{"id":11525,"date":"2022-05-03T17:27:30","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T16:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11525"},"modified":"2022-05-03T17:31:37","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T16:31:37","slug":"11525","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11525","title":{"rendered":"Must Do Gardening Tips for May"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/strong><\/em><\/span>HE VILLAGE GARDENER<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Must Do Gardening Tips for May<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n
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Rita Edwards gives her sound advice.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Be careful of late frosts, cover tender plants with fleece.<\/li>\n
  2. Hold hanging baskets back till the end of this month, as show people do.<\/li>\n
  3. Check roses for black spot.<\/li>\n
  4. Sow nasturtium seeds in gaps as ground cover.<\/li>\n
  5. Pinch out tips of fuchsias to form a a bushier plant.
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    \n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Mat Holland of Dyffryn has his say.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. Leave daffs to die down for at least six weeks after dead heading.<\/li>\n
    2. Take fuchsia cuttings and just plant in ground around mother plant, so you know what plant it came from<\/li>\n
    3. Plant runner beans seeds direct into rows, for a later crop.<\/li>\n
    4. Dead head tulips before they set seed.<\/li>\n
    5. Make sure all plants that need support are staked by now.
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      \n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Advice on controlling pests<\/strong><\/em><\/span> without resorting to chemicals has TV gardening personalities telling us that we need to strike a balance with nature and learn to live with these pests. The R H S has declared slugs are no longer pests. If my garden was the size of a Tesco car park I\u2019m sure the critters could munch away without causing me too much concern. On the average plot a pest infection can be devastating, ruining the growing season.<\/p>\n

      These same people have said that if you have a problem with aphids you need to buy plants that attract ladybirds. For goodness sake if you have aphids you will definitely attract ladybirds, who will then breed and whose larvae are voracious aphid eaters. All without splashing out on special plants.<\/p>\n

      Another stunner of an idea was to attract more birds to your garden so they could eat the slugs. Be honest, have you seen garden birds eat slugs, because I haven\u2019t. The best animals to have around your garden to help control slug problems are hedgehogs, frogs and toads. A lot of Wenvoe residents have hedgehog boxes and this has resulted in the village becoming a hotspot for these mammals which is bad news for slugs. Frogs and toads spend very little time in water, they prefer a damp area and cover. Toads only use the water in the mating season so you only need a small pond to accommodate these amphibians. Helen, Hugh & Mathew of Vennwood have foxes visiting their garden taking care of their Gastropods. The slug problem has been with gardeners and growers forever so the balance must still be ok. Just one more thing, the French won\u2019t even eat them.<\/p>\n

      Right then – are we ready to plant out knowing we will have a fight on our hands to keep the plants safe? If you can be patient and hold back your bedding plants a little while, the warmer soil will give them a good start. As has been said many times, to get the best from your hanging basket display keep them sheltered until the very end of May. Sow\u00a0some hardy annuals direct into the garden where there are gaps to fill. With the weather warming up and less rainfall the pots will need extra attention, try not to let them dry out or the plants will not recover to their full potential. Spring flowering shrubs that have finished blooming need to be cut back as soon as possible. Weeding is one of the tasks that has to be done but we don\u2019t enjoy. You can keep pulling them up but your back won\u2019t thank you for it, the best is always little and often on dry days with a Dutch hoe, just keep cutting them off and it will weaken perennial weeds and kill annual ones. Leave the waste to shrivel on the soil but do this before they set seed.<\/p>\n

      Allotment holders are busy as usual with this years rhubarb looking good throughout April. Eric & Joyce donated some of their crop to the Wenvoe Wild life Group to sell at the plant sale in April. The allotmenteers are obviously well informed about the fact that bare soil is the major factor in soil erosion as there very few patches with nothing growing. The library will be running the Village show again this year and Gordon Jones is intent on keeping his prize veg a secret with an extra high fence and a guard cat.<\/p>\n

      Take care and happy gardening<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

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       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for May Rita Edwards gives her sound advice. Be careful of late frosts, cover tender plants with fleece. Hold hanging baskets back till the end of this month, as show people do. Check roses for black spot. Sow nasturtium seeds in gaps as ground cover. Pinch out tips of fuchsias to form a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s6cWjO-11525","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11738,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11738","url_meta":{"origin":11525,"position":0},"title":"Must Do Gardening Tips for June","author":"Alan Williams","date":"5th June 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for June Thoughts of Michelle Morgan on patio gardening: If you are not happy with how your pot plants are looking change them as the season is too short to put up with something that displeases you. Pot stands on wheels make it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9733,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9733","url_meta":{"origin":11525,"position":1},"title":"Village Gardener Tips for June","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th May 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Stella Gardening Tips for June Tips from Heulwyn Davies of the cherry tree garden. Grow more veg in pots, it's so easy and tastes better than flowers. Think of the future and put in some raised beds. Sow pansies for Autumn flowering this month. Gardeners will always\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10750,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10750","url_meta":{"origin":11525,"position":2},"title":"Gardening Tips for December","author":"Alan Williams","date":"13th December 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for December Ex Wenvoe Cricket Club Captain Alan Grant has some tips for us. Do not make excuses for not getting out in the garden. Adapt the garden to the amount of work you are capable of. A water feature will add serenity\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9150,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9150","url_meta":{"origin":11525,"position":3},"title":"Gardening Advice for March","author":"Alan Williams","date":"28th February 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Gardening Advice for March Pam Owens of Hopkinstown gardens, Carmarthen, offers her tips for March. Start mowing if the ground is dry enough. Enjoy the early Spring bulbs. Put new batteries in your torch and get out after dark to catch those slugs. As soon as daffs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11166,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11166","url_meta":{"origin":11525,"position":4},"title":"Gardening Tips for March 2022","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th March 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for March St Mary\u2019s Church florist Sandra Jones tips for the month 1. Start feeding shrubs with slow-release fertiliser. 2. Trim winter flowering heathers. 3. Clean up paths and patios. 4. Put supports in place before plants start to grow. 5. Dead head\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10611,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10611","url_meta":{"origin":11525,"position":5},"title":"Gardening Tips for November","author":"Alan Williams","date":"19th November 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for November What golf and gardening star Leslie Sherard will prioritise this month Newly potted Japanese maple must be kept in a sheltered spot over winter. Do not allow fallen rose leaves to stay on the soil, or blackspot will spread. Great time\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Village Gardener"","block_context":{"text":"The Village Gardener","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=77"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/waterCan-2-257x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11525"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11525"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11529,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11525\/revisions\/11529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}