Pennod 5 Garddio a Mwy

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-Welcome to the Pont y Twr garden.

-The sun is out and it's nice

-to see hanging baskets everywhere.

-I'll show you how to make one.

-The end of May is fast approaching.

-The threat of frost

-has almost certainly passed.

-I can discard the cloche cover

-that protected my potatoes.

-Remember to keep

-earthing up your potatoes.

-They'll be ready to eat late June.

-Also this week, Meinir Gwilym

-on the trail of aquatic newts.

-Awen Jones has advice on plants

-that attract wildlife.

-At this time of the year,

-especially sunny days like today...

-..garden plants wake up

-and start to grow.

-Water them well...

-..especially flowers

-in pots or troughs.

-They grow in a few inches of soil.

-They could suffer from

-what's known as water stress.

-As you can see...

-..lack of water has a negative

-effect on plant physiology...

-..especially

-its ability to photosynthesize.

-In spring....

-..plants wake up and begin

-the transpiration process.

-Water comes via the roots, up the

-plant, and out through the leaves.

-Without enough water...

-..scorched leaves

-fall off the branch.

-The branches eventually die.

-It doesn't look good for this Buxus.

-Sioned will show you healthier ones

-later in the programme.

-This time of the year...

-..I also suffer from water stress...

-..running round the garden,

-watering daily.

-To avoid this happening again...

-..I've placed water containers

-all over the garden...

-..ready for the hot summer ahead.

-According to the Met Office...

-..we had average rainfall in April.

-It was 20% higher in Denbighshire.

-There shouldn't be any water stress

-in the Pont y Twr garden.

-After all that rain...

-..these water containers

-should be overflowing.

-That's good,

-especially if it's a hot summer.

-They'll soon empty.

-Put them wherever you can

-in your garden.

-If you have a shed or greenhouse...

-..put up some guttering

-to collect rainfall.

-There are many reasons

-for using rainfall...

-..and not tap water.

-It's better for your plants.

-There are chemicals like

-fluoride and lime in tap water.

-But the main thing is, it's free.

-On the subject of water...

-..the creature Meinir

-has been looking for...

-..is in its element in water.

-I'd normally go out to look

-at wildlife during the day.

-But not this time.

-I'm on the trail of a creature

-that likes darkness and dampness.

-I've come armed with a torch.

-This is Loggerheads Country Park,

-near Mold.

-Helen Mrowiec from

-Denbighshire Countryside Service...

-..is introducing me to the secret

-world of the aquatic newt.

-The rare species is under threat.

-There is a significant number

-here...

-..in North-East Wales.

-Yes, it's a stronghold

-for aquatic newts.

-The great crested newt

-can be found all over Wales...

-..except for Ceredigion and Powys.

-They are in greater numbers

-in North East Wales.

-This is one of their main areas.

-You're lucky.

-You're lucky.

-

-Yes!

-It has an orange belly.

-With black spots.

-The male has a high spiked crest

-along its back...

-..and a flash of silvery blue

-on its tail.

-Those are the characteristics

-we're looking for.

-The great crested newt

-is the largest.

-At 15cm long, it's quite big.

-It's bigger than the other newts.

-Rhun Jones is a Denbighshire

-Countryside Service warden.

-Part of his work involves

-counting the newts at night.

-Hello, Rhun!

-Hiya. How are you?

-You're looking for newts.

-Yes.

-I've come to see what's here.

-I've come to see what's here.

-

-What's the best way of seeing them?

-We usually use torches.

-We walk slowly

-along the side of the pool...

-..and see what we can count.

-There's one there.

-That's a female palmate newt.

-OK.

-There's another one.

-There's another one.

-

-Why do you like newts so much?

-It's nice to come out

-on an evening like this.

-They are rare now

-in Britain and across Europe.

-It's important to know

-they're still here...

-..in this area...

-..Flintshire,

-Denbighshire and even Cheshire.

-There are clusters of these pools.

-It's perfect for their needs.

-What are their needs?

-What they really need...

-..is this sort of habitat.

-It's sheltered and hidden.

-They feed here.

-They don't live in the pool

-through the year.

-They come here in March or April...

-..through to August or September.

-They spend a lot of time on land.

-There's a lot of gorse,

-grass and bracken here.

-Everything they need is here.

-The great crested newt...

-..is rather special.

-The male has a unique dance.

-Yes.

-In nature,

-a lot of animals do this.

-It's a display to woo the female.

-It's a bit like Mold

-on Friday night!

-They lay eggs in the pool.

-Yes.

-Where? On leaves?

-Where? On leaves?

-

-Yes.

-There are plenty of leaves here.

-They lay eggs under leaves.

-These young ones hatched last year.

-It's a good sign

-that they're safe here.

-Areas have been

-created especially for them.

-Their numbers are increasing,

-and that's a good thing.

-That's a positive.

-That's a positive.

-

-Yes.

-It's a local success story...

-..that their numbers are safe.

-When the sun is shining,

-we think of sitting in the garden.

-I'm making a hanging basket...

-..to brighten up

-a rather dull corner.

-You can buy a hanging basket kit

-in a garden centre.

-But why not recycle

-a household item?

-An old sieve or water can will do.

-Cages are very popular

-at the moment.

-People put candles in them

-at weddings...

-..or surround them with flowers.

-They're great for a hanging basket.

-I'll start by lining it with moss.

-You could always buy a coco mat.

-Moss is cheap and

-in plentiful supply in our gardens.

-It's better at retaining water.

-I'll bring it up the sides.

-Now add compost.

-When it comes to plants...

-..for the centre...

-..choose a tall one for height,

-add a trailing plant...

-..and flowers to fill it.

-I'm starting with Diascia

-Little Tango for the middle.

-It'll fill with lovely orange

-flowers.

-It flowers throughout the season.

-There's a door on the cage.

-The Nepeta can go in.

-It's two-tone for added interest.

-This Lobelia is wonderful.

-It has small blue flowers

-and a white centre.

-It'll flower and flower

-and trail down.

-This can go in the side, too.

-I'll make sure they're secure.

-Now more moss.

-That should keep it in place.

-These flowers are like petunia.

-The petals are velvety

-and fantastic.

-I'll put this in carefully.

-I'll weave it...

-..around the sides.

-When it grows and fills out...

-..it'll cover

-the outside of the cage.

-Now, the Senecio.

-It will trail down the side too.

-I'll put one in the back.

-I'll add more soil

-to hold it all together.

-I'll finish with more moss.

-You could add hydrated

-crystals at this stage.

-They help retain water.

-They need to be watered very often.

-That's it.

-It might not look much now.

-But by midsummer, I hope

-the plants will fill the basket.

-It's ready to hang.

-Having more than one is nice

-and adds to the impact.

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-This week, I had time to plant

-tomatoes in the greenhouse.

-In midsummer,

-they'll need a lot of food...

-..so that they bloom

-and bear fruit successfully.

-They need potassium.

-You can buy chemicals

-in garden centres.

-But you can make something similar

-from plants in your garden.

-Comfrey is an excellent plant.

-It's at its best now.

-It's like a cafe

-for bees this time of year.

-I won't cut this.

-But I have plenty of one plant

-in Pont y Twr's garden.

-Nettles are common plants

-in your garden too.

-That's it.

-You need a good amount of nettles.

-Don't worry if you don't

-have enough in your garden.

-You can have a mix of leaves, fern,

-rhubarb, strawberry or comfrey.

-There are several ways of making

-a special tea for your flowers.

-You could put them

-in a bucket of water with a lid...

-..and leave for three or four weeks.

-I'm going to use a water barrel.

-I've made a cylinder of wire.

-I'll fold the top like this...

-..and close it.

-I turn it upside-down.

-I'll use this like a teabag.

-Push the nettles in.

-This will go in the water barrel.

-Push as much in as you can.

-Don't worry, you can always

-add more as the season progresses.

-I'll put the lid on.

-This stuff stinks.

-When your tomatoes start to bloom...

-..use one part of the nettle tea

-to ten parts of water.

-Your tomatoes will be superb.

-There is another kind of tea

-you can make with nettles.

-Nettles grow naturally

-in the garden.

-But you can buy some plants

-especially to attract wildlife.

-Awen Jones tells us more.

-It's the time of year, especially

-after a fine start to May...

-..when people start to think

-about buying bedding plants...

-..for pots and baskets.

-To be honest, bedding plants aren't

-all that helpful for wildlife.

-I thought I'd plant a pot just as

-attractive as a bedding plant pot...

-..but which helps wildlife

-in the garden.

-First, we need plenty of compost.

-That's it.

-Fill it until it's about half full.

-That's it.

-I've chosen these plants.

-They're really good for wildlife.

-This Geum, Totally

-Tangerine, is quite new.

-I love the fiery orange colour.

-It will bloom all summer.

-Turn it out.

-Make sure plants are well

-watered before planting...

-..to give them a good start.

-I'll put that on the side.

-As a contrast to the orange...

-..I've chosen this

-marvellous, purple scabious.

-In fine weather, it teems

-with bees and all sorts of insects.

-They're very similar...

-..to their wildflower

-relatives in the countryside.

-That's it.

-I'll put these close to each other.

-This pot will probably

-be placed near a wall.

-I want something

-taller at the back...

-..which won't detract

-attention from the flowers.

-I've chosen this bronze fennel.

-This goes in the back.

-I'll put marjoram, one

-of my favourite herbs, in the front.

-It's not blooming now.

-But in June,

-it will be full of flowers.

-It will make a pretty

-and tidy cushion in the front.

-Some of it will trail over

-the side and look very attractive.

-I'll lift that towards the front.

-I'm going to fill

-between the plants a little.

-Don't be too fussy.

-Just tip it in.

-We want to attract wildlife,

-bees and insects to the garden...

-..because bees help

-pollinate flowers.

-If you grow fruit, you need bees.

-All kinds of other insects,

-like ladybirds...

-..help keep the garden healthy.

-Ladybirds eat greenfly,

-that make leaves curl.

-Attracting insects

-to the garden...

-..helps the food chain.

-Plants are food for greenfly.

-Other insects eat greenfly.

-In turn, they're food

-for birds like tits.

-Because you use plants

-that are fairly wild...

-..it means you don't have

-to work too hard.

-Just give them some

-water and food in summer.

-The little alyssum is marvellous.

-It doesn't get a lot of attention.

-But if it's in a pot,

-on a fine summer evening...

-..the honey smell

-wafting up is gorgeous.

-It's quite a shock when you

-realize where the smell comes from.

-So I'll put a few bedding

-plants in the pot.

-That's it, a simple pot.

-It will give us and wildlife

-pleasure all summer...

-..and will continue

-to do so for years.

-I really like informal gardens,

-with flowers growing everywhere.

-But I must say I like

-the formality of box shrubs too...

-..and the way they create

-rooms in a garden.

-They're very popular

-in garden centres now.

-You can buy them in all shapes,

-round, triangular, spiral...

-..or even in animal shapes.

-But they need a lot of clipping.

-The traditional day to do this

-was the first Saturday in June.

-That's Derby Day, when the gentry

-watched the horseracing...

-..leaving the staff and gardeners

-working hard at home...

-..clipping box hedges.

-Maybe they wanted the staff

-to stay at home rather than bet!

-I'm not one of the gentry,

-with a lot of gardening staff.

-So I have a lot of clipping to do!

-I planted these three years ago.

-The aim is to have one hedge,

-not individual plants.

-They grow 15 centimetres a year.

-I want to clip them

-to encourage sideways growth...

-..and make one full hedge.

-I'm watering them, so that

-when I cut the small leaves...

-..they'll heal much faster.

-It helps stop small insects

-from destroying them.

-You only have

-to do this once a year.

-This will probably

-be the eventual height...

-..but without gaps in-between.

-Of course, you don't have

-to wait until Derby Day.

-But it's not far from the truth.

-Make sure all threat

-of frost has passed.

-The start of June is perfect.

-That's it for another year.

-As the sun gets hotter, keep an eye

-on the greenhouse's temperature.

-You don't want to lose plants

-after all your hard work.

-And as the weather gets warmer...

-..take some plants

-out during the day.

-Until next week,

-enjoy the gardening!

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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