{"id":3314,"date":"2017-05-27T13:41:23","date_gmt":"2017-05-27T12:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3314"},"modified":"2017-05-27T13:41:23","modified_gmt":"2017-05-27T12:41:23","slug":"may-garden-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3314","title":{"rendered":"May Garden Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\"\"I would like to start this month's column with a thank you all to who attended the W I table top sale and Spring Craft Fair in May. I loved hearing your thoughts and ideas on gardening and will pass on advice given to me through this column.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tMuch needed steady rain in the middle of May has really helped the gardens and allotments recover but, of course, also encouraged weeds to cover any bit of soil without a plant in it. There are lots of ways to discourage weeds; some use a mulch of bark chippings or gravel. Ella Webb, a dear family friend, uses both chippings and gravel but would recommend more plants to cover bare soil. It's very effective and looks so nice. This time of year there are some bargains to be had at garden centres. With a big turnover some plants get neglected and are sold off cheaply. A good soak in water overnight is needed then plant out. At this time of year they will catch up.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHanging baskets are lovely to look at but they do need quite a bit of attention. You cannot be half-hearted when looking after these. They will need watering once, sometimes twice a day and feeding once a week at the very least and of course they will need regular deadheading to encourage new blooms. Older villagers may remember the Condick family. Kenny Condick had a passion for gardening and his garden, just off Caerau Lane, was a multiple competition winner. Hanging baskets were his forte. If you where lucky enough to obtain one from him you were told not to put it outside until June and he was not a person to be disobeyed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIf you think your lawn needs watering, the two main things to remember are a) that it takes a long time and b) if you're on a water meter it may be a little costly. Grass is a great survivor and will tolerate water shortage. Just sprinkling water on to a lawn for a short time will encourage roots to be near the surface where they will dry out quickly and weaken the grass. Unless you're really sure it needs watering, let it be.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tRemove any leaves that have fallen from Roses (as they harbour disease) and don't compost them. I know I keep on about it but do not forget to treat for black spot.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tCouncil chairman Colin Thomas has been asked, while at his allotment, about the best times for planting various vegetables. Colin says that he plants out when he knows he will be around to take care of them as, with many things in life, the first few weeks are the most trying. The National Open Garden Scheme (www.ngs.org.uk) has plenty of gardens to visit locally and this is a perfect way to get inspiration for your garden and raise money. Last year the scheme donated £2.7 million to charities<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the best things about working around this village is seeing other people's gardens. I love learning more about plants from fellow gardeners and hearing how their plots have developed over time. Brian and Sandra Jones live in one of the Old Wenvoe estate houses on Walston Road, opposite the church and I was fortunate enough to be invited to take a look at their garden. Brian showed me around what is the best cottage garden I've seen for a very long time and also told me a bit of it's fascinating history.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tNow is the time to plant Foxgloves,Canterbury Bells and Delphinium seeds if you want good, cheap plants next year. Grow them on in pots and plant out to final position in September.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tBrian Foster, of Church Rise, is a wizard at growing Tomatoes and Cucumbers. He mixes his own potion,and will tell you the ingredients (with a bit of arm twisting) but not the proportions. He's always picking tomatoes before me – moan! If you have any tips for next month's article, stop me when you see me around the village.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

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

I would like to start this month's column with a thank you all to who attended the W I table top sale and Spring Craft Fair in May. I loved hearing your thoughts and ideas on gardening and will pass on advice given to me through this column. Much needed steady rain in the middle of May has really helped […]<\/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\/p6cWjO-Rs","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11865,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11865","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":0},"title":"Must Do Gardening Tips for July","author":"Alan Williams","date":"7th July 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for July Jobs for July from Susan Bowen MBE Cut back growth in hanging baskets and feed to encourage new growth. Prune wisteria now. Just remove the whippy side shoots to about five leaves from the main stem. Cut spent stems of lupins\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":6737,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6737","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":1},"title":"RHS 8 tips for November","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th October 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"RHS 8 tips for November Clear up leaves, especially from lawns, ponds and drains. Please make sure all containers kept clear of the ground. Plant tulip bulbs for a spring display. Prune roses to prevent wind rock. Plant out winter bedding. Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Latest News"","block_context":{"text":"Latest News","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=70"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13188,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13188","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":2},"title":"NATURE NOTES","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd July 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"NATURE NOTES \u00a0 We are often asked about the effects of artificial lawns on wildlife. The benefits in terms of maintenance etc. are understood and promoted in advertising by plastic grass suppliers. However recently the Royal Horticultural Society published an article summarising the less welcome effects these can have on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture3.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture3.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture3.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11525,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11525","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":3},"title":"Must Do Gardening Tips for May","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd May 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"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\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":10959,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10959","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":4},"title":"February Tips From the Experts","author":"Alan Williams","date":"7th February 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 THE VILLAGE GARDENER Must Do Gardening Tips for December February tips from Sharon at British Soil. Cut down deciduous grasses left standing over Winter. Cut back late flowering clematis. If you need to move deciduous shrubs, then now is the time. Cut back elder and buddleia Give Winter flowering\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":12459,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12459","url_meta":{"origin":3314,"position":5},"title":"Tips From Two Lady Gardeners","author":"Alan Williams","date":"2nd November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER Tips From Two Lady Gardeners \u00a0 This month\u2019s tips are from two lady gardeners Firstly Angela from Larchwood. If we can expect summers to be dry in future, then pelargoniums and bedding begonias are going to give good displays as they have thrived during 2022. A lot\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\/3314"}],"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=3314"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3315,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3314\/revisions\/3315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}