Welsh Blogs.com

So much for my wind resistant plants!! Wind Damaged Polygonum All had been going well and the new pergola was looking lovely with a very luxurious growth of Polygonum and Solanum that I had planted in June. In fact we had been surprised by the growth which was of course due in part by the warm, wet and windless summer that we’ve had. I never said that these plants would be particularly wind resistant so this was always going to be an experiment, but we’ve had some wind this week and the results are now in. The Solanum has held up well, as has the Honeysuckle (although this hasn’t grown much yet) but the Polygonum is most definitely not a very wind resistant plant! Within hours of the wind getting to full force here (which is of course a very windy place) it was reduced...

As we’ve already mentioned elsewhere in this series our garden here on the coast of West Wales experiences the extremes of most parameters that determine what will and what won’t grow. The soil is no exception. Most gardens have soil that range from a nice middle-of the road loam through towards either the heavy clayey end of the spectrum or the lighter sandy end of the spectrum. Here we simply have sand, pure, clean beach sand. It isn’t just sandy soil it is quite literally sand. The Issues caused by sandy soils The fact that we have a very sandy soil means it doesn’t really hold any moisture and certainly dries out quickly to the extent that it blows away. Not great as this can mean lots of watering in dry spells and also sand gets everywhere! It also means there...

When you think of the problems affecting coastal gardens the first issue that springs to mind is the wind. Living on the coast means that there is an uninterrupted flow of wind from the sea straight into your garden and the affects can be dramatic. Very few people live right on the coast and it only takes a few obstacles such as trees, buildings or small hills to provide some protection. However, we do live on the coast and there is nothing between us and the beach so we experience the full force of the winds. You only have to go inland a little way to see how things change with a little bit of protection. Gardens just a short distance away are awash with colour and have a wide variety of plants and flowers thriving in them. Things aren’t quite so rosy in most gardens here. Very...

Coastal Gardening All gardens have a unique set of parameters that will determine whether or not a particular plant will thrive, merely survive or perish. Most of these, such as the amount of sunlight, soil type and drainage are fairly obvious and well documented. Other equally important parameters include the amount of time, energy and money you have to spend on your plot. Living our ‘Simple Life of Luxury‘ here on the west Wales coast means we are affected by all of these parameters. Whilst I don’t want to sound hard done by (as I wouldn’t change it for the world) we do seem to experience some extremes that make gardening here very challenging. Over the next few weeks I shall be publishing articles here looking inn a little more detail at some of the issues...

Adrian Shepherd is fighting for the survival of the Allotment Gardens at Trallwng, near Pontypridd. This is the second allotment site in Rhondda Cynon Taf threatened with closure. It defies common sense that in a time of rapidly rising energy costs, places to grow food locally are being stolen from communities in Rhondda Cynon Taff. Read the full story on Green Drinks, Rhondda Cynon......

Gardeners beware… lock up your tender plants, the chilly weather is expected to last another day or two. There was a dusting of snow across Penywaun this morning and hail-stone storms blew throughout the day. Here are some photos overlooking Penywaun this morning …...

Yet another Rhondda Cynon Taff Allotment site is threatened with closure, this time it’s in the village of Trallwng, near Pontypridd. Adrian Sheperd (in the photo left), Field Secretary of Mordecai’s Allotment on Merthyr Road, Trallwng, explained : “Rhondda Cynon Taf are proposing the sale of the allotment land as surplus to requirements”. Occupancy at Mordecai’s Field Allotment site is 100% with a long waiting list. Two plots on the allotment are taken in a partnership with a local school offering precious experiences to children on how food can be grown locally. Allotment gardening in Rhondda Cynon Taff is very popular with full occupancy and waiting lists throughout the County Borough. There is, however, intense pressure on the Labour-controlled County...

Wear your Wellies in Hirwaun with Pride during Welly Week… April 21st - 28th......

Get those tatws chitted and start planning your plot today… there is an August gardening show planned for Penywaun. Only four and half months away! More details on the show - and some tips - to follow. Visiting Penywaun today, Bryan Morris, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Allotment Officer, confirmed there are waiting lists for both Penywaun [...]...

Hirwaun Gardening Society are holding their Annual Show at Hirwaun Community Hall on Saturday 1st September 2007.Doors open at 2pm There are competition classes for Flower arranging, Vegetables, Flowers, and Children’s Classes. All welcome. annual show, flower arranging, gardening, hirwaun, hirwaun gardening...

Oh dear what a pasting our boys took at Twickenham today. 62 points to 5 against the old enemy is unacceptable to say the least - second string or not. It also couldn't have been worse preparation for the world cup and there's little doubt that it has posed Gareth Jenkins with more questions about who should be in his final squad than before the game. This was the last thing he or the faithful Welsh public wanted at this stage.Now isn't the time I know, but I still question the wisdom in appointing Gareth Jenkins to the role of national coach. For me he has always been the nearly man of Welsh rugby - how many times were Llanelli so close to European glory under his belt - yet they seemingly always fell at the last hurdle. I have no doubt that in terms of passion, commitment and...

Before anyone gets over excited and bends my ear about tree preservation - let me just put the record straight and say that I'm referring to 3 - already dead - trees in my garden.How do I know that they're beyond repair, well quite simply they've not grown or blossomed in over 2 and a half years - which for a plum and apple tree is not good (I'm sure you'll agree). So armed with my trusty garden spade and tree clipper I pruned the trees back and dug them up. They are now on their way to the garden recycling depot for use as compost and bark.On the bright side, we now have a bigger 'play area' in the garden and DDWT Junior can no longer use the trees as make believe...

With the sun blazing down lunchtime I simply couldn't resist taking my bike for a spin down to Limeslade once again. I was on my own for the 11 mile ride today, but the pace was blistering - probably due to the keen breeeze which accompanied the return leg of the ride.Still you simply can't beat Swansea Bay on days like today and with this in mind, perhaps when politicians talk about Swansea being a European City of distinction by 2020 they're not talking through their backsides as much as we think.After finishing one shift, it was time to head off home and start another - the lawns, hedges and trees needed a cut. How the hell do they grow so quickly? I can only assume it must be the warm weather and sporadic showers having an effect on them. With this year having been so mild to...