Pennod 4 Garddio a Mwy

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-Welcome to Pont y Twr's garden.

-It's good to see

-the honeysuckle getting stronger...

-..as the season progresses.

-Climbers have grown

-a lot in the past fortnight.

-I'm glad I had a chance to feed

-the soil with chicken manure...

-..ready for the growing season.

-Also this week...

-..Twm Elias tells us about the

-importance of woodland mosses.

-And Meinir Gwilym gets

-her feet wet in the River Usk.

-Good luck!

-It's mid May.

-It's not too late to do something

-about patches in the lawn.

-The children go back and forth

-all the time to the trampoline...

-..causing this.

-There are two ways to tackle it.

-We could buy turf or reseed.

-I'm going to reseed.

-I've raked this four or five times.

-I picked up large stones.

-Don't worry about pebbles.

-The idea is to lighten the soil

-and make a nice bed for seeds.

-You can sow straight onto the soil.

-I'm going one step further.

-I'm adding compost

-made especially for seeds.

-I'll rake it once more.

-Then press the soil down

-by walking on it.

-It creates a bed for the seeds.

-We're ready to start sowing.

-I've chosen fast-growing seeds.

-I want this area covered

-as soon as possible.

-When sowing grass seeds,

-density is important.

-I'll cover the seeds

-with a very thin layer of soil.

-Then I'll put mesh over it to

-protect the seeds from the children.

-Malan... oh!

-LAUGHTER

-A lot of things worry me.

-But moss isn't one of them.

-Mind you, for many people,

-it's an enemy.

-In Japan, they produce moss...

-..to create moss lawns.

-Twm Elias would be

-in his element there.

-Early spring is

-a marvellous time of year.

-Leaves haven't started

-to grow on trees...

-..so a lot of light

-reaches the forest floor.

-Flowers make the most of that.

-Lichens and mosses are

-at their best and easy to see.

-They tend to be overlooked,

-but they're very interesting.

-This is Coed Felenrhyd...

-..although Coed Cadw have

-incorrectly named it Felinrhyd.

-But in any case, it's

-a marvellously damp, enclosed gorge.

-This helps all kinds of things,

-like moss and lichen.

-The trees almost meet above us.

-It's dark and damp.

-The river splashes over rocks,

-so moisture is in the air.

-Humidity is

-about 90% to 100% all the time.

-It's a perfect habitat

-for mosses and lichens.

-Mosses are very varied.

-Here are a few favourites,

-especially this one.

-It's star moss.

-The star-shaped tips

-are like stars shining at night.

-This is very interesting.

-It's pipecleaner moss.

-It's like the coated wires

-used to clean smoking pipes.

-Maybe we don't see much purpose

-or appreciate mosses and lichens.

-But they created

-the habitat we enjoy today.

-At the end of the Ice Age, there was

-nothing here but rocks and gravel.

-There was no organic matter

-where things could grow.

-First to arrive were lichens.

-They covered the rocks.

-That rotted, creating a small

-amount of primitive soil...

-..where mosses could grow.

-As a result, more humus

-and peat were created.

-Then primitive plants grew, followed

-by more developed ones, then trees.

-So it's an important

-part of the succession.

-There are about 600 or 700

-types of mosses in Wales.

-Some are very rare,

-others very common.

-But each one is perfectly adapted

-to its own microenvironment.

-Some have even created

-a new environment...

-..where other things follow.

-Here are two more mosses.

-This is feather moss.

-Its Latin name

-is Thuidium tamariscinum...

-..because it looks

-like tamarisk leaves.

-There's "migwyn", bog moss,

-here too.

-Interestingly, it's one

-of the few mosses with a name.

-That's because it was useful.

-I'll take my glove off.

-It absorbs water very well.

-If I squeeze some of it...

-..water drips out.

-At times, for example

-in World War 1...

-..it was picked on the Migneint.

-It was named after

-the "migwyn" that grew there.

-The moss was dried, baled

-and sent to the trenches.

-When it became impossible

-to import cotton from the USA...

-..to make dressings for wounds...

-..this absorbed blood

-and all kinds of bodily fluids...

-..from soldiers' wounds.

-This made a marvellous dressing.

-Mosses haven't received

-a lot of attention from botanists.

-But you don't have

-to know a lot about them.

-Look at the patterns

-and different colours...

-..the variety and the remarkably

-beautiful patterns they create...

-..wherever you go.

-We call this the pampas area.

-It has taught me

-a lot about gardening.

-Believe it or not, it's at its best

-in September and early October.

-The Rudbeckia, Heleniums,

-Echinacea and Achilleas...

-..form a sea of colour.

-Then birds and insects

-can eat the seeds.

-Moths come here at night.

-It looks superb in the morning dew.

-One tricky aspect

-of designing a garden like this...

-..is that we walk round it.

-You need smaller plants round the

-edge and tall ones in the middle.

-But we also want

-to see between them...

-..just as they'd grow naturally

-on the American pampas.

-There, buffaloes

-would eat the grass...

-..or natural fires would burn it

-before new growth appeared.

-We've used burnt sticks

-to create a pampas atmosphere.

-I don't have buffaloes...

-..and I'm not confident

-enough to burn this.

-So I'll use these to prune them.

-It's very important to wear

-gloves when you prune pampas grass.

-The edges are very sharp.

-They could rip your hands terribly.

-So you must wear gloves.

-I've seen people cutting these

-with a chainsaw. It's quite a job.

-They can grow huge.

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-We're not too fussy

-in Pont y Twr's garden.

-It isn't perfectly

-pruned and weeded.

-It certainly wouldn't win

-any of the prizes at Chelsea.

-But that's what

-Sioned and I like about it.

-We let some corners grow wild.

-But I would like a bit more colour.

-So I'm going to sow

-some wildflowers seeds.

-If you're keen to plant

-wildflowers in your garden...

-..success depends on preparation.

-As you see,

-I've weeded and tilled the soil.

-Before sowing...

-..I have one more small job.

-I don't have a garden roller.

-I'm going to use boards

-to press the soil down.

-You have to press it down...

-..especially after tilling

-the soil, before sowing seeds.

-Put the board down...

-..and stamp on it.

-It's hard work!

-Maybe you could get

-the children to do it.

-We've finished the hard work.

-Let's turn our attention

-to the seeds.

-I have two mixtures here.

-These are annual wildflowers.

-They grow, bloom

-and seed in the same year.

-They grow quickly and give us

-a lot of colour in the first year.

-They will look marvellous.

-Here, I have a mixture of grass

-seeds and perennial flowers.

-I'll sow them this year, but

-they won't bloom until next year.

-I'll let them grow all summer.

-In autumn, I'll cut and clear them,

-then leave them over winter.

-These seeds will create a more

-traditional wildflower meadow.

-Here's a tip.

-Mix your seeds with a little sand.

-It makes sowing easier.

-There's dry sand in this box.

-It's clean and has no salt in it.

-I'll put everything...

-..in the bucket...

-..and mix it all together.

-After all the preparation...

-..we're finally ready to start.

-Using sand is a help

-when you scatter seeds.

-You don't need too many seeds.

-You can see where you've sown.

-Directions about how much

-to sow are on the packet.

-It's important to follow them.

-Don't worry about

-trampling the seeds.

-It helps them.

-I'll keep that job for the children

-when they come back from school.

-That's it.

-Now, all the seeds need

-is plenty of water...

-..just like

-the creatures Meinir found.

-The Atlantic stream crayfish...

-..is one of our rarest species.

-It's Britain's only

-native freshwater crayfish.

-The small creatures have had a tough

-time since the early 1980s...

-..when the signal crayfish arrived

-in Britain from North America.

-They're more aggressive

-and tougher than our crayfish.

-They also carry a disease

-that killed whole communities...

-..of Atlantic stream crayfish.

-But that's not all

-they had to contend with.

-This is the River Ennig

-in Talgarth, near Brecon.

-In 2012, there was a serious

-case of pollution here.

-Agricultural pesticide

-was spilled in the river.

-All the crayfish along two

-kilometres of the river died.

-What could be done after

-such a catastrophic incident?

-As it happens, the answer was

-found about twelve miles from here.

-At Cynrig, outside Brecon...

-..there's a Natural Resources

-Wales fish hatchery.

-Since 2009, a conservation strategy

-is underway to rear crayfish...

-..and release them

-in certain South Wales rivers.

-Oliver Brown is

-a Fish Culture Officer in Cynrig.

-He leads this vital project.

-I asked him how many Atlantic

-stream crayfish from the unit...

-..have been released.

-Since we started,

-we've come to about 4,000.

-We're rearing on average now...

-..pushing 1,500 annually.

-How much trouble are they in?

-How much trouble are they in?

-

-Serious trouble.

-You're looking at potential total

-eradication of native crayfish...

-..from mainland UK within the next

-20-30 years, unless we can step in.

-In this project, how are

-the ones you've released settling?

-The first time we went back

-and looked this year...

-..we found crayfish 15 months

-and 24 months post release.

-Fingers crossed,

-it's looking quite encouraging.

-As well as the Cynrig

-hatchery's commendable work...

-..it's vital to ensure...

-..that the environment

-where the crayfish are released...

-..is ready for them.

-Hywel Griffiths is Senior

-Lecturer in Physical Geography...

-..at Aberystwyth University.

-He understands the close

-relationship between our rivers...

-..and their inhabitants.

-We know about pesticides

-killing creatures in rivers.

-That's a direct result

-of man's actions.

-What else affects rivers?

-Some of the main things affecting

-crayfish and wildlife in rivers...

-..are materials carried in them.

-Sediment, gravel, sand, clay,

-dead trees that fall in rivers...

-..are all carried in rivers.

-They create a varied

-environment for wildlife.

-Unfortunately, in the second

-half of the 20th century...

-..in Wales's rivers...

-..in an attempt to prevent flooding,

-people cleared this detritus...

-..to help water flow.

-It created an uniform riverbed...

-..rather than the varied riverbed

-that wildlife likes.

-In the River Usk, Oliver

-and I are releasing crayfish...

-..that are ready for a new home.

-The big moment has arrived.

-These little crayfish

-are going into the river.

-Is here OK?

-Is here OK?

-

-Yes, fine.

-Good luck.

-Well, that's it.

-The tiny, one-year-old crayfish...

-..have all been

-released in the river.

-It will take a few years to see

-if this plan has succeeded.

-But with luck,

-they'll thrive in this river.

-As well as lawn repairs, another job

-you could do this time of year...

-..is planting a tree

-before the soil dries too much.

-We've chosen this hawthorn,

-Paul's Scarlet.

-It's a garden version

-of the native tree.

-We also thought

-it would suit this area...

-..with a country hedge backdrop.

-It has lovely, pink flowers

-in late spring and early summer.

-People often choose

-cherry blossom trees for gardens.

-But this tree's flowers

-last much longer.

-Let's plant.

-It's very important to till

-the soil well before making a hole.

-That looks nice and light now.

-I'll add some compost...

-..and dig it in.

-Now, bonemeal, which helps

-the roots to establish well.

-I'll mix it in.

-Now, I'll make the hole.

-The hole should be...

-..about twice

-the diameter of the pot.

-That's it.

-I picked this one

-in the garden centre.

-You could buy them in winter

-with bare, loose roots.

-They're a little cheaper.

-In garden centres,

-they're in pots like this.

-You can plant these

-any time of the year.

-If you plant them in summer,

-they need lots of water.

-Now is the time to plant them.

-As you see, the soil

-is very loose in this pot.

-The tree hasn't been in it for long.

-That's it.

-Make sure there's plenty

-of room for the roots to spread.

-I'm going to put a stake in.

-I'm doing it now

-because I can see the roots.

-I can make sure

-it won't harm the tree.

-Put it in and hold

-them close together.

-Then put the soil in.

-Keep going.

-I'd better take my glove

-off to do this.

-It's important

-to attach this properly...

-..so the tree isn't blown over.

-In order to retain the moisture

-and stop weeds growing...

-..I'll put cardboard round it,

-then lots of bark chip.

-That's it for now.

-If you have half an hour

-in the garden this week...

-..weed between plants.

-In midsummer,

-you'll be glad you did.

-I'm sure your daffodils

-look a bit ugly now.

-But don't be tempted to cut them.

-Let the nutrients get to the bulbs

-for a much better show next year.

-Until the next time,

-enjoy the gardening!

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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