Pennod 11 Garddio a Mwy

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-Welcome back to Pont Y Twr.

-I hope you had a lovely summer...

-..and that you enjoyed

-the garden in all its glory.

-It's September and

-the children are back in school.

-Everybody has returned to work.

-What work needs to be done

-in the garden?

-Later...

-..I'll tackle the lavender shrubs...

-..that did so well in the sun.

-Iwan will dust the old scythe.

-Meinir visits a wildflower meadow

-on the banks of the River Conwy...

-..with botanist, Dr Trevor Dines.

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-How did your vegetables fare

-this summer?

-Pont Y Twr was a

-mixture of success and failure.

-But it's the same

-for all gardeners.

-The dill was a great success.

-We're already on our second crop.

-Unfortunately, I can't say the same

-for the melons I grew outdoors.

-They were the size of marbles.

-But the melons in the greenhouse

-are coming along well.

-The freezer is full

-of garden produce.

-There's plenty more to come.

-The runner beans are doing well.

-The corn is doing well, too.

-They'll mature in a fortnight

-if the weather keeps up...

-..for our final barbecue

-of the year.

-The children are fed up

-of eating the spinach...

-..we harvested this summer.

-They're not fed up of

-the French purple runner beans.

-Beans, like the other crops,

-are nearing the end of their season.

-September is a time of change.

-Spaces begin

-to appear in the garden.

-That's what I have over here.

-The seed bed...

-..is where all the plants started.

-The soil has worked very hard.

-It'll remain empty

-until next spring.

-I definitely won't leave

-the soil open to the elements.

-The wind and rain will wash away

-any remaining nutrients.

-But there is an easy answer.

-The answer is green manure.

-If you've never heard

-of green manure...

-..it's a crop that covers

-the soil with growth.

-It's not edible,

-but it's good for the soil.

-Certain plants, notably legumes...

-..are great

-for returning nutrients to the soil.

-The soil is tired after

-working hard throughout the season.

-Legumes take nitrogen

-from the air...

-..and return it to the soil.

-Nitrogen is vital

-for strong growth in the garden.

-In this packet...

-..there is a mixture

-of perennial Italian ryegrass...

-..white mustard and clover.

-They enrich the soil

-in different ways.

-Like the legumes...

-..some return nitrogen to the soil.

-Other compete with weeds.

-Others protect the nutrients from

-being washed away by the weather.

-It's important to remember...

-..with green manure...

-..that they don't go to seed.

-Let them flower, because

-they're good for bees in the spring.

-If the flowers go to seed, you'll

-be weeding non-stop next year.

-When these flower next spring...

-..cut them down,

-leave them for a few days...

-..then turn them into the soil.

-Nutrients that have built up over

-winter will go back to the soil.

-Green manure returns

-nutrients back into the soil...

-..four or five weeks before

-next year's growing season starts.

-I planted the first seeds in

-the cutting garden in late April.

-You never know what you'll get.

-Look what I had.

-It's a fairly small patch,

-2 x 5 metres.

-It's overflowing.

-But some worked better than others.

-The sweet peas are a success.

-Look at them.

-The scent in this corner

-is wonderful.

-I couldn't keep up with the numbers

-that flowered these past weeks.

-A few have gone to seed.

-Some are still coming through. I'll

-be cutting for another fortnight.

-This green foliage is cosmos.

-It has started to flower.

-There's plenty more to come.

-The packet said it would grow

-to 60cm.

-It has more than doubled that.

-My frame is down here.

-Next year, I must remember

-to build a taller frame...

-..to protect it from the wind.

-I've never planted zinnia before.

-There are different varieties

-in one packet.

-They look fantastic,

-and so colourful.

-There is a shorter version...

-..for borders in smaller gardens.

-It'll provide colour

-through the summer.

-Over here, I have

-a white Purity cosmos.

-It's ideal to put in a vase or jug.

-It lasts ages after cutting.

-Cutting it encourages more flowers.

-I won't be planting

-white nicotiana next year.

-As the name suggests,

-it belongs to the tobacco family.

-Even though it has a lovely scent...

-..the leaves have taken over

-the cutting garden.

-They'll go in the borders next year.

-Stock didn't work well either.

-It has been too rainy.

-I'll try them in the polytunnel

-next time.

-Blue Nigella is one of my

-favourite flowers this time of year.

-It is so delicate.

-The petals are like paper.

-Its lovely foliage,

-all the way round...

-..is almost as if

-it's protecting it.

-The seed pods are interesting, too.

-I'll cut a few.

-I'll tie them together

-to hang somewhere to dry.

-They make lovely

-Christmas decorations.

-I'm happy my cutting garden

-looks so good.

-But other flowers I planted over

-the year deserve attention, too.

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-Earlier this year...

-..I visited a field

-near the River Conwy...

-..that was being turned

-into a wildflower meadow...

-..as part of

-the Coronation Meadows project.

-Its aim is to create a wild

-flower meadow in every UK county.

-After clearing...

-..and replanting wildflower seeds

-from a nearby meadow...

-..by spring, the Tyddyn Afon meadow

-looked promising.

-It is now July.

-The growth is taller

-than when I was last here.

-From where I'm standing,

-it's like any other field.

-If you look carefully...

-..you'll notice a botanist...

-..studying the growth.

-The botanist is Dr Trevor Dines,

-who owns the meadow.

-He also works for Plantlife UK.

-The charity protects

-native plants in the British Isles.

-How are you?

-From far, you don't see the flowers.

-It looks like a field.

-There is a lot going on here.

-There is a lot going on here.

-

-It's wonderful.

-Look closely...

-..and you can see

-the different flowers.

-What are you doing here?

-Using a quadrat is a good way

-to see what is happening.

-We can see the different plants.

-We do this all over the field....

-..to see what's changing this year.

-You're counting what you can see.

-I needed yellow rattle...

-..the meadow-maker.

-In March,

-I worried there wasn't enough here.

-More and more plants

-are germinating.

-It's full of them now.

-It's wonderful to see.

-Of course, they make that sound.

-These are the yellow flowers

-and these are the seed pods.

-You can hear the seeds

-rattle inside.

-Great. What else is there?

-Many plants are

-starting to germinate.

-They won't bloom this year.

-But they will next year...

-..like this blue flower,

-"y feddyges las".

-"Y feddyges las", the blue doctor!

-It's self-heal in English.

-Yes.

-This is marvellous for bees.

-There's a lot of smooth hawksbeard.

-About six plants

-look like dandelion.

-But it isn't a dandelion.

-It's fantastic

-for bees and butterflies.

-Are you happy

-with the way it's going?

-It's like a dream for me...

-..just to see so many

-plants and flowers here.

-It doesn't look brilliant now.

-There's still a lot of grass.

-But the flowers are coming.

-Is there anything unexpected here?

-Yes. I have no idea

-where one small plant came from.

-It just appeared.

-Where is it?

-Where is it?

-

-It's at the bottom of the field.

-Do you want to see it?

-Do you want to see it?

-

-Yes, please.

-Champion.

-It's somewhere round here.

-I mark places with small sticks.

-Great.

-Here it is.

-Here it is.

-

-The pink flower?

-Isn't it pretty?

-Isn't it pretty?

-

-Yes.

-It's common restharrow.

-It's "tag yr aradr" in Welsh.

-That means something like

-"stopping the plough".

-It has strong roots...

-..which spread in the soil.

-When the farmer

-does the harrowing...

-..it clogs up the harrow.

-It stops the harrow,

-rest the harrow, restharrow.

-That makes sense.

-Which family does it belong to?

-The flowers look a bit like peas.

-It's the pea family.

-I'll pick a few leaves.

-It feels a bit sticky.

-Smell that.

-Good grief!

-It's a strong smell.

-It's a strong smell.

-

-It is.

-I don't know if I like it.

-I don't know if I like it.

-

-No.

-I do. It's a bit fruity.

-Yes. It smells slightly of peas.

-Yes.

-It's interesting.

-It's interesting.

-

-It's an experience.

-Is it bad that it's here?

-Is it bad that it's here?

-

-No.

-But I don't know

-where it comes from.

-It isn't in the field where

-the seeds come from. It's just here.

-It's a bit of magic.

-It's a bit of magic.

-

-Great.

-What do you expect to see

-in the meadow in the years to come?

-I hope we'll see

-a lot more flowers here.

-And also, many plants...

-..like this knapweed...

-..will take a year to grow...

-..before it blooms.

-So more flowers

-will bloom next year.

-Many of the plants

-will grow this year.

-They'll look marvellous next year.

-Congratulations on your meadow.

-Thanks.

-When I started to garden...

-..I never thought I'd take

-one of these out of the shed.

-But a few years ago...

-..as part of my work with

-the North Wales Wildlife Trust...

-..I took part in a project

-about restoring old grasslands.

-The project involved using scythes.

-After all the scything...

-..I'm quite sure

-that the old way is the best.

-I'm not the only one who sings

-the praises of using scythes.

-In the last 20 years...

-..a small community of scythers

-has developed in Wales.

-But this isn't our forefathers'

-traditional scythe.

-It's the Austrian scythe.

-The old scythers used to say...

-..it would be better to lend someone

-your false teeth than your scythe.

-That was because

-the old type of scythe...

-..was unique

-to the person who used it.

-The advantage

-of the Austrian scythe...

-..is that you can buy

-different lengths of stem...

-..or snath, as it's called.

-The handle can also be moved,

-for the left or right hand.

-There are also different blades...

-..for cutting light grass,

-overgrown weeds, or even brambles.

-But whatever you cut...

-..the blade must be very sharp.

-To hone the blade...

-..I use a whetstone.

-It's simple.

-Sharpen at an angle first...

-..then go straight along it.

-That gives the metal a sharper edge.

-Then it gets rid

-of any warped metal.

-Honing is done every four

-or five minutes when scything.

-It happens very often.

-When you hear a group

-of scythers in a field...

-..that's one of

-the marvellous sounds you hear.

-Now we're ready to scythe.

-As I move, I transfer my weight

-from the right to left foot.

-Keep the knee relaxed.

-Use a bit of movement

-and rhythm as you go.

-Practise on short grass,

-with no cutting at first.

-Once you're happy

-with the technique...

-..start to move forward

-slowly, inch by inch.

-Cut a very small amount each time.

-Don't try to cut too much.

-People ask why a scythe is better

-than a strimmer or brushcutter.

-You don't need petrol.

-There's no costly maintenance.

-A scythe costs 120

-and lasts a lifetime.

-Strimmers tend to break every month.

-One of the main reasons

-I like using a scythe...

-..is that I feel

-a bit closer to nature.

-When you're busy

-mowing the lawn at home...

-..you can hear the birds sing.

-What nicer sound is there

-than the swoosh, swoosh...

-..of blades cutting grass?

-I really love lavender shrubs.

-They look so attractive

-along a path.

-If I drag my hand along them,

-the marvellous scent fills the air.

-This corner is buzzing

-with bees now...

-..collecting

-the summer's last nectar.

-Sadly for the bees,

-I have to start pruning.

-I planted the shrubs

-three years ago.

-They have about three more years

-before I have to lift them...

-..and plant new shrubs.

-They should be pruned

-twice a year...

-..now and in spring.

-I go about two leaves down...

-..making sure there are

-fresh leaves underneath.

-We prune this time of year

-to tidy the shrubs...

-..and to make sure the new growth

-hardens up over winter.

-In spring...

-..we cut it down again,

-so that it thickens.

-It's very important

-to cut it every year.

-Otherwise, the stems will

-get very woody and look ugly.

-As you see, underneath...

-..they're brown and hard.

-If you cut too much

-down to the wood, they won't grow.

-You must keep the fresh part...

-..so flowers grow

-from these next year.

-If you grow lavender

-for its dried flowers...

-..do this much earlier in the year,

-when the flowers are at their best.

-This has started to fade.

-But it's still useful like this

-for pot pourri...

-..or to put in sachets, to add a

-nice scent to clothes in cupboards.

-The great thing about this plant...

-..is that it provides

-interest all year.

-The green leaves

-look marvellous in winter...

-..especially when covered

-with frost in the mornings.

-In summer, we get

-this amazing explosion.

-It's no wonder lavender is one

-of our most popular garden plants.

-It's been great to have

-your company again in the garden.

-I hope this Indian summer

-will last through September.

-How did it go with the lavender?

-I have plenty to do.

-I'm waiting for your help!

-I'd better get my chainsaw.

-Until next time,

-enjoy the gardening.

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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