THE FRIENDS OF TREBORTH BOTANIC GARDEN CYFEILLION GARDD FOTANEG TREBORTH NEWSLETTER CYLCHLYTHYR Number / Rhif 61 January/Ionawr 2018 Fig. 1. Seed sowing by Anheddau Outdoors Walking Group [p. 11] Fig. 2 Anheddau Outdoors Walking Group by a waterfall [p. 11] 2 COMMITTEE Sarah Edgar ([email protected]) Chair Angela Thompson ([email protected]) Vice Chair, Joint Membership Sec Cath Dixon ([email protected]) Treasurer Natalie Chivers ([email protected]) Curator Rosie Kressman ([email protected]) Horticulturist Cherry Bartlett ([email protected]) Events Secretary Teri Shaw ([email protected]) Joint Membership Sec Dr John Gorham ([email protected]) Committee Member Dr David Shaw ([email protected]) Committee Member Tom Cockbill ([email protected]) Committee Member Dr Ann Illsley ([email protected]) Committee Member James Stroud ([email protected]) Committee Member Jen Towill ([email protected]) Committee Member Tom Morrisey ([email protected]) STAG Representative Newsletter Team John Gorham email as above (layout, photos) Grace Gibson [email protected] (adverts, articles) Angela Thompson email as above (commissioning articles, planning, editing) Cover Photos: Front: Coelogyne mooreana from Vietnam [p. 16] Back: Prosthechea cochleata from Belize [p. 16] Unless otherwise stated, all contributions to the newsletter are copyright of the author. For more information about The Friends of Treborth Botanic Garden, please visit our website: http://www.friendsoftreborthbotanicgarden.org/friends.htm or write to: The Secretary, Friends of Treborth Botanic Garden, Treborth, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2RQ, UK Issue No. 61 January 2018 Contents Chair’s Introduction, January 2018 3 News in Brief 4 Chair’s Report to the AGM, 2 November 2017 5 Curator’s Report: September—December 2017 8 Book Review : A Guide to Britain’s Rarest Plants by Christopher J. Dixon 10 Anheddau Outdoors Walking Group and Gardening at Treborth 11 Internships at Treborth – the Bangor University Employability Awards 14 Orchids and Treborth 16 Winter Quiz 19 An Anglesey Garden - Mid-Winter and Early Spring 21 France, Switzerland, a Bicycle, a Tent and Boundless Nature for Company 30 Wildlife and Gardening at Siambra Gwynion 32 Sophie Williams 35 Shorelines 38 Gait Barrows, National Nature Reserve, Lancashire 41 Of Mice and Men 46 Winter Quiz—Answers 52 If possible, please access the online version of the Newsletter to save paper and printing costs, and tell Angela Thompson ([email protected]) that you do not require a printed copy. 2 Chair’s Introduction, January 2018 The University runs an intern programme under which departments can submit bids for student internships; Treborth always seems to be a popular place to go! So last summer we were fortunate to have several excellent students doing various projects. In the last newsletter, there was an article about the arboretum work, and in this one you can read about Georgina Archer’s mindfulness project, Kerry Macdonald’s study of slug nematodes, Grace Lawson’s work on education and interpretation, and Tom Morrissey’s and Jemima Letts’ woodland mapping project. Jen Towill has written about another project at Treborth, Anheddau, that introduces gardening to vulnerable adults. Our neighbour, Wild Elements, has been involved in all sorts of different work over the past year and has won a Small Business Award: Claudia Howard writes about this. Andy Macfarlane has been helping to look after the orchids at Treborth; his article is about our collection and he gives some advice on suitable orchids for the home. Natalie Chivers updates you on other activities at Treborth in her Curator’s report. It is always good to read about people’s trips to foreign lands, especially in the depths of a Welsh winter here. One of our volunteers, John Keymer, is a keen cyclist and writes of his summer expedition to France and Switzerland where, despite some punishing ups and downs, he was able to enjoy some spectacular landscapes and wildlife. Further afield, John Gorham tells you about his trip to South Georgia, where he saw many species of penguins, seals - and quite a bit of weather – and discusses the habitat restoration work going on there. Nearer home, Angela Thompson writes of her visit to the amazing limestone pavement of Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve in Lancashire, and explains how limestone pavements are formed. We are pleased to have another report from Nigel Brown on his wildlife observations and the development of a woodland garden at his home, plus an account of the effects of torrential rain on Anglesey in November and his discoveries on the shoreline near Newborough. David Shaw’s article also mentions wildlife in his garden, some welcome and some not so much; but a fascinating account of how we learn from experience how to manage our own gardens. So, light the fire, pour yourself a mug of something hot and enjoy this newsletter! You have even got a quiz to challenge the little grey cells. Sarah Edgar 3 News in Brief · Donations We should like to thank Amy Walker, John Good, Jackie Lomax, John and Jackie Wootton, Mr and Mrs John Farmery, and Elizabeth McLelland for kindly donating to the Friends’ finances, and to Frances Simpson and others who responded to our spring bulbs and labels appeals. · Spring Bulbs (with thanks to Hilary for details) At recent work parties, students from STAG, and many Friends (including Hilary Miller, Marion Gash and Chris Howard) on volunteer days have been busy planting spring bulbs in various parts of the Garden and in large pots and tubs, all with very clear labelling. This activity has, in part, been made possible by donations to our special appeal. Once the bulbs have flowered next spring, the bulbs in containers will be planted out in the Garden. Many favourites have been planted and there should be a vibrant display of colour and form in the first half of the year. We shall see varieties of Allium, Anemone, Chionodoxa, Crocus, Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite), Eremurus bungei (foxtail lily), Fritillaria, Hyacinthus, Iris reticulata, Narcissus including the Tenby daffodil, Ornithogalum and Tulipa. For the tubs and pots, the planting mix was based on the peat-free Melcourt Treborth Mix potting compost (which includes loam) with a generous addition of gravel and Perlite, and Osmacote slow-release fertiliser. This ensures a well-drained planting medium with fertiliser to support growth over several months. Angela Thompson 4 Chair’s Report to the AGM, 2 November 2107 I’d like to start with looking at the events we’ve held over the past year. There were three successful plant sales that always have such a good atmosphere and are as much social events as for fund raising. The May plant sale was registered as an event in the North Wales Festival of Gardens so we made it an open day with guided walks in the afternoon, in the hope that the advertising in the Festival brochure would bring in lots of new visitors. We sold plenty of plants in the morning, but the afternoon was not particularly busy and certainly didn’t justify the cost of being in the Festival. We also tried holding our autumn sale this year on the same day as the fungus foray. Both the plant sale and the foray went well but it was very tiring for those volunteers who were here all day. However, what has been great to see is the number of volunteers who are happy to help with these events. We were a bit worried before the autumn sale because several of us were not available on that day, but we have such a good pool of people now that there are plenty who cheerfully put their hands up when we’re asking for help. I’ve been particularly pleased with one new initiative this year - the botanical seminars. Tomos Jones came up with this idea at one Committee meeting, when we were lamenting the lack of botany teaching in the University. Why don’t we fill this gap, he said; we have a wealth of knowledge amongst our members and other contacts. So he and Jen Towill have set up a programme of monthly seminars in the autumn and spring terms. These are primarily aimed at students but also are very popular with our older members. They are putting together the 2018 programme now so if you have any suggestions for speakers please let one of them know. Nigel gave the first seminar in January, and we also prevailed on him to do a couple of his nature walks, one bird watching in Newborough, and the other to the Dingle local nature reserve in Llangefni. Actually, I’m glad to say we don’t have to persuade Nigel very hard – his natural enthusiasm for sharing his love of nature seems to spill out of him - as you will have also seen in his wonderful articles for the newsletter. Our partnership with the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust has continued. We visited Ty Fry on Anglesey last February to see their spectacular snowdrop display, and we had a coach trip to Biddulph Grange – a most extraordinary garden near Stoke on Trent. Our annual coach tour with them was to gardens in the Midlands; we all came back from there inspired by the gardens we saw and with a coach full of plants we had bought. As well as organising plant sales and other events in the garden, members have been busy doing practical gardening. Just a few examples of what we have 5 done: the bulbs and other pllants that were planted last year have produced a magnificent display throughout the year as the seasons have changed, and every volunteer day you can find Ann or Mary or Hilary, or one of the other volunteers, dead-heading away to encourage even more flowering.