of the Wild Orchard at St Lythans and removed some of the branches of the large Sycamores that shade out some of the trees at the north end of the orchard.

In April we plan to sow wildflower seeds in Grange Park and Walston Road with the help of children from Wenvoe Primary School. Wildflower seed has been passed to the Vale of Glamorgan Council so that they can spread them on the Alps roundabout and to a group in Cowbridge for them to use in Old Hall Gardens as they did last year.

We are also hosting a meeting of Forest School teachers and will be taking them on a tour of some of our local orchards.

Best Kept Village Competition

You will have read in the council notes, What's On March 16, that the Best Kept Village Competition will no longer take place. Interest and support have been dwindling for several years and with so few villages entering, there is little point in carrying on.

However our team will continue to keep Wenvoe clean and tidy for the benefit of us all with particular emphasis on the ongoing litter problem which continues to blight the road between the Walston Castle and Ruhr Cross.

Our work during March included pruning the roses on the village green and removing the accumulation of debris, mainly leaves left over from the autumn.

Next meeting Monday, April 18th at 9.30 a.m.

Planting Out

All tender plants are at risk from frost until the end of April/ May and need to have protection in a greenhouse or conservatory so if you buy plants over the next few weeks, make sure they are fully hardy before risking them outside.

Long-term, hardy shrubs or trees should be fine for planting outdoors now, even if they are carrying blossom. If you took late autumn or winter cuttings of pelargoniums, fuchsias or other tender plants they will need re-potting now.

If you grow courgettes, marrows or squash, now is the time to sow seeds and these will also need early protection in the greenhouse. Use 9cm plastic or degradable fibre pots. Fill each with potting compost and insert one seed up to 2cm below the surface.

Move your plants to a coldframe during this month and harden them off in May before planting out. Although it gets a little more difficult each year that passes the dry, sunny spell in the middle of March encouraged me and other allotment holders to make a start on rotovating or digging the ground. For me there’s nothing as satisfying as the sight of freshly turned-over soil, ready to be planted with whatever I want to grow throughout the summer.

My Dad was the same and was devoted to his allotment and he was fortunate that his patch was just across the road from our house.

March 2016

Recently I was attracted by a bay tree in a large container outside the entrance of a hotel. From a distance it seemed in very good condition but on closer examination there were signs that it was becoming pot bound.

There was a pool of rainwater standing on the surface, a sure sign of inadequate drainage. Bay needs good drainage and I think that this tree should be re-potted into a larger container making sure that there is plenty of drainage in the form of crocks plus a free-draining compost mix, (50:50 potting compost and grit.)

Over the years I’ve planted a variety of trees and shrubs in containers. At one time if I came across a seedling, I couldn’t resist growing it on – from horse chestnut to rowan, from conifers to hazel and I have learned to make sure that I have kept re-potting into larger containers and that the vital drainage is a priority. I must admit that I’ve had to chop up a plastic pot to release a shrub that had become completely pot-bound and at one time I remember having to smash up a ceramic pot. That mistake cost me dearly- some of the most attractive ceramics are quite expensive. Now I make sure to only use plastic.

I have a 10 year old Acer palmatum which I would like to keep in a pot for as long as I can and it’s already been re-potted several times. Obviously some of my trees and shrubs have reached the stage where keeping them in pots is no longer viable. These are planted here and there around the village and have thrived – notably in upper Walston Road around the Pound Lane area. Footnote: You may remember my mentioning the squirrel and the coconut. Well I did get another coconut and it didn’t take long for the squirrel or one of his mates to spirit both halves away- this time within 24 hours! There was no sign of it on the ground so how he manages to cart it away is something of a mystery!

The Marble Gall

Quite common on Oak Trees in and around Wenvoe is the gall shown in the photo known as the Marble Gall. It can be found on the Community Orchard, the Welsh Orchard and the Upper Orchid Field.

It is often confused with the Oak Apple but these are uncommon in this part of the world. The marble gall is caused by an insect which lays an egg on the Oak and the ‘marble’ which soon grows provides a living space for the young larva. Most of the galls at this time of year will have a small, neat hole in the side through which the young insect has escaped.

Galls have a surprisingly important role to play in our written records as they were used to make the ink which most of our important documents were written in for over 1,000 years. From the 5th century through to the 19th and even into the 20th century, tannin was extracted from galls and mixed with other chemicals to produce the ink used in key documents such as the Magna Carta and American Declaration of Independence. Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Victor Hugo also used it.

The charter on the left-hand wall as you enter the Bear Hotel in Cowbridge would probably have used Gall Ink. Articles on Gall Ink often feature the Marble Gall but therein lies a problem as that gall was only introduced to Britain in the 18th century and it needs the presence of another type of oak, the Turkey Oak, which is not native and has only been around for last 200-300 years to complete its life cycle.

It would be interesting to know if before the 1700s British Gall Ink used other types of galls or whether European Galls were imported and used to make the ink. If you think you know, why not drop a line to Whats On.

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