Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
2nd November 2019
Autumn Cut Backs
This year has been an incredible year for growth in the garden due to the weather conditions. Lots of people have rather despondently told me that their garden resembles a jungle, and mine has had a touch of the ‘Amazon’ about it too. And I don’t mean that huge warehouse that sells everything.
It’s always nice to put your own garden to bed as soon as you can – you can then enjoy the fruits of your labour when you look at it, or walk through it, rather than be filled with dread at the task ahead. Leaving it all until the spring is false security! It won’t be any easier then, I promise!
Although I have cut a lot of herbaceous plants back, I am not quite as obsessed about clearing spent growth these days. I tend to leave plenty of winter cover for wildlife and insects. Bugs will overwinter in hollow stems of old herbaceous plants and I have found that mice are already nesting under the protective thatch of Crocosmia (montbretia) leaves, so they will be left in peace until the spring.
Two big fat toads were cwtched up in the ferns by my pond when I started to clear that area, so they were left in peace too (after a quick hand-hold, see pic) and I have obviously left seedheads like sunflowers and teasels which the birds are enjoying. Some spent flowerheads and seedheads like teasels and astilbe and even cow parsley (see pic) are actually really architectural and decorative throughout the winter months too, so can also be left in situ until the spring.
My honey bees are still feasting on the late ivy pollen. You can even smell it when the sun warms it up – it smells lovely and sweet although bee keepers say it provides the bitterest of honey. It provides late food for the bees, which is important for their stores, so I’ll wait until they’ve finished before I cut that back too.
A lot of gardening is only common sense really – if something is feeding on it or sleeping in it, leave it!
The Mystery of History
My Uncle came to stay last week and we had a fabulous time catching up with historical (and hysterical) stories. He, and my father Bob, grew up in Plas Cottages in Llangattock and by a strange coincidence I am now working for the father of the woman who lives in the same house in which my dad was born. They were kind enough to let us have a look around the house that he left 50 years ago, and which I had never been inside of.
He shared stories about my gran finding a rare Sorbus on Llangattock mountain and my granddad winning several Royal Horticultural Society medals, and I was able to share the Allbutt Blue sweet pea seeds with him.
It turns out that brother and I are fourth generation gardeners. I think we probably have sap in our veins, not blood.
My uncle also told me that the rhododendrons behind the Manor Hotel in Crickhowell, were brought back from the Himalayas by Sir George Everest, and Dr Bach discovered a rare Mimosa in Bullpit Meadows. Rather poignantly, my brother and I have also just been asked to prune the apple trees that my granddad planted for my uncle and dad at Plas Cottage over 60 years ago.
With history very much being the theme of the week, we also had a fabulous evening at the Clarence Hall listening to John Webb and Ryland Wallace presenting ‘Crickhowell High Street Across the Decades’.
It also made me realise that you know you are getting old when a lot of ‘historical events’ happened in your lifetime!
We are incredibly lucky to live in such a special place, but also to have Crickhowell District Archive Centre collating and making all the generously donated photos and information available to all.
There are only 13 local archive centres in Wales and it is important to support ours! So I highly recommend signing up to be a ‘Friend’ of Crickhowell Archive Centre, for just £10, as you will then receive newsletters containing updates of activities (including a repeat presentation of last week’s talk) and articles on local history and family history.
The wonderful volunteers at the Archive Centre also offer to help research family trees, transcriptions of wills and investigations of house, farm and business history in the area. I am reluctant to mention the ‘C’ word before November, but ‘Christmas’ is just around the corner and I think any researched personal history would make a fabulous present for the ‘local person who has everything’.
More information at www.crickhowellarchives.org.uk
Facebook Firework Plans
Please check (or relocate) bonfires, before lighting them, for hedgehogs. And please, please be considerate of all animals – pets and wildlife – if having a firework display. You can post details of times and locations of a planned firework display on local FB sites, which will enable pet owners to be prepared.
If you are a pet owner, please remember that security is key at this time of year. It is bad enough having a stressed pet in the house but not as bad as if they escape. Yogi is benefitting hugely from her Relaxopet (more details from Liane at info@pettradeinnovations.com and mention Yogi Allbutt for a discount and free postage) and a friend uses a Thunder Jacket to help her anxious dog. They are available form Pets At Home.
Keeping curtains closed and the TV up loud will help, and Yogi also has a little den of cushions and blankets behind the settee, which she goes to if it’s all too much.
Good luck. x
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