Pennod 9 Garddio a Mwy

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-Welcome back

-to the Pont y Twr garden.

-It's the end of June.

-The month started well.

-But it rained quite a bit since

-then, and the garden has responded.

-I'm looking forward

-to picking my first potatoes.

-While I do that, Sioned

-will be taking Verbena cuttings...

-..Meinir Gwilym marvels

-at some interesting lichen...

-..and Daniel Jenkins-Jones visits

-South Stack, Anglesey, for us.

-June and July is the best time

-of year to see roses in bloom.

-They look glorious.

-But be on your guard.

-There are many diseases around.

-This bush has been established

-for a few years.

-But there's blight on it.

-Aphids are a problem for roses.

-But black spot

-is the most damaging disease.

-This bush has been badly affected.

-Black spot on the leaves

-have turned them yellow.

-I treat black spot

-by removing the leaves...

-..and burn them so they disappear

-from the garden.

-It could affect the healthy roses.

-So I'll remove these.

-They make the plant look ugly...

-..and prevent roses from growing.

-This time of year,

-it's important to deadhead roses...

-..to get more flowers.

-Don't just cut off the heads.

-Cut them below two leaves

-to encourage new growth.

-There's more work to do here,

-but I'll do that later.

-This rose named Mary has been

-in the garden for three years.

-It's quite healthy

-despite suffering from black spot.

-It needs to be fed.

-Just imagine the effort it takes

-to produce such a lovely flower.

-The feed I'm using

-are these little pellets.

-Each bush will have one scoop.

-I put them around the edges.

-Make sure they're not too close

-to the tree.

-Cover the ground with fertilizer...

-..just a little around it.

-Don't put it too close to the stump.

-One more.

-I have one more job to do.

-You may remember that I planted

-the Super Fairy a little while ago.

-Unlike Mary,

-I'm not giving it any feed.

-I only planted it fairly recently.

-I need to tie it.

-It's a climbing plant...

-..so I want to encourage it

-to climb up the post.

-Don't make it too tight...

-..just enough so it doesn't

-blow too much in the wind.

-It's a young plant.

-The aphids are on it.

-I'll spray it every fortnight

-to ward them off.

-We'll leave the garden for a while.

-Meinir had a closer look...

-..at one of the planet's

-most important organisms.

-You might think that something

-as insignificant as lichen...

-..would be a boring subject.

-I don't think so.

-When I was a child, I thought

-lichen belonged to the fairies.

-I won't go into that now.

-However, I'd still argue

-that lichen is magical.

-When the earth's complex processes

-create new land...

-..through an earthquake

-or volcano...

-..and leaves bare rock

-on the surface...

-..the first thing to grow is lichen.

-Ceunant Llennyrch

-is managed by the Woodland Trust.

-I'm meeting Kylie Jones Mattock

-from the Trust.

-The site is famous

-for its diversity of lichen...

-..including very rare species.

-There is something very special

-on this tree.

-It looks a little like leaves. Its

-Latin name is Lobaria pulmonaria.

-Its English name is tree lungwort.

-As you see,

-it's quite similar to lungs.

-This shows how ancient

-these woods are.

-This oak tree is incredibly old.

-The bark of an oak is quite acidic.

-It becomes less acidic

-as the tree matures.

-That's the perfect condition

-for Lobaria to grow.

-There are 15,000

-different types of lichen.

-In an ancient forest, like this

-one, the diversity is amazing.

-There are lichen all around us.

-Look at this birch tree.

-It's hard to see.

-This is typical.

-The white stuff?

-The white stuff?

-

-With tiny barnacles.

-Look through the lens.

-I can't reach.

-Oh, yes!

-The Atlantic oak

-is typical of this habitat.

-The barnacles are fruiting bodies.

-This proves lichen thrives here.

-Isn't it fantastic?

-Why is it such a special place

-for lichen?

-Coed Felenrhyd

-and Ceunant Llennyrch...

-..is one of the best examples

-in Europe of an Atlantic rainforest.

-It rains 200 days a year!

-It's the remains of a habitat that

-extended from Scotland to Portugal.

-There are many species of lichen.

-Atlantic lichen

-needs plenty of light.

-There are sheep grazing here...

-..to keep the growth down.

-The rarer lichen...

-..thrive in the specific conditions

-of the ancient forests.

-We have to make sure these sites

-are not destroyed.

-You're excited about

-what you're showing me now.

-This doesn't look like much.

-This is Blackberries In Custard,

-or Pyrenula hibernica.

-It doesn't grow anywhere else

-in Wales.

-It's one of the forest's

-rarest lichen.

-What am I meant to see?

-It has a green skin,

-known as thallus...

-..and yellow spots.

-I can see yellow spots.

-They are the fruiting bodies.

-They are hidden under the skin.

-As it matures, it produces

-proper fruiting bodies...

-..which turn black

-like blackberries.

-That's why it's called

-Blackberries In Custard.

-Brilliant!

-From Wales's rarest variety...

-..to those on trees or walls,

-all species of lichen vary a little.

-Didn't I say lichen was magical?

-It's all getting very exciting

-in the garden.

-One by one,

-the crops are almost ready.

-We've eaten plenty

-of lettuce and radish.

-We've tasted

-purple sprouting broccoli.

-Unfortunately, we had

-to share some of it...

-..with some sheep that came in

-from the field next door.

-But never mind about that.

-I'm excited about harvesting

-our early potatoes.

-They're ready to dig up

-because they've started to flower.

-Some have finished flowering.

-Harvest the potatoes

-as they become ready.

-That's the best thing about earlies.

-They're delicious straight

-from the soil to the plate.

-What sort of crop have I got?

-It's a challenge every year...

-..to dig them up

-without ruining the potatoes.

-I'm not overly worried.

-If it happens, I'll be

-eating those ones tonight.

-Here we are.

-The first potatoes of the year

-are Accents.

-It's a nice white potato.

-I haven't tasted them before.

-I experiment with different

-potatoes every year.

-That's one supper ingredient sorted.

-What about pudding?

-Strawberries make the perfect

-pudding this time of year.

-I have two varieties

-of strawberries.

-Wild or Alpine strawberries

-produce small fruit.

-Garden strawberries

-are much bigger and tastier.

-It isn't the easiest crop to grow.

-I grow them here because

-this is the nursery.

-I let the plants spread naturally.

-They look for new soil,

-full of nutrients, all the time.

-I pick the ones that have spread...

-..and plant them in any old pot.

-That's the best way

-to grow strawberries.

-What tends to happen is

-they make contact with the soil...

-..and slugs and snails eat them

-before you get your reward.

-This one has been eaten.

-It has begun to rot after coming

-into contact with the soil.

-Try to avoid that. There

-are various ways of doing this.

-You can buy a carpet.

-This is coconut matting.

-It sits under the fruit and stops it

-making contact with the soil.

-The old method...

-..was using straw.

-When your plants

-begin to bear fruit...

-..raise the fruit carefully

-and put straw underneath them.

-Rest the fruit on the straw.

-This system works quite well.

-But slugs and snails

-are still a problem.

-They tend to hide under the straw

-in the day and come out at night.

-I'll use sheep wool

-to ward off slugs and snails.

-I like coming out into the garden.

-As a reward for all the hard work...

-..I'll pick

-a couple of strawberries...

-..find a quiet corner

-in the garden...

-..and enjoy the taste of summer.

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-I enjoy visiting garden centres

-to choose plants for the garden.

-But it's nice to grow your own,

-either from seed or cuttings.

-It's the time of year

-for Verbena cuttings.

-I have three different varieties

-here.

-It's the perfect garden flower

-wherever you plant it.

-To make cuttings...

-..choose one that is growing on

-an angle, away from the main stalk.

-One.

-Two.

-And I'll take a pink one.

-And now to pot them.

-Start by cutting

-under a pair of leaves.

-Make a clean break,

-and then remove the leaves.

-I'll have a clean stalk

-to go into the rooting gel...

-..and then into the pot.

-The compost is specially made

-for potting and rooting plants.

-And another one.

-Cut below the leaves.

-Remove the leaves.

-Dip into the rooting gel

-and straight into the soil.

-Water it a little.

-Put a bag over it.

-Put an elastic band

-around the bottom...

-..to create

-a glasshouse temperature.

-It retains the moisture.

-It's ready to go on a shelf.

-Next, Daniel Jenkins-Jones

-visits South Stack, Anglesey...

-..to look at the variety of birds

-that nest there.

-This is the RSPB South Stack

-Nature Reserve.

-It's famous for the lighthouse,

-of course.

-There's heather and gorse

-on the heath.

-And off the coastline...

-..and you might even spot

-a porpoise or two.

-But I'm here to see the birds.

-South Stack has

-two important bird species...

-..the razorbill and guillemot.

-There are around 9,000 here

-at nesting time.

-It's like a city of birds.

-Razorbills are less common here.

-They're blacker than guillemots.

-Guillemots

-are more chocolate coloured.

-They spend most of the year

-beyond the horizon...

-..and return to South Stack to nest.

-South Stack

-is the only place in Wales...

-..to see them

-with your feet on the ground.

-They choose the cliffs because

-they're a safe place to nest.

-People can't get close to them

-and there are no foxes here.

-You wouldn't think they could live

-so close together.

-There is so little room here...

-..they have to live

-in close-knit communities.

-The other birds you'll see here

-have amazing Welsh names.

-The Manx shearwater...

-..and the northern fulmar

-that resembles a seagull.

-But it is more closely related

-to the Manx shearwater.

-It nests on the edge of the cliffs.

-It's one of the Reserve's

-most dramatic nests.

-There are seagulls here,

-of course...

-..the lesser black-backed gull...

-..and the world's biggest seagull,

-the great black-backed gull.

-There is a good population

-of herring gull.

-They nest everywhere in the Reserve.

-The bird below us is the chough.

-It's the rarest member

-of the crow family...

-..not only in Wales but in Britain.

-There are only 300 nesting pairs in

-Britain. We have nine nesting here.

-They're easy to recognize.

-Their call gave them

-their English name "chough".

-They have red legs

-and a large orange beak.

-It's like a carrot sticking

-out of their heads!

-Unlike other crows,

-the chough is very particular...

-..when it comes to finding food.

-The RSPB makes sure

-the grass is kept short...

-..about two to three centimetres

-high.

-Crows can find

-the insects and worms...

-..that live in the soil.

-In Wales, we should be proud

-to have populations of seabirds...

-..that are

-of international importance.

-They're growing in importance, too.

-The nesting birds

-are increasing in numbers...

-..unlike the rest of Britain.

-We should be proud we have

-the birds nesting here in Wales.

-Their future is in our hands.

-We have a duty to protect them.

-Traditionally...

-..the word lawn is associated

-with perfect green stripes...

-..without moss or weeds in sight...

-..as you'll see in Wimbledon.

-But what would appear

-if you stopped mowing the lawn?

-That's exactly

-what I decided to do in the orchard.

-I still mow a path, like this one...

-..so I can go around without getting

-my feet wet and enjoy the views.

-It also helps create

-a planned effect.

-The plants that would appear

-if you allowed the lawn to grow...

-..depends on what is already there.

-That depends on the nutrients

-in the soil.

-If it's full of nutrients,

-the grass will grow strong.

-These are the schoolyard bullies.

-They're strong and vigorous.

-Wild flowers can't compete

-with them.

-There are different species

-the other side.

-They're smaller, lighter and

-have spaces in between the grass.

-Wild flowers grow in the spaces.

-Every year you allow

-the lawn and flowers to grow...

-..they go to seed...

-..and then you remove them.

-Doing that year in, year out

-reduces the nutrients in the soil.

-In the orchard...

-..I've created a tapestry

-of grasses of different ages.

-I cut some sections last week.

-I haven't touched some parts

-for three months.

-Some areas haven't been cut

-for two years.

-That creates

-a variety of habitats...

-..to attract all sorts of wildlife.

-In the first season...

-..you might have plants

-like yarrow...

-..or common sorrel...

-..which is a very common

-garden plant...

-..and plantain.

-Moving towards the hedge,

-we have the rosebay willowherb...

-..knapweed which sustains

-the birds...

-..and over there,

-the bees' favourite, foxgloves.

-That's a glimpse of the different

-plants you'll get in the garden...

-..if you stop mowing the lawn.

-I have a good reason

-not to cut the grass, too.

-It's lovely in an arrangement...

-..or combined with garden flowers

-for a different effect.

-It's a good time to clear around

-young fruit trees...

-..which is something

-I have to do by next week!

-Until then, enjoy the gardening!

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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