Sunday 29 May 2011

Sunday Safari


I’m building up quite a back-log of images at the moment… So make yourself a nice hot drink and bear with me…


I recently caved into the charms of perennial wallflowers… And so far they’re a big hit with the Bees



This Bee was resting with its face in the bloom… I’ve seen this quite a lot, where the Bees are seemingly asleep.

Another Bee arrived…



And the original ‘sleeping’ Bee didn’t welcome the visitor! Lol




The Bees are also loving the Salvia…

I also got myself some Knautia Macedonica, and I look forward to the insects also loving its blooms, the Scabious will join it once they’re large enough to be planted into their forever homes.

My wild red poppies are blooming, although not as impressive as last year, I was too ‘lax in getting seeds sown, these ones have appeared at the foot of the Blackcurrant bush for some reason…






I’m liking this pink Aquilegia, its skirt is also pink yet other flowers on the same plant have yellow skirts… I prefer the one solid colour I think.

Feverfew is back again and much larger than last year, I think I’ll try saving some seeds and growing it elsewhere as it’s currently in the middle of the path and I’m getting tired of stepping around it!


Copyright 2011 Liz.
All rights reserved. Content created by Liz for Gwirrel’s Garden.

24 comments:

ShySongbird said...

Lots of lovely blooms here Liz. I love the photos of the Wallflowers with the Bees. The wild Poppies are lovely too.

It is drizzling a little here at the moment but the wind is so high that it will just dry it up before it can do any good!

Cheryl said...

Hi Liz,

Hot drink, it is roasting here. I am just sipping a glass of orange juice topped up with ice cubes!!! I have been trying to garden, but it is too hot for me, I will go out later in the day.

I love the bee sequence.....such pretty images and fun to see the sleeping bee being disturbed. Ha!

You have some lovely blooms in your garden.......I always look forward to scabious coming into bloom.

Enjoy the extended weekend......

Michelle Palmer said...

Gorgeous photographs... love the pair of bees sharing!
Wishing you joy~

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the wallflower photos. I love their scent and could almost feel it wafting into the room as I was enjoying the visual treat :)

Lona said...

What wonderful pictures of the bees. I have never grown Wallflowers either but they look so pretty. So are the Lupines. Have a wonderful weekend Liz.

easygardener said...

Lovely pictures. I have often seen what I thought was a dead bee only for it to fly off when I blow on it. They can go amazingly immobile and still.
Why is it plants are so attracted to paths - if not blocking them they feel the need to seed in every crack!

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

Great images! You are such a good photographer (I said this before, didn't I?)! I want to touch those bees!

Anna said...

Your comment about the feverfew made me smile Liz. I have to step over a self sown hardy geranium every time I leave/enter via the front door. Don't have the heart to remove it in summer and then forget all about in the winter.

debsgarden said...

I always enjoy your softly focused photos.T hese are great! You make me want some wallflowers, too!

Anonymous said...

The bees have been very busy at the moment - its great to have plants that encourage them. Your photos are just wonderful.

Janet/Plantaliscious said...

Beautiful images Liz. I think perennial wallflowers are great, although I lost most of mine in the winter, partly my fault for not trimming them back tidily when they finished flowering I think. I too prefer the single coloured aquilegias, or at least ones that are sligthly different shades of the same colour.

Liz said...

Hi Jan,

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the flowers :)

Yesterday was pretty much constant drizzle and rain here until late afternoon, so the garden I would imagine is now drenched. I'd wanted to get my new plants in and the steps upto the upper tier done... Oh well. It's clear skies today but I think I'll have to leave the planting for another day because the ground will be so saturated and walking on clay isn't such a good idea... Plus I have another assignment due tomorrow, and lots of baby birds in the garden and I don't want to upset them as they learn to fly/feed.

Liz said...

Hi Cheryl,

Lol, lucky you! It's been generally much cooler here recently although still warm enough not to need to wear jackets - just the grey has been quite tiresome.

I think my Scabious is a long way off blooming, all the grey weather has slowed its growth unfortunately, but I do have a few medium-sized seedlings waiting to be planted and I do hope I get some more of the dark ones like I had for the past couple of years.

Liz said...

Hi Michelle,

Thanks, I love watching the Bees too and it's always a great pleasure when I see so many around the garden!

Liz said...

Hi Patricia,

Oooh, the Wallflowers have a scent? I hadn't noticed yet... I will have to bring some indoors I think to go in a vase! :)

Liz said...

Hi Lona,

This is my first year with the Wallflowers, my parents always grew the more traditional type when I was a child and I used to hate them. But these are such a pretty lilac that I couldn't resist, and actually I wish now that I'd picked up the other type too which is an goldeny shade with purple tinge to the petals...

Liz said...

Hi EG,

I think they tend to sleep when there's a drop in the temperature, so I often see them resting on blooms before moving off again.
Sometimes it can be nice seeing plants popping up in places, and last year this feverfew was much smaller and not so much of a problem but this year it's over a foot tall so is causing problems for me lol. I only saved it last year because I was glad to see one pop up after having thought I'd lost them.

Liz said...

Hi Tatyana,

Thanks very much :)
The Bees also love to sunbathe on our back door, they're often seen clinging to it and I took photos a few days ago of two washing themselves... I'm not sure why they like it so much! lol

Liz said...

Hi Anna,

Hahaha, I'm glad I'm not the only one with plants popping up in inappropriate places! :) Although I imagine your Geranium does look very nice...

Liz said...

Hi Debs,

The wallflowers are very nice and certainly good at attracting the insects so at the moment they're very welcome, especially as we're in a little bit of a slump in blooms.

Liz said...

Hi,

I try to attract as many Bees as possible, and my white clover is just coming into bloom on the lawn at the moment and I hope it attracts as many Bees as it did last year! It became a minefield trying to get across the grass because there were so many Bees in the clover... Although we do seem to have lost big patches of it compared to last year when I honestly thought we'd have no grass left!

Nutty Gnome said...

Wonderful photos as ever Liz. Must get some perennial wallflowers!
I've got loads of poppies this year - mainl;y because I leave them to self seed all over the place :)

You interested in popping over here for a 'local bloggers tour of the tea house'soon?!

Curbstone Valley Farm said...

I love finding power-napping bees asleep in the garden among the flowers. It makes you wonder just how hard they've been working out there collecting nectar and pollen!

Laura Bloomsbury said...

Your sunday safaris are a treat for the eyes Liz, let alone the bees. I can hear the hum as I meander amongst your blooms. First year for me with lilac-hued perennial wallflowers so must take cuttings as more is better!