Category: The Village Gardener

Replacement for Trevor’s Garden

There Are Good Gardeners Around Wenvoe

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

There Are Good Gardeners Around Wenvoe

The village show highlighted the fact that there are good gardeners around Wenvoe. Bernard, who judges the vegetables and takes his job seriously, was so impressed by the quantity and quality on display. There is of course a small minority that get their produce from Waitrose, but the judge has seen it all before and advises that removing the price sticker might help. He was nevertheless taken by surprise by an entry from Nicola of the Twyn, who had obviously been on her travels to Lilliput. Nicola brought along what she claimed were tomatoes, in what can only be described as a Lilliputian snuffbox. Without glue they refused to stay on the display plate, being blown off by the waft of a butterfly wing. The only way they stood a chance of being judged was a taste test; unfortunately, they slipped down the throat like a greased paracetamol before you could bite them. All this added to what was a really enjoyable day.

The garden will start to look bare after the annuals have been discarded and the perennials cut back. You have choices to make now on how you’re going to protect the soil from erosion over winter. Using the spent compost from pots that had annuals or tubers in, buying in bark or leaving the fallen leaves on the borders for the worms to mulch down for you will work. Admittedly the leaves look messy, but they will do your soil a power of good. You can, of course, dig them in which will speed up the composting process. Always collect rose leaves with black spot and burn them.

Some have managed to keep displays of begonias and dahlias going until recently. Looking after the corms and tubers of these showy plants is a must. We need to make sure there is no foliage left on them and that they are dried out properly before storing in a dry frost-free environment. The late John Rich always kept his in kiln dried sand and had a very good success rate.

Take cuttings of your favourite shrubs, just cut below a leaf joint, peel off the leaves and poke in the ground next to the shrub, so you’ll remember where it came from.

Take care and happy gardening

Summer Is Now Done

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Summer Is Now Done

Well, that seemed to go quickly. Summer is now done, and we must nurse what’s left of the summer bedding for every last bit of colour we can before clearing the beds to plant bulbs, wallflowers, primula and pansies. Monica in Rectory Close just digs her annuals straight back into the soil and plants the Autumn/Winter plants on top. Leave the tulips until late Autumn, as they tend to rot if put in early.

The lawns have had a hard time this year. It’s a pointless task trying to water them; we just have to wait for some rain and give them an autumn feed. If you can aerate them and rake off the thatch, they will be a lot better for it.

Keep camellias well-watered so they can produce buds for next Spring. There’s no need to feed roses now; you don’t want them trying to put on new growth when they should be slowing down. Give hedges a good trim now and that should see them through until next year. If you grew a wildflower garden this year and didn’t cut it back before the seed heads formed, then good luck next year as it will be covering most of your plot and the immediate neighbours. Putting water out for wildlife is one of the best things you can do, especially with the extreme weather we’ve had this year. Once you start doing this you must keep it up as birds and insects get to know where it is and depend on it.

The late Betty James would wash all the pots she used for seeds and cuttings. Over the years she never had a problem, always using clean pots and buying new bags of compost. Then compost went peat free, it didn’t seem to matter how much you paid or whose name was on the bag, it caused a big failure rate on what could be produced in her greenhouse. The compost may be better for the planet, but you can’t put it in lovely printed colourful bags and charge the earth, when it’s absolutely rubbish. There is a process it should go through to get this material right for the consumer but they’re cutting corners by rushing it through. Yes of course we must recycle, just do it properly. A lot of gardeners are using coir to bring on seedlings and cuttings, it works well. It is also sustainable.

The allotments seem to have a lot of bare soil showing at present after a lot of harvesting. This means compost bins will be filling up. A lot of folk leave the runner bean roots to rot in the soil as they’re full of nitrogen. Collecting seaweed for use in the soil seems to have gone out of fashion, maybe because of the effort involved. This material is brilliant for the garden, just wash it off and dig it in. It’s full of nitrogen, potassium and phosphates. Jersey nurserymen use it to good effect.

Don’t forget, we need as many entries for the Wenvoe Village Show as possible to help keep it going – use it or lose as they say. For all the details, please see page 5.

Take care and happy gardening

The Foraging Season Is Upon Us

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

The Foraging Season Is Upon Us

We are reminded again of the changing weather patterns, as we witnessed the third heatwave of the year in the UK by the 2nd week of July. The long dry spells and longer wet spells are becoming the norm as highs and lows take longer to shift across Europe. We won’t alter these patterns, so must do our best to garden as conditions dictate. It is very easy to forget about what’s best to plant when visiting garden centres with the immense choice and quality. The challenging conditions must dictate how much effort we are willing to put in to keeping the plants healthy and drought free.

Growing from seed is the best option, losses have less impact on our finances. Pelargoniums are difficult from seed, as they need special conditions to germinate. Buy as plugs and bring on before planting out, these plants need little water and will flower until the first frosts with a bit of feed and some deadheading.

Herbaceous geraniums are another good drought tolerant plant, that can be cut right back after flowering and will give another display before summer ends. Most shrubs once established are quite tolerant of dry conditions. Lavender is a very good choice and thrives in poor soil. Buddleia and holly will also serve you well when conditions are tough. This year the roses in the borders have flourished. The ones in pots and containers need more water and attention. Keeping plants watered during long dry times is a task. Irrigation systems for containers and soaker hoses for the flower beds can save up to 70% on water compared to a hosepipe.

The foraging season is upon us, with blackberries and damsons the first of the summer fruits that are free. Just look out for Barry Oliver; he knows the best places. He believes that eating fruit in season has kept him young at heart. Considering his age, it seems he’s telling the truth.

The allotment folk have had a busy time with the extra watering. This effort has paid off with a bumper harvest, the best of which may hopefully be entered into the village show. Some are a bit shy of showing off their produce while harvesting. Mike always asks Paula to hold up a sheet to protect his veg from prying eyes when digging up his produce. The allotments have been well tended this year according to the old folk, Colin & Bernard.

Twyn Yr Odyn leg end Gareth Lewis will leave no stone unturned in his quest to gain an advantage with his tomatoes. In July he took some seedlings to a Slayer concert to get them blessed by the band. Unfortunately they confiscated them at the security gate, believing them to be something that only grows in attics under strong lights. Please enter the village show on September 6th and show what can be produced, to encourage others to start growing.

Take care and happy gardening.

Trying To Keep The Garden Colourful

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Trying To Keep The Garden Colourful

A report by Police UK suggests that thieves target properties with unkempt gardens, as it gives the impression that the owners are away. The report goes on to recommend keeping the plants in the front of the house below a metre, so you can see people approaching. The side and back should have high hedges with prickly shrubs like pyracantha or Berberis. Fences with trellis on top and a climbing rose running through it is another alternative. Gravel also makes it difficult for unwanted people to approach quietly. Keep gates locked and don’t leave tools around which could be used to help gain entry. Solar lights in paths or borders which are on permanently in the garden just show the intruder the way to the property.

Trying to keep the garden colourful throughout the growing season is always a challenge and can be expensive, so choose plants with a long flowering time like pelargoniums, begonias, dahlias and marigolds, which will give a display until the autumn with just a bit of dead heading. Roses will give you a good long season and the second flush will start this month. When taking off the spent blooms of roses don’t just remove the flower, cut it back to a leaf joint; this will keep the stems stronger and the plant looking its best.

A garden should have a compost bin, If done properly this can save you money, especially with the poor quality of what even the renowned labels are putting in their colourful bags. Don’t just throw anything in without a thought, as this will result in poor compost and you won’t bother again. Dave Jones in Vennwood uses kitchen scraps with used compost and small woody material to produce a sweet-smelling mix. Grass cuttings mixed with leaves and small woody stems will give good results if kept moist. This will create heat which will break down the material.

Since he’s been on a meter Gareth Williams of Greave Close has been using the washing up water on his lawn, with the unexpected result of killing the moss in the grass and not hurting any wildlife in the process.

New potatoes with runner beans is a favourite dish of many people and this month they will be harvested at the allotments, along with strawberries and raspberries. If the weather is inclement this month, this can bring blight to the potatoes, especially if they’ve been planted too close together with no room for air flow. At the first sign of blight remove all the stalks and destroy. Do not put in the compost. Dig up the potatoes straight away and they will be fine. Any ground cleared now will have cabbage and kale planted along with some potatoes which will be ready for Christmas dinner.

Take care and happy gardening.

Take Time To Sit And Enjoy

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Take Time To Sit And Enjoy

Hope you are all pleased with your gardening efforts so far this year. As June kicks us off into the main flowering season, especially with geums and the first flush of the roses, don’t forget to try and take time to sit and enjoy it when you can. People who are patient will always get good results. May was so warm that Silvia Davies had planted out her summer bedding by the middle of the month. It’s probably best for all of us to follow her lead as she really does know her stuff. Pelargoniums that were bought as plug plants and kept under glass until the end of May, then planted out, will flourish and give us colour until the end of September. Lupins are coming into their own now. If you bought some that were grown by Barry Oliver, they would have been brought up in what is known locally as Barry time, meaning they will take a while to be at their best but will form a lovely display and with a little care will last for ages. If you haven’t cleared the mess left by forget-me-nots, then you will now be inundated with this annual next Spring.

Mulching the bare soil will help retain moisture and if it’s put on a couple of inches thick will slow weeds down considerably. The dry weather had certainly stopped the slugs’ movement, but as soon as we have rain, they will be out in force so be on the lookout. Beer traps work wonderfully even if they are a bit messy. If you are thinking of planting a climber on a boundary, put it on the north side of the garden. Putting these on the south side, means that your neighbour will be enjoying the blooms.

Allotments at Twyn Yr Odyn have never looked so good according to the old folk (Bernard & Colin). This is a great effort from the allotmenteers, especially the new folk. A lot of effort will now go into protecting the crops from pests and diseases. The police team up there put their runner beans in early. This isn’t against the law, but you do have to be careful of cold nights, high winds and young rabbits, who have no respect for authority. Rabbit stew and beans will give you all the energy you need to keep on digging, according to Gareth Lewis.

Take care and happy gardening

Pull-Up The Forget-Me-Nots

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Pull-Up The Forget-Me-Nots

Before anything else, pull-up the forget-me-nots, to stop heavy self-seeding and reduce spreading next year. They look awful if you allow them to die back. Treat roses for black spot at the first signs of this disease. Tie in the climbing roses as they put a spurt on, also support the bush roses in readiness for the expected heavy and numerous blooms. Prune the spring flowering shrubs as soon as their blooms fade, to allow for good seasonal growth and flowering next Spring. Trim back the aubrieta after flowering to encourage a second bloom.

Take cuttings of pelargoniums and fuchsia as they will propagate easily at this time of year. We have a nationwide problem with fuchsias at the present, because of fuchsia gall mite. Removing affected parts helps but this is not a cure. Some gardeners have given up on them.

We all know how tiresome weeding is, but it has and always will be an absolutely essential activity. The planting up of hanging baskets is a job for May. These displays will always do better if you can keep them in a greenhouse or covered up at night until the end of the month.

Watering is becoming an increasing problem as we are having longer dry spells, using the washing up water will have no detrimental effect on plants. Placing water butts alongside down pipes, will help enormously towards saving tap water use.

On the allotments, gardeners are busy trying to keep up with the new season’s growth. Barry H has been watering every day to keep his well tendered plants healthy. On another plot first year apple trees are having the blossom removed to strengthen the young trees, which will give a better harvest in the coming years.

Protecting crops is a demanding and essential task especially with young plants and early cropping varieties. Netting is efficient but must be done diligently to stop birds being trapped inside. Mice seem to be the hardest to overcome, they will without doubt eat your strawberries the night before you’ve decided to pick them. Young runner bean plants are a magnet for pests. Other than having 24- hour security, you just need a bit of luck. All the effort is always worthwhile and that’s shown by the folk who love their plots.

Come along to the Tucker’s VE80 Wartime Plant Sale on Saturday 10 May in the Church Hall. Buy some lovely plants, try some wartime recipe food and dress in clothes of the era. And of course, buy raffle tickets in aid of Wenvoe Wildlife Group.

Take care and happy gardening

Things Are Starting To Grow

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Things Are Starting To Grow

A cold start to March held back seed sowing, unless you had some form of heat to help germination. Now with longer days and a little more warmth things are starting to grow and seedlings catch up quickly. Patience is always the best way forward to get things done. With young plants we have to be aware of their needs, by protecting them from cold nights and most importantly, be very careful with watering. Too much and they will rot in the trays or too little and they’ll wilt. Try to check on them each day, it will be worth the effort.

Snowdrops, crocus and daffodils are the first to go over. A few steps now will guarantee a good display next year. As soon as the flowers die back, cut them off or they will try to set seed which will take energy away from the bulb. Do not cut back the foliage until it dies back, the leaves are where the bulb gets its nutrients from to store energy for next year.

Weeds will, without doubt, be growing faster now than anything you’ve planted so keep on top of them, or they will smother any young plants or older ones given the chance. Mulching around the plant is a good way to suppress weeds but only if you put it down at least 3” thick. Old compost is a good mulch, better still, if you see any of the tree surgeons working around our community, ask them for the stuff they are chipping, it’s perfect and they will be glad for you to have it. If you feel that you must buy some, get a few bags of bark from British soil in Wenvoe. Don’t buy that scrulch from garden centres, it’s only straw and an expensive waste of time and money. If you want straw, buy a bale from a local farmer or Arthur Johns in Cowbridge. Honestly, just lay cardboard down on the soil, with some old compost on top and the job is done.

On the allotments, Bernard has put up a tent like the ones you see on crime dramas when a body has been discovered. It must be a new method he has worked out to get a better crop of something and he’s not willing to share it yet. It’s not anything sinister, as you can hear radio 4 being played from inside. The site is looking great with freshly dug ground and gardeners busy planting their young crops. All early potatoes are in and trays of young veg under cloches. Do not even contemplate planting runner beans yet, you need to wait for the ground to warm even more for this tender king of crops to have a fair chance, remember patience is key.

Don’t forget to come along to the Tuckers Wartime Plant Sale on 10 May in the church hall. There will be a good selection of plants, wartime recipes to sample, a good quality raffle. More details can be found elsewhere in this edition of the Wenvoe What’s On.

Happy gardening.

This Month for Early Spring Bulbs

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

This Month for Early Spring Bulbs

This month early spring bulbs and ornamental quince will be in bloom. The quince would have been in flower since last October and will continue to flower for months. When we were pupils of Wenvoe school, a long time ago now, there never seemed to be any daffodils to be had for St David’s day, we made do with leeks which we all ate before going to the church. This winter we had daffs in bloom before Christmas on the village green.

Hardy annual seeds can be sown directly in the ground now, remember that these plants like poor soil, so don’t waste fertiliser on them. Please don’t buy tender plants yet, unless you have a warm place to keep them. These young plants will have been grown in perfect conditions, so a sudden change in climate will either kill them, or at best stunt their growth. It is always better to wait and let the garden centres or nurseries look after them until the weather warms up a tad. Tomatoes and chillies need a long growing season to get the best out of them and can be sown under glass or on a windowsill now. If you sow lupins this month, they will flower this year given favourable conditions. When putting young plants out in the garden, it’s a good idea to cut the bottom off a plastic pot and put over the top of the plant to protect from wind and cold, even if they are hardy. It will give them a better start. Mr Crump’s trick to protect his plants from late frosts is to put an upturned plastic pot over the plant then a bigger one on top of that so there’s an air pocket. This works brilliantly and with the cost of plants it is well worth the time.

On the allotments there is always a lot of activity at this time of year, with soil preparation and seed sowing taking place. Plants that were brought on at home will be planted out under cloches at the end of the month. Beetroot is ok to sow now as it germinates at lower temperatures, along with peas and broad beans. Also give kale a go. It’s one of those plants you can keep picking the leaves off and it regenerates. Early potatoes are sown now and there always seems to be an argument on whether they need to be chitted or not. Whichever way you prefer to plant them, just be sure that when they start showing you protect them from any late frosts by putting some soil up over them. As always, there is plenty of advice to be had on the best methods from the likes of Colin and Bernard. If you are feeling brave you could ask Lewis, as long as you’re prepared to listen to heavy metal, which he insists does his plants a power of good.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

80th Anniversary Of VE Day

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

80th Anniversary Of VE Day

This year sees the 80th anniversary of VE Day. May 8th 1945 was the day the war in Europe officially ended. I’ve been thinking of plants to grow to remember that time. As we know most gardens, parks and open spaces were turned over to produce vegetables and there was little room for flowers. Some flowers and weeds stayed long in the memory of people of that time. Rosebay willow herb, or fireweed as it was known during the war, grew in abundance on bomb sites, as it loved ground that had been subject to heat. Ragwort was also prevalent. These plants brought in the hawk moth and multiple insect life. Which in turn became breeding grounds for redstarts and wheatears, which had never been recorded in London before. The leaves and roots of deadly nightshade were collected from the countryside to extract atropine, a drug used in eye operations. The late Noel Williams, of Walston Close, remembered collecting foxgloves to aid the war effort as a teenager for its digitalis. This powerful drug was used for regulating heart rhythm.

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands took refuge in the United Kingdom during the war, she remembers the daisies being in bloom when her country was invaded. To her it always represented hope and resistance. Food became so scarce in her country during the war that tulip bulbs were a regular source of nutrition. The capital city of Canada is a riot of colour in the spring with millions of tulips in bloom. The Dutch still send 20,000 bulbs each year. These flowers serve as a tribute to the unique friendship between the people of Canada and the Netherlands which developed during the Second World War. Thanks to the authors for these extracts and of course google.

Reading about what was produced on allotments at that time it seems little has changed on the growing side of things except that broad beans were considered a waste because the varieties then had no resistance to blight. Modern hybrids, make for heavier yields of most veg today. They also give us a longer growing season, unless you have a plot at Twyn yr Odyn, where the weather can be a little inclement on occasion.

Take care and happy gardening.

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

Happy New Year Everyone

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Happy New Year everyone

This time of year, I love to look through seed catalogues, wondering if the plants will ever be as good as they look in the pamphlet. They never are.

Don’t start trampling all over the soil unless it’s dry as compacting it now will make for heavy work come the planting season. There is always something to be done, whether it’s weeding or taking some of the leaves off hellebores to expose the flowers. Dead heading the winter flowering pansies is a must or they’ll go to seed. These pansies are never as good until early spring when they flourish, and we’re loathe to take them out to make room for spring bedding. If you have managed to get another year out of the wallflowers, you will find they flower so much earlier than the new ones planted out last autumn.

The storms this winter will make us all think twice about planting trees. Trees are one of our biggest assets against flooding, by slowing down the flow of water, absorbing rainwater and reducing soil erosion. Choose a species that fits in the space you have and prune regularly or the local authority will be on your case if it encroaches on to a road or pavement. The lowest branches have to be 2.5 metres above the footpath and 5.3 metres above the road. Yet if it grows too close to your dwelling, you will need their permission to cut it back. Just a thought, after seeing all the fences that have come down lately, why not if you have the room plant a hedge. There are so many different plants that can be used, and they don’t blow over, last a lot longer, look good, great for wildlife and good for the environment. Not leylandii!

Cloches should be making an appearance on the allotments and veg gardens to warm the soil for planting peas. Take any yellowing leaves off brassicas, to stop any disease. Mr Gareth Lewis will have started potatoes off in grow bags inside his hot house, just to be the first with new season spuds.

If you’re like Big John of the Environment team whose tool is always sharp, then you won’t need the service of a free hand tool sharpening session starting on the 6th January in the Wheelwright’s shop by the Church Hall. What’s On recipients can bring them along that week. Shears, loppers, secateurs and mower blades.

 

Take care and happy gardening

THE VILLAGE GARDENER

 

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