Newsletter 36

Editorial I have just come in from my garden laden with produce. Lucky me! Except that it all has to be ‘dealt with’ one way or another – jam, chutney, freezing, soup, baking etc. It’s what I call squirreling away for the winter and it is a full time job at the moment. We have quite a few students at Treborth who are growing some of their own food and really learning how to feed themselves well. We even have some pots of vegetables in the courtyard at Treborth. Education in food production, food security and avoiding food waste are all subjects dear to the hearts of the volunteers at Treborth and there is a role for the Garden here, namely the conservation of food plants. Crop plants will feature strongly in new plantings in the Tropical House. In an ideal world we shouldn’t have food waste, but there will always be some to compost or put into the wormery, as David Shaw tells us in this edition. My thanks go to the newsletter team for all their hard work yet again. Happy growing. Judith Hughes Chairman REMINDER…Subscription Rates and Standing Orders As mentioned in the May issue of the newsletter, we are introducing concessionary rates for those who feel financially challenged (as the jargon goes) by an increase in subscriptions. Concessionary rates are kept at the old rates while non- concessionary full rates are slightly raised as follows: Concessionary Full Student membership (three undergrad years plus one post grad year if applicable) Free Free Single membership £7 £10 Joint membership (two adults at one address) £10 £15 We have decided to drop the old family rate as children are allowed free entry to Friends’ events in any case. 1 So at the end of October when membership renewals are due these will be the rates that will apply. Members with Standing Orders for Barclays are asked to make out new ones as we have changed our bank to the Co-operative Bank, as we have explained before. The new membership leaflet enclosed with this issue will have all the details on it to enable you to do so, and it will also have details of the Gift Aid scheme and the declaration for you to complete. We do hope you will continue to be members and help Treborth to flourish! Angela Thompson Membership Secretary New Logo for the Friends of Treborth After using the present bramble leaf logo for many a year, the Committee thought it would be a good idea if we had a change to reflect a modern approach to our work. So we asked a limited number of people if they could come up with a new design, and now we have one. It was created by mature student Barry Roberts who graduated this year with a degree in forestry. He is a past president of the Bangor Forestry Society, a student body that has been very supportive of the Friends’ struggle to keep Treborth alive and buoyant. He has organised student work parties and been an energetic volunteer himself. As you can see, it consists of three stylised fern leaves in a simple circular design, reflecting the cyclical essence of the natural world. It also echoes the three aspirations of the Friends to conserve, educate and inspire. When printed in colour, as on the new leaflet we are having produced, you will see there are three shades of green. Barry considered simplicity important and wanted a design that would ‘work’ when used with traditional material and the more modern fliers etc that are used for Botanical Beats. It also had to work in different sizes – clear enough when reduced and used in letterheads and other correspondence, yet enlargeable and eye-catching for posters etc. And it looks good in black and white too. We hope you like it! Angela Thompson 2 Treborth’s Ulmus 'Sapporo Gold' We are sad to report the demise of the Ulmus 'Sapporo Gold', a beautiful tree that grew beside the car park at the back of the Friends' hut. This tree is a hybrid elm cultivar whose parentage is U. pumila x U. davidiana var. japonica. It has dark green leaves that turn pale yellow in autumn. This particular specimen was planted in about 1984 by the Llandegfan Brownies and Guides. Volunteers were doing their usual Friday tasks when there was a strange noise and a crash and we discovered that one of the three main limbs of the tree had split and fallen into the Griselinia hedge. Cars were hastily moved and the area taped off while we waited for the University Grounds and Gardens Manager to come and inspect. The fallen limb had rot in it and it was clear that that the remaining two limbs would have to be felled as they were likely to be unhealthy as well. As we watched the tree surgeons at work we wondered what Nigel's reaction would be when he came back from holiday - we knew he was fond of the tree and used its lichen communities for teaching purposes. However he was sanguine about it and, seeing the open space created, is full of ideas about possible uses. We can also report that logs from the Ulmus will not go to waste, as the long lengths will be used in the new wildlife area as edging, and some of the smaller pieces will be used for wood turning. Sarah Edgar Secretary Volunteer Val It is almost a year now since I began as a volunteer at Treborth. I was assigned the ‘keyhole’ bed almost immediately by Pauline. This is not the bed I would have chosen myself as I have had little acquaintance with plants from Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa, only ever having had largely indigenous plants in my garden. I found that I knew the names of all the ‘weeds’ in the bed as they are the plants I cultivate at home. I have great difficulty in pulling out poppy and lady’s mantle, and being a butterfly lover, what could I do when I saw a green veined white delicately lay an egg on a bittercress leaf? However, the bed’s main redeeming feature is its close proximity to a beautiful spreading beech tree which is a joy to see in every season. My main responsibility is the part of the bed containing the yucca, phormium and Beschorneria yuccoides. These are large plants, taking up a lot of space with their drooping habits. They have tough sharp leaves which aim for the eye when one weeds beneath them. They produce splendid flowers on tall stalks, but these too droop, and bloom for a short time only. My first task was to prune and remove about a half of them. This was enjoyably achieved with a saw and pick (and some help from the student work party). It created space for other plants more suited to a roadside position. As well as gradually building up ground cover I have tried to keep ahead of the weeds. I am sure that if I spent a whole day watching, I would 3 see the nightshade, willowherb and dock actually growing. I would also no doubt see the rabbits ignoring the weeds and nibbling Pauline’s precious South African blooms. I find I can become completely absorbed with weeding. There is something very satisfying about finding the white strings of nightshade roots. I am mindful of a Zen book on archery; perhaps I will attempt one on weeding. Being by the roadside the bed is the first to be seen by visitors. I have engaged with a number of people over the year, mostly ladies in pink with dogs on leads. Sometimes there are ladies in pink with dogs not on leads, and these are spoken to less amicably. One Saudi gentleman wanted to know ‘what is this place?’ and could he come to light fires to cook food! Sometimes people arrive with picnic baskets and tents, sometimes stoats appear to snatch a rabbit. I am intrigued that a passer-by should assume that the male volunteers who stand with their hands in their pockets are there in a supervisory capacity, when really they are awaiting their orders from Pauline. I am learning a lot from Pauline and the very stimulating environment which is Treborth, so as long as I can bend without complaint I shall continue as an active volunteer. Val Lane Weather and Wildlife April – early August 2009 Days Month Rainfall Temperature oC 20oC Mm Inches Max Min or above April 44.1 1.7 17.5 2.0 0 Quote 77.0 3.0 24.5 6.0 4 June 47.6 1.9 27.75 7.5 12 July 122.4 4.8 27.5 10.0 13 Rabbits and Painted Ladies – what have they both in common? Abundancy. Yes I shall remember this spring and summer for that reason, and when I start thinking about the relative frequency of wild things I come to realise that other species have displayed marked changes in numbers as well. But let’s start with rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) – they are of course part of the scene at Treborth, after all most of the Garden is ‘wild’ – but this spring it soon became clear that their numbers were higher than normal and by June the population was burgeoning with a hundred or so commonly grazing the main cultivated area of the Garden each evening at dusk. Inevitably cultivated plants suffered, especially on the rock garden and the South African border.

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