In the early days of its formation the group concentrated on frequent ‘clean ups’ such as litter picking and general ‘tidying up’ of areas throughout the village such as hedge trimming clearing overgrown paths etc., The effect on the village soon became clear.
With the absence of litter the improvement became so noticeable that the need for the organised ‘clean ups’ was not as important as it was. However many residents ‘did their own thing’ by keeping the areas adjacent to their properties clean and tidy.
In 1991 the Village won the Best Kept Village Competition and the Keep Wales Tidy Winner for the Tidy Wales Awards thus it was that the original objectives had been attained. It was then decided to concentrate on improvements to various parts of the Village and at the same time making the Committee less of a talking shop but, more of an action group. This meant that semi-major projects would be carried out.
The mainstream membership of the group numbers about nine with others
volunteering their assistance at various times. It is led by two retired
professional horticulturists and it is fortunate that other members have
various talents.
The awards received to date include:
ENVIRONMENT TEAM
Following this year’s Best Kept Village Competition the team want to continue with our twice monthly meetings to keep the village looking good for the benefit of everyone living here As reported in the Best Kept Village Report, Wenvoe again was awarded 2nd place in the Competition this year. Thank you everyone who made a special effort to trim their hedges and generally smarten up the entire villageThe team are having a break during August but we shall resume our fortnightly meetings in September. Dates for your diaries are Mon 6th and 20th September. Meet at the Community Centre at 9.30am when we shall travel to St Lythans to clear the brambles from the village pump area.
Please come along and join the team for some very useful environmental work.
TREVOR’S GARDEN
Prune spring flowering shrubs
Now’s the time to prune spring flowering shrubs, such as Philadelphus, Weigela and Kolkwitzia. The general rule with hrub pruning is to reduce by one third once a year just after flowering and a hard prune once every few years (or when it starts to look too dense).What is the best way to prune shrubs?
Trees and large shrubs may require the use of a small hand saw. Always cut branches at the ‘collar’ of the join (where the branch joins on to the main stem/main branch) - cut just above the collar.
For dense shrubs, start by removing all the widest stems as close to the base as possible leaving the younger, more flexible growth with more space. For anything else, always start by removing any dead or diseased wood and then move on to crossing/inward growing branches. Cut twice on big branches: When removing any large branches from a tree or large shrub always make your first cut up to 12” away from the main stem/branch. Also, make a small cut on the underside of the branch slightly further in towards the trunk. If the weight of the branch breaks as you’re cutting it, instead of tearing down the length of the trunk it will only tear until the cut on the underside. The stump left behind can be sawn off safely afterwards.
Prune Wisteria - Once all the flowers have gone from your Wisteria the old flower spikes look very untidy. Using a pair of secateurs cut all of the old flower spikes off three buds from where they meet the main branch leaving just the main framework behind