Pennod 12 Garddio a Mwy

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-A warm welcome to Garddio A Mwy.

-I'm in Pembrokeshire today...

-..looking for one

-of the rarest damselflies in Europe.

-Sioned is planning an explosion

-of colour for next February.

-Iwan plants a late crop of turnips.

-We visit another Coronation Meadow

-with botanist Dr Trevor Dines.

-A warm welcome to Garddio A Mwy.

-In September, many garden

-flowers are coming to an end.

-But it's an exciting time too.

-It's time to choose spring bulbs.

-I've been to a garden centre.

-I've chosen crocus and snowdrops.

-I already have aconite...

-..and wood anemone.

-I soaked these for about three

-hours. They're ready to plant.

-These bulbs will bloom in February.

-Bulbs that bloom in March and April

-are starting to be available now.

-I get a group of friends together

-and we look at a catalogue.

-We choose what we want.

-Then we order in bulk.

-You can make amazing

-savings like this.

-But also, you know you're supporting

-someone from this country...

-..who has grown these

-in the correct way.

-Here's another tip.

-There's a scramble

-this time of year...

-..for the best

-and most popular bulbs.

-Now is the time to order.

-I've chosen to plant these

-in the children's play area.

-It's been rather neglected recently.

-I'm going to plant the bulbs

-in the shade of the tree.

-They'll look pretty

-and will flourish here.

-To plant bulbs, you can use

-a special tool like this.

-It has a big hole at the end.

-As it's quite big, it's more

-suitable for bigger bulbs...

-..like tulips or daffodils.

-Or you could cut and lift

-a square foot of turf...

-..plant a variety of bulbs,

-then replace the turf.

-I'm under the tree.

-There are a lot of roots underfoot.

-I'm going to dig

-a slit in the soil.

-Dig down about three times

-the bulb's size.

-This goes for other bulbs too.

-I'll mix these.

-We'll have a variety, rather

-than rows of one type of bulb.

-It'll look a bit more natural.

-When you plant snowdrop bulbs...

-..remember the bottom goes down

-and the pointy part goes up.

-I'll put three or four in each hole.

-Push them down.

-Cover them with soil.

-I'm not adding

-nutrients to the soil.

-It's quite fertile anyway.

-For an area like this corner...

-..it costs about 30 to fill...

-..if you order online

-and buy in bulk.

-It's not too bad.

-They come back year after year.

-Remember also...

-..the bulbs will spread.

-In a few years, you'll have

-a bigger carpet of colour.

-That's it.

-When February arrives, we'll have

-white, pink and blue anemones...

-..yellow aconites,

-purple crocus and white snowdrops.

-It'll be a carpet of colour, lifting

-my heart, and the children's too.

-We leave the garden

-for a while and join Meinir...

-..who is looking for

-a rare insect in Pembrokeshire.

-I've come to the foot

-of the Preseli Mountains...

-..on a fine summer's day,

-to look for this...

-..the southern damselfly.

-It's a rare species in Britain,

-but it flourishes in Pembrokeshire.

-This is only a picture.

-I want to find a real one.

-This damselfly

-isn't easy to see at best.

-It's rare.

-It doesn't like flying if it rains,

-if it's too cloudy or windy.

-But this is almost

-the perfect day to see it fly.

-It's warm, sunny and not too windy.

-I'm crossing my fingers.

-Campaigning to protect

-its habitat here is Geraint Jones...

-..Farm Conservation Officer at the

-Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

-Geraint, this damselfly...

-..isn't just any damselfly,

-it's special.

-Yes, it's the southern damselfly,

-Coenagrion mercuriale.

-It's amazing for us here...

-..that this small

-creature's Welsh name...

-..is "mursen las Penfro",

-the blue Pembrokeshire damselfly.

-Can we search for them?

-Let's hit the road.

-Let's hit the road.

-

-Excellent.

-This area in Pembrokeshire is one

-of the few places in Britain...

-..and Europe...

-..where the southern

-damselfly thrives.

-Much has been done to support this

-damselfly's numbers and habitat.

-Why so much fuss for one species?

-Why so much fuss for one species?

-

-It's a very good question.

-Why the fuss for a seemingly

-unremarkable creature?

-The truth is that the damselfly

-is important in its own right.

-It's beautiful and rare.

-But more importantly

-from my standpoint...

-..it proves that things are fairly

-healthy for other species too.

-Its presence shows

-that the conditions are suitable.

-It has food, with plenty

-of small insects around.

-A grazed habitat is suitable too.

-That means the agricultural

-element is also healthy.

-It shows how man and nature

-can work together successfully.

-As well as pasture,

-the damselfly needs shallow water.

-In winter, the Park's staff

-reopened old ditches on common land.

-After the damselfly eggs hatch...

-..larvae spend most

-of their life in water...

-..until they're ready to climb out

-and hang on long grasses...

-..as they become adult.

-The damselfly's blue colour

-develops out of the water.

-But it isn't the colour that

-makes the southern damselfly unique.

-There's a black mark

-on the back's second segment.

-It's a unique shape.

-When you see it,

-there's no doubt what it is.

-You see that?

-Yes.

-That's blue. Is it the right one?

-Can you see the black mark?

-Can you see the black mark?

-

-Yes.

-That's it.

-Oh!

-That's it.

-I feel lucky!

-When two damselflies create a heart

-shape like this, they're mating.

-They can even fly stuck together.

-Then the female lays eggs...

-..either on plants near water...

-..or in mud.

-The southern damselfly's life

-cycle begins again.

-What is the damselfly's future

-here in the Preseli Mountains?

-I think the grazing regime...

-..is fairly stable.

-I'm a glass half full bloke.

-I am optimistic

-that it's a good foundation.

-We in the National Park

-and other conservation bodies...

-..can help ensure

-there's a bright future...

-..not only for the damselfly,

-but for every species.

-The damselfly is itself important.

-But it's important as part

-of a chain, or life cycle.

-Exactly.

-In September, the emphasis is,

-of course, on harvesting.

-The garden is full.

-But you can still

-consider a few crops.

-There are fast crops,

-like spinach, radish and lettuce.

-Now is the time

-to sow winter lettuce...

-..and chicory,

-if you're a fan, like me.

-But there's another vegetable...

-..that's really worth

-considering this time of year.

-It's the turnip.

-I know it's mid-September.

-The general consensus is

-not to sow turnips after August.

-But it depends where you live.

-The length of the growing season

-is very different in Aberdeen...

-..compared to Milford Haven.

-The packet shows an estimate...

-..of the growing season in Britain.

-It's late in the season.

-There's no hope

-of growing a big root.

-Actually, I tend to lift them

-quite a bit smaller...

-..the size of a tennis ball.

-Some people lift them even earlier.

-Before we start,

-there's a bit of preparation.

-Plant these in rows,

-about half an inch deep.

-Leave about 30cms between rows.

-These turnips

-are called Sweet Marble.

-I'll sow them fairly thickly.

-They can be thinned

-as they germinate.

-If you grow them for their roots...

-..you won't get big roots

-this time of year.

-They don't need

-to be thinned so much.

-I'm growing them mainly

-for the leaves.

-They don't need

-to be thinned at all.

-We'll cover the seeds.

-These will take six weeks to grow.

-It all depends on the weather.

-Don't worry if we have a cold spell.

-Bring out the cover or fleece.

-Turnips belong

-to the brassica family.

-They don't like to be hot.

-Remove the cover on a sunny day...

-..or they'll bolt.

-If you want to take part

-in this experiment...

-..this week is your last chance.

-In six weeks,

-we can compare our results.

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-Mosshill wildflower meadow

-near Penmachno...

-..is part of the innovative

-Coronation Meadows project...

-..to establish one wildflower meadow

-in every UK county.

-I'm joined by botanist

-Dr Trevor Dines again this week.

-You've worked hard to create

-a new wildflower meadow...

-..in your home in the Conwy valley.

-The seeds came from this meadow.

-We collected seeds here last year.

-We brought them to our meadow.

-This is the reason why!

-It's full of wildflowers.

-It's wonderful.

-It's lovely. Was it

-important to have local seeds?

-That's the aim

-of the Coronation Meadow project.

-There's a combination

-of plants here...

-..including

-80 different wildflowers.

-There are so many scabious...

-..and yellow rattle.

-That's the way with natural seeding.

-If we take seeds from here...

-..to create a new meadow...

-..we're keeping alive

-the spirit of this meadow.

-It's unique to the area.

-We're keeping the spirit alive.

-It's very pretty.

-What else is there,

-apart from Scabius?

-There are many different plants.

-Wood betony is a favourite of mine.

-Do you have any?

-Not yet. We're trying.

-It's great for bees.

-Bees like this flower.

-Here is eyebright.

-It has little white flowers.

-What else is there?

-Knapweed.

-The knapweed is under the flower.

-It feels hard.

-It feels hard.

-

-It does!

-Your meadow won't look like this.

-That's the point.

-It has its own spirit.

-We're starting a new meadow.

-My meadow will be different.

-It'll have its own character.

-There's a lovely plant here.

-Water has collected on the leaves.

-The Welsh name is Mantell Fair.

-Its English name is Lady's Mantle.

-In Latin, it's Alchemilla,

-which means little alchemist.

-The story behind

-its name is interesting.

-When alchemists wanted

-to turn base metal into gold...

-..they needed pure water.

-They collected raindrops like these.

-It's the perfect water for alchemy.

-It's a lovely way

-to spend the afternoon.

-Can you see these white flowers?

-Its Welsh name is "gwreiddeiriog".

-It's Bernard saxifrage in English.

-I hope the seeds are ready.

-Can you see these flowers?

-When these tiny seeds turn black...

-..they're ready.

-I have an envelope.

-Shall I get it for you?

-Shall I get it for you?

-

-Please. Just a small one.

-Is that OK?

-Is that OK?

-

-Fine.

-We plant the seeds in October.

-Hopefully, next spring...

-..this will appear in my new meadow.

-Wildflower meadows are lovely...

-..and nice places to visit.

-Why are they important?

-You can see how many flowers

-there are in this field alone.

-Every field used to look like this.

-We've lost 97% of our wildflower

-meadows since World War II.

-They need to be reintroduced.

-The message is, go out and create

-your own wildflower meadow.

-These are my Black Knight Sambuca

-bushes.

-We planted them three years ago.

-They're huge now.

-They look untidy.

-It's part of the elder family.

-In summer, like the elder,

-they're covered in white flowers.

-This one has pink flowers.

-They've turned into berries

-and have a lovely colour.

-You can make wine, juice or jelly

-with them.

-The birds have eaten most of them,

-but I don't really mind.

-The technique I'm using is called

-crown lifting.

-I'm tidying round the edges

-of the trunk.

-I'll literally lift the crown,

-the canopy, off the tree.

-I need to prune the base first.

-Weak or crossed branches have to go.

-I need upright, strong branches.

-It'll provide the canopy.

-This branch has to go.

-There's a strong, straight branch

-next to it.

-The weak one underneath can go.

-I'm cutting close

-to the bottom of the branch.

-It does look extreme.

-The bush will be happy I'm

-doing it, and it'll be healthier.

-People are wary of pruning.

-Believe in what you do

-and go for it.

-I'm sure you agree

-they look lighter.

-Look at all the twigs on the ground!

-Now I need to prune the tops.

-I think I've finished.

-This is how they look now.

-This is how they used to look.

-I'm quite happy with it.

-And that's it for now.

-Now is the time

-to plant spring cabbage.

-Don't worry

-if you forgot to sow in July.

-Garden centres might have spring

-cabbages you can plant outdoors.

-Plenty of garden flowers

-have now gone to seed.

-Now is the time to gather seeds.

-You'll save money too.

-Until the next time,

-enjoy the gardening.

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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