Category: The Village Gardener

The Village Gardener Tips for December

Victoria of the Walled Garden. Tips for December.

1. Secure your climbers to walls and supports.
2. Tie up conifers to stop them spreading in high winds or snow.
3. Prune apple trees by cutting out crossed branches and thinning out the middle.
4. Stay off the soil in wet conditions to avoid compaction.
5. Keep watering to a minimum in the greenhouse, especially the pelargoniums.

 

Pete Ferris. Gardening on a wet day.

1. Check on the wine you made in the autumn.
2. Sample the wine
3. Share your spoils with friends
4. Realise you are not supposed to meet up, pity.
5. Enjoy spoils and wine by oneself.

 

What a year it has been, with all that’s gone on in the world, the garden has been a refuge from bad news. People who work on the land, whether farmers or gardeners, always knew the benefits of working with plants and the soil. Joining local walkers or the Wildlife Group with all their activities, will get you closer to nature and improve wellbeing. If you want to join one of these groups, the numbers are in the front of this magazine. We are all looking forward to a better time in 2021 when hopefully groups can start to meet again. I will be looking forward to the Wenvoe Open Garden event and an Autumn show.

Even at this time of year the green house is quite full, with plants that need protecting against wind or frost. If you can, put the plants outside on a mild day and give it a thorough clean. This will help keep the plants free of disease.

There is one thing assured this year and that is the amount of cardboard that we will need to deal with coming up to Christmas. It can be used a lot around the garden in a variety of ways. The compost bin will benefit from cardboard as it adds carbon and will help when you have lots of grass clippings to break down. It is brilliant for putting on ground that you need to clear, as by the time it rots down the weeds will have died. Putting cardboard down where you need a path, then covering with bark also stops weeds.

At the start of November quite a few new people started work on their allotments. Under the watchful eye of councillor Colin, they were getting stuck into the tasks at hand. These days we must be careful of thieves who see the allotments as a chance to pilfer. So, take note from some of the other allotment holders and don’t leave any tools on site. There is one thing the new starters will never be short of and that’s advice from the other plot holders.

Thanks for all your comments throughout the year. None of us are ever too old to learn, unless you go by the name of Gordon Jones who can give sound advice on everything. Special thanks to Joyce Hoy for being able to name any plant I show her.

Take care and have a lovely Christmas and a great new year.

 

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Betty James “must do” list for November

1. Wash flower pots before storing them.
2. Put fleece on everything that needs covering.
3. Raise all containers and pots to avoid water logging.
4. Dry begonia corms thoroughly before storing.
5. Any weeding done now will cut down on established weeds in Spring.

Wenvoe over 90s ramblers club tips

1. Put plants nearer the house so you can actually see them.
2. Your relatives only take you out to garden centres, so learn to enjoy gardening.
3. No water features as we only end up in them.
4. Keep everything as flat as possible in the garden, we can’t afford a fall.
5. Tell people what you want for Christmas, otherwise it’s socks and tea towels.

Leaf mould is one of gardening’s great composts, it’s so easy to make and improves soil structure. You can also use it for bringing on seedlings. The best use as far as I know is for growing bulbs. It doesn’t necessarily need a compost bin, just fill bin bags with leaves then damp down. put a few holes in the bags and place out of the way. A good way of looking after bare patches in the borders or allotments is to plant what’s known as green manure. This not only protects soil from erosion, it inhibits weed growth and can then be dug in come spring to add nutrients to the soil.

Even with shorter days and inclement weather there are still plenty of jobs to be done. On the rare dry days a bit of weeding is always needed. Bare root shrubs and trees are available to order. They are cheaper bought this way and have a very high success rate. Planted now, they will establish a good root system over the winter. Keep raking up the leaves, especially those on grass, otherwise the grass will take ages to recover. There is still time to plant some garlic cloves; they need a cold spell to form clusters.

Ash dieback is taking hold in the village with a number of trees already taken out. If any of your trees have lost their leaves prematurely then get them checked out. At present there is no way back for infected trees with this disease. The latest survey suggests that only 5% of ash trees have a resistance.

New rules on leaving the EU mean that imported plants from Europe will have stringent tests to deal with pests and disease. I would have thought that should have been in place already. The upshot of this is that garden centres say it will mean an increase at the checkout on already highly priced plants. As a country we have allowed some diseases to take a stronghold around the south of the country. It beggars belief that we cannot grow enough plants in this country. Surely, for the prices garden centres charge, we ought to be able to compete and most of all be safer from pest and disease. While we were in lockdown during the early spring, people found old packets of seed and, looking around our area, gardens flourished. Irene and Dave in Vennwood really showed what you can do with a packet of seeds.

Take care and happy gardening

 

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THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Top Tips for October

Top horticultural show judge Mr Gwyn Williams’s tips for October.

1. Ripen green tomatoes by cutting off along with the vine, place on cardboard and put on windowsill.
2. Sow winter lettuce and meteor peas.
3. Use the mower on a high setting to pick up the leaves off the lawn.
4. Dig up dahlia tubers and store frost free.
5. Be sure to mark the ground where perennials die right back as you may not remember where they are.

Actor, author, poet and politician Mr Noel Williams has some thoughts on gardening.

1. Get most of the gardening done in the morning, then relax in the afternoon.
2. You can never have enough green bags.
3. Look as if you know what you’re doing.
4. Raised beds will help you garden for longer.
5. Use a walking stick on uneven ground, as three points of contact with terra firma are better than two.

Six months ago we struggled to get seeds and plants from online retailers and garden centres as they had not got a delivery mechanism in place. At present there are plenty of options to purchase plants. Come March who knows where we will be. Order seeds, summer bulbs and corms now as they are in stock. Quite a few gardeners used potatoes left over from grocery shopping, with some quite remarkable results. Most people will now hopefully save seed for next year. Wenvoe gardens have been great this year, with people sharing their spare plants. The term golfing gardens came about when golfers in Wenvoe turned to the soil and improved their gardens while the courses were closed. When the courses reopened some of them found their mowers wouldn’t start…..

October is, as usual, a busy time on the veg plot planning next year’s harvest. Broad beans as well as certain varieties of peas can be sown now. Salad mixes grown under cover will soon provide fresh produce. Cauliflower variety Snowball can be sown in cold frames now and will be ready to plant out in early spring.

Look after canna lilies by lifting, then drying and store in a cool dark place. Make sure you finish planting your spring flowering bulbs. If you’re planning to sow some wildflowers next year, clear a patch as a lot of these plants cannot compete with grass. Also do not add any nutrients, the poorer the soil the better they like it. Cowslips will grow in a lawn; you need to sow the seed now as they need a cold spell before they will germinate. Winter flowering pansies must be one of the best value plants. They will, with dead heading, flower from now until next May.

Trying to keep tender plants safe, by giving them shelter in the months ahead, can take up a lot of room. It is false economy to try and cram them in, they need space and should not be touching, otherwise infection will spread.

If by any chance you see a hedgehog in your garden, then look after it by feeding it with dog or cat food. You will not make it dependent on you as they will only use the food put out for them as a supplement. Provide shelter for them and you will have one of nature’s best garden pest predators

The library not working at full capacity has curtailed the gardening advice available from the staff. The horticulturists have been busy with their own plots. Joyce is redesigning her back garden. Heulwen has taken wildlife gardening to another level and Gordon is growing deadly plants – can’t say more

 

Take care and happy gardening.

 

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THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Your Jobs For September

Environment team tips.

1. Make sure your stored produce is mouse proof.
2. Clean out the bird feeders.
3. Leave the ivy if it’s not bothering you as the birds will love the berries over winter.
4. Save seed, don’t get caught out next year.
5. Clear the windowsills ready for pelargonium cuttings.

Pauline Harringtons tips

1. Neat and tidy will make things easier for you.
2. Try not to grow as many dandelions as last year
3. Look after your nails, never go in the garden without gloves.
4. Grow veg among your flowers to add interest.
5. If you get fed up with a plant, just throw it out. You will feel better.

September is another busy month in the garden. With shorter days on the horizon, a bit of time management will be needed to complete all the jobs. Making a list is a proven way of getting things done. Start by sowing some sweet peas in a cold frame. Keep them cool so they don’t get leggy and only cover if there’s a chance of frost. These can then be planted out in the spring. Plant any perennials that you grew from seed earlier in the summer. With the soil still warm and moist the plants will soon establish and be ready for next year. Shrubs would also benefit from being planted now. Divide established perennials and use these to fill in any spaces around the garden.

This month is a good time to sow a new lawn or make good some bare patches. Like most jobs, working on the lawn is all about the preparation. Groundsmen always use new seed as germination decreases the older it is. Plus the birds will want their share. The autumn always produces a lot of garden waste which, with a bit of work, will make good compost. We will still have to purchase compost, unless you have a huge operation going on. It is so easy to pick up a couple of bags when you visit diy stores and garden centres. When you consider that the plants come in plastic along with the compost and some fertilizers it is not very eco friendly. Stores and gardeners want convenience, but what would be so hard in taking your own bag for compost and returning those plastic pots, as most stores will take returns. If we all returned plastic pots you can be sure they would find a better solution to plastic.

A must do job over the autumn / winter months is keeping the drains and soakaways clear of leaves and debris. The callout fee alone from a drain cleaning company should be enough for us to do this task regularly. Some fine wire mesh over the drain will make this task less of a chore.

One of the standout plants around the village is in Joyce’s front garden on Grange avenue. The plant is Dierama Pulcherrimum or Angel’s fishing rod. It is a majestic plant well worth a snoop. Growing this plant from seed can take years but they really are worth waiting for.

There has been a change at the Walled garden where Victoria has taken up the position of gardener in residence. Victoria will have exacting standards to uphold at one of the best kept secluded gardens in the vale. Mr & Mrs Crump and Mr & Mrs Williams of Rectory close have again excelled this year. With a scarcity of materials they have produced two great gardens again. Hats off to Angela, Janet and Mr & Mrs French of Larchwood, who have shown what a love of gardening can produce. Of course, I can’t mention Larchwood without referring to Ray Darlington’s lovely garden and a lawn you could play snooker on – but he wouldn’t let you.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

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THE VILLAGE GARDENER

Environment Team tips.

1. Put hanging baskets out on display.
2. Pinch outside shoots on tomatoes.
3. Try to mow the lawn weekly.
4. Finish planting out summer bedding.
5. Keep feeding the birds.

Mr Crump’s top tips

1. Plant some runner bean seeds for a later crop.
2. Do not forget the lawn edging.
3. Hoe weeds every dry day if possible.
4. Clean your UPVC. This will set the garden off.
5. Always keep tools clean and put away after use.

May was an awkward time in the garden, trying to purchase seeds, plants and compost. With garden centres open, the temptation to go mad will be great. I do hope that centres will have learnt from this. They were very quick to enable you to buy their garden furniture online, yet slow to allow the purchase of plants which left nurseries without an outlet and in a terrible position.

Now that June is here pests will be enjoying the long days feasting on your flowers and vegetables. Whatever method you choose to curb their enthusiasm for ruining your plants, just keep at them. A deep dish with a drop of beer in is a sure way of trapping slugs. Also, a flat stone placed on the border will give slugs and snails a place to hide during the day, which you just lift to remove the culprits. What you do with them is up to you but throwing them over the fence will not work as they have a keen homing instinct and will soon be back.

Dead heading is the best method of keeping the plants flowering longer. Sweet peas benefit greatly from this. By doing so the plants will continue producing new flowers; it will also keep them looking neat and tidy. If you are going to take the spent blooms off rhododendrons, be careful not to damage the embryo beneath.

This month is a good time to plant biennials such as wallflowers [Erysimum]. Sow in seed tray and seal in clear bag. Once they are large enough to handle, separate into pots and grow on. In August/ September time plant out in the garden in their permanent position. Choose a scented variety if you can. They are good value plants that will flower for ages in the spring.

More people are growing veg in their garden and pots this year. Those of you who are maybe looking for advice need only visit the allotments in Twyn yr Odyn, near to the Horse & Jockey. Here the very best growers in the Vale reside and they love sharing advice on growing veg.

Whilst working in the garden remember to stay safe. Wear a hat, put on gloves and use insect repellent and sunscreen. A visit to A&E at any time is bad enough; to put extra pressure on hospitals now by being careless, will not get you any sympathy.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

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May Gardening Programme

Environment team tips for May

1. Check for nesting birds before clipping hedgerows.
2. Divide up clumps of daffs.
3. Water early morning or late in the day to get most out of your water.
4. Mow lawns weekly.
5. Earth up potatoes.

Tom Greatrex tips, for gardeners.

1. You can’t survive by planting flowers. Grow veg.
2. Weed every day.
3. Don’t let your other half cook with your seed potatoes.
4. Keep an eye on the neighbour’s patch as they may know something you don’t.
5. When you need help use your family, it’s cheaper.

We have all, I’m sure, been shocked by the way the world has changed so quickly in recent months. It makes you realise how susceptible we can be to change. Those of us who have an outdoor space are fortunate. If you like gardening it’s been good to spend more time in the garden. I will be taking a lot more interest in saving seed and not wasting space, with a lot more veg being grown in future.

Early flowering Spring shrubs have faded, with forsythia and others needing to be cut back quite hard, as they produce flowers on new growth. Once Montana clematis has flowered, you will need to cut out any dead or diseased stems. Variegated evergreen shrubs will have some branches reverting back to green. These need to be cut out or the whole plant will be green. Tie in shoots of rambling and climbing roses. Try to bend these new growths as near to horizontal as possible, so that it will produce more side shoots. Fuchsias can be propagated now. Just cut off some of the new growth and it will readily take. Any plants that have been moved this year will be susceptible to drought, more so than established ones. Make sure they don’t go short of water. On the subject of water, please don’t water established lawns in dry spells as all you will achieve is to bring the root system closer to the surface. At the next dry spell the lawn will dry out quicker and so on until you eventually have to lay a new one.

Divide primulas now and plant in an unused part of the garden, ready to replant in the autumn. Hostas can be divided as soon as new growth emerges. As forget-me-nots start to go over, remove from garden otherwise you will be swamped next spring. They are prolific self seeders.

Give spring flowering bulbs a liquid feed after flowering to encourage them to flower next spring. Like primula, clumps of daffs can be divided and replanted in an unused spot. Please don’t remove the leaves until they die back.

There may not be an open garden event this year which is a great shame because Mr Crump’s garden in Rectory Close is a sight to behold. It just goes to show how good you can be at something you love.

Take care and happy gardening.

 

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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.

 

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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.

5. 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

 

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