Great Progress Being Made
More Trees and Shrubs Planted
Despite the wet weather we have continued to plant trees and shrubs both Damsons and hedgerow whips which have been donated by residents. We have applied for 7 Green Flag awards for 2020, the Bee Loud Glade being this year’s newest addition. Brushcutting at the Goldsland Farm orchard has carried on between showers and holes for the new ponds are being dug – at least they will benefit from a few heavy downpours once in place. The Community Orchard was the location for a meeting with the Chair of St George’s Community Council who would like to get some wildlife initiatives off the ground and wanted to see what can be achieved.
We were invited to visit and give some advice on the newish orchard at Llandough Hospital and will continue to be involved with this project during the year. Few know of its existence but this large field of several acres immediately adjoins the hospital and will provide a welcome retreat for patients and visitors. It consists partly of meadow but with a traditional orchard at the higher end of the field. Although planted up with 67 apple trees two years ago, more than half of the trees have perished due it is thought to late planting and the hot summer. We remember the summer well as we spent many hours watering the newly-planted fruit trees at the Goldsland Farm orchard but we had the benefit of cattle drinking troughs a short distance from the trees and lost only one of our 36 trees. A new round of planting will take place in the next couple of months at Llandough and this time they will be molly-coddled! Robert Reader who farms at Burdons Farm has generously agreed to cut the field which has become tussocky in places and with Blackthorn sprouting all over.
For any readers who have either been treated at the hospital or know others who have and would like to give something back, here is your opportunity! Just contact us and we can put you in touch with Hester Adams who is running the project for the Health Board. We shall be reporting progress in future issues of What’s On.