Pennod 3 Gardd Pont y Twr

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-I'm Sioned Edwards.

-Six months ago,

-I moved to Plas Pont Y Twr...

-..with husband Iwan

-and daughters Nanw and Malan.

-It's my grandparents' old farm, at

-the foot of Moel Famau near Ruthin.

-The house is run-down.

-Our home for the next year

-is a rather cramped caravan.

-It's quite a challenge

-with two young children.

-We must go in five minutes.

-This year's main project is

-to turn the field by the caravan...

-..into a vegetable,

-fruit and flower garden...

-..with a play area, of course.

-Hooray!

-My dream is to grow my own flowers

-for my work as a floral designer.

-With luck, next year

-they'll come from my garden.

-Iwan is passionate

-about green and organic methods.

-I could go to the toilet

-in the compost heap...

-..but Sioned vetoed that.

-After months

-of discussing and arguing...

-..we've finally agreed on a plan.

-This is a story

-about sweat, frustration...

-Hang on!

-..arguing and celebrating,

-as we try to realize the dream.

-Let me sit. This is going

-to take time, I can tell.

-Not to mention headstrong chickens,

-greedy pigs and a cheeky cat.

-It's a big challenge

-and we may not succeed.

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-I'm looking for climbers to plant

-near the vegetable garden fence.

-Glyndwr Plants near Corwen

-has a good range.

-I want to hide

-the vegetable garden a little.

-The fence isn't

-all that attractive.

-The vegetable garden

-will look messy half of the year.

-Hopefully, the clematis will grow

-on the fence and hide a lot of it.

-Cuttings from clematis

-can be put in water.

-They will look marvellous

-in my floral arrangements.

-I don't think they likes oases,

-but they're fine in water.

-They've got quite long stems.

-They'd look pretty in old bottles.

-Clematis blooms

-at different times of the year.

-I want a selection...

-..that will bloom

-from March to September.

-That would be marvellous.

-Here's the first for the trolley.

-When choosing flowers...

-..I bear in mind what I can use

-in my work as a floral designer.

-Clematis is ideal

-because of the unique flowers.

-I love the seed heads too.

-They have a lovely texture.

-The best time to buy

-young clematis is mid-April.

-It's June, so I have

-to buy mature plants...

-..which cost from 10 to 15 each.

-Thanks.

-Before planting, I soak the pots

-in water to loosen the roots...

-..as I do with every plant.

-I leave them for ten minutes,

-so they have a good soak.

-I've made a frame with hazel poles.

-I'll plant them

-at the foot of the poles...

-..so the clematis

-climbs over this part...

-..and the fence.

-It will hide what's inside.

-That's all Iwan's mess.

-It will make a small window.

-If I have to shout at Iwan,

-I'll see him but not the mess.

-That's the plan.

-It also adds

-another room to the garden.

-The plants are soaking.

-Next, I need compost.

-MEOWS

-Clematis needs quite a deep hole.

-The base doesn't like

-to be in the sun.

-Clematis is happier

-growing with other plants.

-Iwan has found just the plant,

-this honeysuckle cutting.

-It would look nice on the fence.

-Fantastic.

-The flowers go nicely

-with the clematis.

-And we got this for nothing.

-And we got this for nothing.

-

-I know.

-Herbs like mint, rosemary

-and sage are perfect too.

-We use strips of grass

-round the trampoline.

-There's no time to sow seeds

-and wait three months...

-..before the children can play here.

-While Sioned carries on planting,

-I have to go to work.

-At the North Wales Wildlife Trust...

-..I run a wildlife conservation

-project in Flintshire graveyards.

-This is Christ Church, Rhes-y-cae...

-..on Halkyn Mountain,

-twelve miles from Ruthin.

-The aim of the Living

-Churchyard project...

-..is to promote conservation

-in churches and graveyards.

-The idea is to encourage

-the community to participate...

-..and learn how to sustain

-the environment and help wildlife.

-A church or chapel is perfect.

-We offer lessons to local people...

-..for example, dry stone walling,

-composting and planting shrubs.

-Today, we're scything

-and turning the hay to make bales.

-It's warm!

-This hay was cut three days ago.

-It looks ready to bale now.

-We have a hay baler

-which we designed.

-It's based on a baler

-built by a Texan to make pine bales.

-We've adapted it

-so we can bale hay with it.

-It works very well.

-That's it.

-Lovely job.

-Hello.

-Ieuan, how are you?

-Ieuan, how are you?

-

-How are things?

-Nice to see you again.

-Nice to see you again.

-

-Hello.

-You've finished cutting the grass.

-We've finished this part.

-We've scythed this area.

-Right.

-What about where the orchids grow,

-in the top corner?

-When do you want to cut it?

-When do you want to cut it?

-

-When would be the best time?

-Let's have a look and discuss it.

-Can you carry on here?

-Can you carry on here?

-

-Right.

-Ieuan ap Sion looks after the land

-round Ebeneser chapel, next door.

-It's part of the project too and

-an important corner for wildlife.

-The original

-mountain plants grow here.

-The walls protect the grassland

-and the natural species.

-Well!

-I can see there's

-no need to cut this at all.

-When would be the best

-time to cut it?

-Definitely not now.

-When everything

-has finished, really.

-The flowers are still blooming.

-It looks marvellous,

-especially from this level.

-You can see it

-from the insects' level.

-That's it.

-It's full of bees,

-small insects and butterflies.

-It's alive.

-There's a marvellous

-variety of flowers here.

-What can we see?

-There are ten different grasses...

-..one sedge and orchids too.

-We have one of the hawkweed family

-and quaking grass.

-These species are typical...

-..of this limestone area.

-In my job,

-I try to persuade people...

-..that grassland like this

-is important.

-Grassland like this

-and old meadows are getting rarer.

-Statistics show we've lost

-about 98% of them in some areas.

-Places like this aren't grazed.

-They're very important

-for the plants...

-..and the insects

-that depend on them.

-They're essential for pollination.

-Without insects, many plants

-and our foods aren't pollinated.

-We depend on insects.

-In turn, they depend

-on plants like these.

-What can people do

-to create a meadow like this?

-This is an old meadow.

-It has taken

-perhaps 300 years to develop.

-The seeds have been

-growing for centuries...

-..like the orchid,

-of which we have two varieties.

-Some of them take 15 years

-to bloom from seed.

-People don't want to wait that long.

-But you can go to a garden centre

-and buy a pack of wildflower seeds.

-They will bloom

-the same year and sow seed.

-Flowers like cornflowers

-and red poppies look marvellous.

-All you have to do

-is remove all the grass.

-Dig the soil

-then scatter the seeds in April.

-By this time of year,

-it will be a sea of flowers.

-Thanks for showing this to me.

-It was inspirational.

-You're welcome.

-And in time, this is what

-I hope to see in my orchard.

-I can't wait 300 years,

-so I'll have to buy seeds.

-Later...

-..I get to work

-with a mallet and an axe.

-I'll hurt my hand.

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-I want to build a fence

-round the children's play area.

-They can feel they're in a den.

-The hazel tree is native to the UK.

-It would suit the garden.

-I've come to Bodfari's

-Woodland Skills Centre...

-..to learn how to make a fence.

-You can learn all sorts of rural

-crafts and woodland skills here.

-Alan Waterfield will teach me

-the age-old craft...

-..of hazel tree weaving.

-What tools do we need?

-I have a billhook for the job.

-These are sustainable trees.

-Though we're out of season...

-..some are ready

-due to our changing climate.

-When is the best time to cut these?

-Usually, we cut them

-between autumn and spring.

-Wintertime.

-Wintertime.

-

-Yes.

-How do you choose which ones to cut?

-We look for the straightest twigs.

-Like this one.

-There are around twenty

-coming out of this stool.

-This is perfect.

-It's very tall.

-These are the tools we'll use.

-You go first!

-The twigs are cut in the shade,

-out of the wind.

-They are less pliable

-once the sap dries.

-You chop rather than saw it.

-And now pull it out.

-The quantity of twigs

-depends on the size of the fence.

-A small gate needs about ten twigs.

-That's a fair amount!

-Are we taking them back up?

-We'll trim away the small twigs

-and then cover the stool.

-This will prevent rabbits

-from eating the new growth.

-OK.

-We trim in an upwards movement.

-I need to strike it.

-I need to strike it.

-

-Yes.

-I'll hurt my hand!

-Trim the twigs...

-..and cover the stool with leaves

-to protect the new growth.

-Next, to the workshop.

-This is what we're going to do.

-Hazel has been used to make fences

-since the Neolithic Age.

-Celts used the twigs

-as divining rods to find water.

-It was believed

-the nuts were a symbol of wisdom.

-Right on the end.

-Young hazel twigs are pliable.

-It doesn't have to be perfect.

-I'd prefer something

-natural and organic in my garden.

-Let's take it

-to the garden to see how it looks.

-My working day isn't over yet.

-I have one more church to visit.

-Gwaenysgor Church is part

-of the Living Churchyard project.

-I've come to see a bee box.

-I've been told that

-the bees have been busy.

-I want to check if the box is full.

-Here's the bee box.

-We put this here

-eight or nine weeks ago.

-It's purpose built

-for solitary bees.

-There are 250 different species

-of solitary bees.

-The Red Mason bee

-has been busy here.

-They have been busy, too. Very busy!

-The adults fly into the chamber...

-..and then walk backwards...

-..to the back of the chamber.

-They lay an egg in pollen.

-The yellow stuff is the pollen

-they've collected from flowers...

-..in the church's

-conservation areas.

-They lay an egg in the pollen

-and seal it with mud.

-The brown stuff is mud.

-We get a row

-of pollen, egg and mud...

-..all the way along the chamber.

-There are a dozen or so

-eggs in there.

-When they reach the end...

-..they seal it with mud.

-That makes sure that wasps

-won't get in and eat the eggs.

-Once they've finished

-they fly away and die.

-Their work is done.

-Once the eggs hatch...

-..small yellow larvae appears.

-This one is moving.

-It'll eat the pollen...

-..and spin a cocoon

-where it'll live over the winter.

-It matures into an adult.

-By May of next year...

-..the cocoons hatch

-and the adults fly out.

-The cycle begins again.

-We're waiting for the larvae

-to spin their cocoons...

-..before I can remove the chamber.

-Then I'll put a fresh one in.

-They're not quite ready

-to come out of the box.

-I'll leave them alone

-for a fortnight.

-Come on!

-Here it is.

-Thanks.

-Come on!

-He's happy now he's found a ball.

-I'm happy with the gate, too.

-Every gate needs a fence.

-The fence will form a half-circle

-round the play area.

-The first thing to do

-is knock posts into the ground.

-I'll push the posts in...

-..a foot apart.

-I'm using the mallet Alan made.

-They'll form a half-circle.

-How long with they last

-in the ground?

-Five years.

-OK.

-But...

-..if one of the posts

-needs to be replaced...

-..you can always

-swap it with a new one.

-That's always an option.

-Good idea.

-We'll put these between the posts.

-The weaving technique is the same

-as the gate, but there's more work.

-The secret is to weave each

-layer in the opposite direction.

-This strengthens the fence.

-Nanw arrives back from school...

-..in time to offer a word

-of advice about the gate.

-This way.

-Towards you. Which way should it be?

-That way.

-Hiya, Dad.

-You've arrived in time

-to help us with the gate.

-Very nice.

-Very nice.

-

-Happy?

-Yes.

-This is the best spot

-in the garden.

-The wildest part!

-I think we should keep hens.

-Do you fancy that?

-They poo everywhere.

-You could make an egg tart...

-..from eggs our hens laid.

-So long as they'd be fenced-in...

-..and can roam around

-and not be in a coop all the time.

-That would be fine.

-Can we have hens?

-Can we have hens?

-

-I'll phone Aled.

-Great.

-Next time, it hots up again.

-It's all in the detail.

-The Big Chill comes to the garden.

-The Big Chill comes to the garden.

-

-Surprise!

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