Gwirrel's Garden

Blog is on the move

2011-09-19T19:20:00.000+01:00

For those of you who perhaps haven't seen my last post:

I’ve decided to move the blog to wordpress… Why? Well I’m tired of having problems logging into blogger, and replying to posts… it’s been months now that they’ve had issues with certain users having difficulty and I think it’s about time it was sorted.

So instead I’ve decided to up sticks and move, also because wordpress allows users to reply directly to comments… it makes it much easier to reply to someone personally rather than just making a general reply.

The entire blog is moving, I’ve imported all my old posts and comments; so everything is still there to be seen. The blog is different, as yet I haven't worked out how to customise the coding for myself; it looks like you have to pay just to be able to edit html/CSS, so that is one negative.

To those of you following me, please update your favourites to http://gwirrel.wordpress.com

Thanks! And I’ll see you on the other side :)

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

It’s time to say adieu…

2011-09-13T18:22:00.000+01:00

Nah, only kidding!

Actually, I’ve decided to move the blog to wordpress… Why? Well I’m tired of having problems logging into blogger, and replying to posts… it’s been months now that they’ve had issues with certain users having difficulty and I think it’s about time it was sorted.

So instead I’ve decided to up sticks and move, also because wordpress allows users to reply directly to comments… it makes it much easier to reply to someone personally rather than just making a general reply.

The entire blog is moving, I’ve imported all my old posts and comments; so everything is still there to be seen. The blog is different, as yet I haven't worked out how to customise the coding for myself; it looks like you have to pay just to be able to edit html/CSS, so that is one negative.

To those of you following me, please update your favourites to http://gwirrel.wordpress.com

Thanks! And I’ll see you on the other side :)

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

Sunny Saturday

2011-09-10T14:08:00.000+01:00

After some rather windy and wet weather for a few days, the sun finally shone and I attempted some more photos. Although they’re nothing new; you’ve all seen them before, it was nice just to get outside.

A young Sea Holly plant, waiting to be planted into its final home

Tiny Forget-me-not blooms; rather late but welcome anyway

Thursday was spent power hosing the decking and walls. It’s amazing! You’d never realise just how much dirt gathers in only a year. I had planned to seal it too but Pete being lazy didn’t want to go to B&Q to get some. I’m quite annoyed actually because jobs he was meant to do have been ignored and with the anticipated winds, rain etc from Hurricane Katia I know we won’t be able to do it over the weekend and into next week.
Asters given to me by my neighbour are almost ready to bloom… The flutters and other insects love them

Friday again we could’ve sealed the decking and once again he didn’t want to go to B&Q. Instead I moved the Monkshood from the new border and planted it on the upper tier. I then planted Miscanthus ‘pink flamingo’ in its place and a few Burnetts.
I’m on a mission to get as many of the plants in pots into the ground before winter not only to clear the decking but also to allow room for the many Tulip bulbs I need to plant. Then it’ll be a case of waiting for the crocus, iris etc to come and I can plant them around the garden.

Flat-topped Aster is beginning to seed. It seems too early for it to be finishing already.

Only one Gladioli is blooming, the rest all seem to be blind…

Saturday morning we set off early to the shops, spent way too much at B&Q on hedge trimmers, lamps, and all manner of other things. However I have now managed to oil the decking at last. The house smells of a chemical factory now so all windows are open to help get rid of the smell (next time I'll try to find some 'friendly' oil, as this stuff I discovered is really bad for the environment... I've never done this type of thing before and didn't realise).
Some small Hellebore plants arrived today and I really want to get them settled before winter - very much looking forward to their blooms in a few months!
It's Pete's birthday tomorrow so hopefully the weather will be ok and we'll get out somewhere.

Harlow Carr’s blooms have been damaged by the rain, not to worry as there are plenty of buds waiting.

Crocosmia are almost finished too, few blooms are left.

Comma chrysalis shows little changes; there seems to be a strange silver-ness on the right. Is this the chrysalis breaking open and revealing the first signs of the butterfly within?

There are lots of these small yellow and black ladybirds around at the moment. They’re always on this geranium.

Small Copper

2011-09-08T16:26:00.000+01:00

Since the weather’s been so grim over the past few days I have no new photos to show… This morning I managed to get the decking and walls powerwashed; just hoping now that I’ll be able to seal/paint tomorrow or over the weekend.

These are old photos, but a while ago the Small Copper finally arrived, although I do hope they appear again before Summer is definitely over.

I was glad to see the Sea Holly attracting yet another visitor

So of course I had to stalk it and it was surprisingly friendly and I had no problems getting really close on a number of occasions.

Saturday Safari

2011-09-03T16:45:00.000+01:00

The flutters are still with us… Albeit in much lower numbers… I haven’t seen a Gatekeeper for a few days now so am afraid they’ve left us… I have seen a Red Admiral hanging around the Buddlejas though, taking advantage of the very last blooms. I just hope now, that the Asters in my and next door’s garden begin blooming soon; they often attract Commas, Red Admirals and Small Tortoiseshells.

Today I saw a Small Tortoiseshell, it’s looking very tatty indeed and I fear it’s not long for this world.

Sedum is slowly getting its colour…

And an update on the caterpillar

Sadly I didn’t get to see it turning; last time I checked it was exactly the same as before, just hanging in situ and then today it’s finally in its chrysalis. I can’t see any more in the nettles, but I don’t want to disturb them too much in case I damage one, but I’m hopeful there are another couple at least.

I’ve handed in my dissertation now; and was all set for some celebrating and a bit of a break relaxing for the next week or so… But then I began to panic about getting a job so I’ve started writing my CV and cover letters. I didn’t even manage 24 hours just relaxing! Haha. Typical of me.
I don’t actually know what to do with myself any more… All this spare time… I was sat very bored yesterday trying to work out what to do, eventually I remembered I have a pile of books that I had to put off reading. I also find myself regularly walking into the kitchen to sit at the table to do my work… Then realise I don’t need to be in there anymore! Disoriented, oh yes.

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

A Beautiful Day

2011-09-01T15:51:00.000+01:00

It’s an absolutely glorious day here today… And I’m stuck inside sorting the last minute issues with my dissertation…

The sun has been calling me outside and I’ve had a little bit of a potter around the garden… and discovered something quite odd. One of the Sea Holly has been ripped up – well actually, just some of its stems but not all – and a cornflower. I wonder if Fox has been around? I saw one at the bottom of our road last night. Seems rather strange. I wonder if Fox or Cat was after Ratty? It wasn’t far from Rattie’s home (really must tell my neighbour!)

The Bees and Hoverflies are out in force again, and there’s a few Butterflies around too *sigh*

They seem to like the Gaillardia; not too keen on the colour myself, but if the insects like it then it’s a hit in my book!

And guess what else I spied?

I’ll try to keep track of the little fella… I’m wondering whether to bring it indoors and put it in a spare glass tank I have.

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

End of Month – August

2011-08-31T19:30:00.000+01:00

For the first time in a long time I’m actually prepared! Wooo go me. Perhaps it’s because I’m so acutely aware of the date at the moment (I’ve just no idea what day it is! The Bank Holiday on Monday was quite a shock and I’m now a day off.)

Judging by photos from other people’s gardens I still have a long way to go to keep the interest going throughout the season. It’s been a strange old year, with spring starting exceptionally early – Snowdrops in Jan, crocus end of Feb and so on. That I think everything is just worn out now.
Planning for next year has begun; even though I’ve no real idea if I’ll still be living here… Almost doesn’t seem worth it, but at the same time I want to at least enjoy myself when I am here!

Most of the problems with the garden this year are my own fault, as I've had to pretty much ignore it since around April. I have done small jobs occasionally, but there's lots of rubbish left around, piles of cuttings and such which add to the over-all feeling that it's a mess. It's amazing just how much the garden needs us to regularly do things to keep it looking good; all those small jobs I must normally do really do add up.
As a result I have a massive list to do once the dissertation is handed in... First on the list is power cleaning the decking, steps and walls. Then paint doors and skirting boards inside. After that it'll be a case of moving plants and hopefully getting the many plants in pots planted.

The Buddleja border continues to be an annoyance, I just can’t ever seem to have lots of colour in it, and I think this year is especially bad. So I am gearing toward planting mainly hostas and ferns. Its problem is the Buddleja, which every year takes over and casts lots of shade, then as the blooms die I cut it back and the border is once again opened up.

This is the view from the other side of the border… such a sorry sight.

The right border from the house (never know what to call this one…)
There have been gaps in this one this year, so unfortunately it isn’t looking so great now and many of the seedling plants I put in took too long to grow thanks to the dry weather.

A plant that Cheryl gave me, it’s doing well but I’ve still no idea what it’s meant to be as it hasn’t bloomed…

The Thistle continues to grow… Looking forward to its blooms!

Next year I need to remove a lot of the Aster because it’s grown too large and the rest of the border has suffered. Compared to last year it’s been very bare.

The Monkshood on the left will be moved onto the upper tier to open up the border against the fence which I have been unable see/get to for months now. Instead, I have some nice whispy Burnet that can replace it, and plan to also plant some Dierama.

Pyracantha’s berries are near ripe now

The cherry border is looking very bare now the Foxgloves and such have finished blooming.

However, these spurge do tend to pop up, at least they’re adding a bit of green; even if I don’t like them.

I also added a few more Pulmonaria last week sometime, these will be Blue and should like quite nice contrasting with ‘sissinghurst white’.

The upper tier remains rather bare and boring, but hopefully next year it will be much better. I’ve had to pretty much ignore it for the past couple of months whilst I’ve been doing my work.

So far there are Veronicastrum, Flat-topped Aster and Black Elder. There are also some Clematis on the fence, but both are looking a little worse for wear… I’m hoping they bounce back.

The small Acer’s leaves are turning…

And ragwort is ensuring I have more blooms next year to keep the Gatekeepers happy.

And let’s finish off with this… An odd juxtaposition.
A foxglove (?!!) at the end of August, blooming and the Fuji Cherry’s leaves have already began to turn. The other (original) Fuji cherry behind it, which was almost totally destroyed by workmen remains green.

And just because we’ve had some amazing sunsets over the past few days…

Sunday Safari

2011-08-28T08:42:00.000+01:00

I’m just having a bit of a break from writing this morning; yesterday my brain was going into overdrive and had me still writing my dissertation at 11pm. To be honest though, it’s for the best because the sooner I get it finished the longer I have to tweak and also the less likely it is that something will go wrong regarding getting it printed and bound.

Once I’m finished I aim to give myself a nice holiday, I’d like a 2 week one… But know that after a few days I’ll begin to panic over getting a job so will actually probably only have a few days. What I’d really like is a special holiday somewhere, but I’d need Pete to have time off! Grrrr.

Anyway; onto the garden

White Saliva is blooming, I bought these fairly recently, but like with most other plants they’ve been sat waiting until the soil is soft enough and I have the time to plant them. It’s been so long, that I’ve had to pot them on into a large pot because they were clearly becoming pot-bound.

Sea Holly provides wonderful, late colour.

And the insects like it:

They also like the Cosmos

Cupid’s Dart is still blooming, although with relatively few blooms now. I ought to have sown some more seeds for next year.

One of the Salvia; is not doing so well, I think some sort of caterpillar is eating it.

The Dahlias add colour to pots on the decking

Oh yes, more blooms to come from ‘Harlow Carr’

Perennial wallflower is amazing and has been blooming for such a long time.

Verbena Bonariensis towers above the border; white butterflies seem to be attracted to it the most.

Anemone is hiding away… Or rather, it’s being swamped out by the Asters and Gladioli… I will have to move it.

The Asters which are taking over… Do provide plenty of food for insects though.

I planted this Sedum after some rain, the soil was easier to dig but still quite dry… The roots of the Asters are already growing, preparing to send out yet more plants next year. I will have to chop them and move them otherwise the entire border will soon be monopolised.

A Quick Breather

2011-08-26T12:58:00.000+01:00

Those days really are creeping by at the moment… Who’d have thought the last week would’ve gone so quickly?

Miscanthus sinesis ‘flamingo’ is a new addition, and once the ground is soft enough for me to work I’ll attempt to find it a home.

Gaillardia is also new, it was cheap as it’s somewhat damaged – I initially assumed it had bloomed and was dying. But actually there are buds beginning to flower.

The Geranium given to me in July (?) seems to be happy and is already expanding with some leaves growing a good distance away from the crown.

A forget-me-not has a few blooms on it… brightens up and otherwise shady area.

Chives have another flush of blooms

Gatekeepers are still out and about, although not quite in such high numbers as a few weeks ago.

Dianthus bought so long ago now it’s a hazy memory continue to bloom. Very nice!

The Gaura on the bottom appears to have too many petals… Seems like it’s two blooms in one…

The chopped Salvia is also on its second flush, sadly the other plants are not doing quite so well and I don’t think they'll put on another show for me.

I checked up on the caterpillars… One’s disappeared, I assume it’s gone off to pupate.

And this is the most exciting of the moment…

It’s the Tuberous Thistle, I had assumed I’d missed the blooms for this year as I didn’t plant it until quite late. But both plants now have buds on them… I’m hoping they’ll be out when the Commas emerge!

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

Straw Foxglove?

2011-08-23T14:16:00.000+01:00

So, the Foxglove seeds I bought from the RHS didn’t quite turn out as expected… they were bought as a collection and I’ve lost the seed packets – most annoyingly as they were a) expensive and b) I only ever got to use the Foxgloves so still have lots of herbs and other plants I want to sow!!!
None of my white/cream excelsior mix self-seeded last year much to my disappointment and I’d spotted these Foxglove growing nicely and was grateful that I wouldn’t be without my ‘white’ Foxgloves… Oh well, they aren’t exactly white, nor are they as impressive but they are still lovely in their own right.

I’ve done a little research and believe I have Digitalis lutea or very, very maybe Digitalis Viridiflora (but I don’t think they’re brown enough!), I will have to move my plants as they are much smaller than I expected them to be and they’re being drowned by other plants; I think I’ll move them under the Cherry or to the upper tier where I dream of a nice woodland border with lots of Foxgloves.

I’ll be saving seeds of these unusual and unique little beauties and hope to get many more in the coming years.

The blooms are tiny – I don’t think the Bees will be climbing up inside these!

So, what say you my lovelies? Lutea or Viridiflora?

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

More Comma Caterpillar photos…

2011-08-20T14:01:00.000+01:00

For those of you who have perhaps missed the previous ‘pillar posts, you can catch up:

Here
and Here

I managed to find a helpful website which stated that second brood Commas overwinter as adults, this means these dudes should hopefully have pupated and hatched in a few weeks so I will be able to cut back the nettles.

It has to be said though… I have been tempted to bring them indoors, cut the nettles back but leave some there so I can feed them. That way I can dig some of the patch up and not worry about disturbing any? But then there’s always the risk that there are some eggs on the plants.

So, today I had a little look at my dude, just to check it was still alive…

I’m not entirely certain what it was trying to do…

Then I looked at the rest of the nettles to gauge whether it had eaten anything; slightly concerned that the leaf it was on doesn’t appear to have been nibbled.
Anyway, what I found instead was this lurking under a leaf:

It is clearly much more advanced compared to little dude…

Now my curiosity was piqued I looked harder and found this:

This one is on its last instar, I so I suspect will begin to pupate very soon

It wasn’t very obliging for photos though! Who’d have thought these two larger ones remained unnoticed, I guess it must mean they’re actually quite well camouflaged!

When searching the nettles for further inhabitants I came across this:

Virtual cookies for whomever can identify it… *I’m sure someone will be able to!*
I've actually seen quite a few of them this year but this is the first time I had my camera handy.

Caterpillar update and a few bloom shots

2011-08-19T14:07:00.000+01:00

Ok, so since I’m procrastinating from doing my Uni work I thought I might as well post some updated photos…

I hadn’t expected to see any difference in little Comma caterpillar dude (as posted only a couple of days ago), so when I went out for a wander around the garden. I checked up on him and sure enough he was still there… Inside I went to get camera and there is a definite change in him!

These little guys work fast don’t they?!

Anyway here we go:

What’s that dark thing near it?

I think it’s its old skin! It’s shed already… Interesting. So does this mean little dude is now on its 2nd instar?

The nettle patch is next to the Aster, and the Bees/Flutters weren’t too impressed with me being in the way… Well, actually I was nervous at hearing buzzing quite so close to my face, although I do love how Bees just get on with the jobs of collecting food… Little robots on a mission and nothing will stop them!

I cut back the Lavender and now have a fresh flush :)

Yesterday I might’ve been a bad girl and bought more plants… I was actually on the hunt for some sedum, so I don’t feel quite so bad…

Meadowbrown Butterfly finally posing for me

And a sneak peek at what’s yet to come; Aster Lady in Black will steal the show in the next month or so.

Comma Butterfly – 1st Instar Caterpillar

2011-08-17T18:42:00.000+01:00

Yay, I knew there was a purpose for me keeping the nettles; today I found my first Comma caterpillar… I just hope to see more.

Definitely won’t be chopping them back quite just yet… The things one does for wildlife, huh?

This little dude, is apparently on its 1st instar, and by the time it’s ready to pupate it’ll look quite different.

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

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – August

2011-08-15T21:12:00.000+01:00

Unprepared yet again for GBBD, but if you’d like to join in pop over to: May Dreams Gardens

I was away in London at the weekend and this morning went outside and noticed something looked really wrong on the right-hand side of the garden… I looked at the hedge as if something was missing to discover people behind me had done this:

I’m really rather angry that they’ve chopped it back (and realise it's in theory none of my business). They thinned it out last year and I see no reason for having hacked at it like this. Now, if I go further up the garden I’ve lost all sense of seclusion and feel totally overlooked. Thankfully the birds don’t really use it all that much – just perch in it before flying down to my feeders and of course also eat the Cherries. So I’m not so horrified at the seemingly mindless act of chopping a tree and the consequences on the wildlife. But of course, come spring when the insects need an early supply of food… Well.
So, it looks like I’ll be allowing my hedge to grow taller now so I can at least block out the windows to some extent. It’s not like I expect someone to be staring out of the windows constantly; more a case of feeling exposed and I like my garden to feel nice and secluded; so I can go into my own little world and not think about anyone else.

Ok, well we’ll stop the rant because it isn’t getting us anywhere… Onto the garden shots. Sadly at the moment we’re in a bit of a lull, most late summer/Autumn things seem to be teasing me and holding off at the moment, so really all I have blooming are plants you’ve all seen time and again. We have, however recently had Crocosmia and Scabious start to bloom… Hardly setting the world alight though.
I’ve had to water the garden regularly because it’s still so dry and any rain we do get is quickly soaked up by the very thirsty ground.

The rose in the front garden has a second flush, I think it’s ‘iceberg’ although I cannot be sure as I suspect these roses have been in the front for many years now.

She provides quite a nice backdrop to the Crocosmia

The Nicotiana and Bidens is quite pleasing too

I’ve had my first load of Tomatoes and the second lot are coming along nicely.

There was meant to be a Butterfly on this photo but it flew away just as I was pressing on the shutter release

I’m so glad to see a white Scabious from my mixed seed packet, sadly there doesn’t seem to be any of the really deep red/black ones like I had in previous years.

I’m loving the rich shades of this one though; I don’t think I’ve had one quite like this previously.

Flat-topped Aster is still blooming and still very large.

Thank god I have these to brighten up the lower levels of the ‘new’ border… The Asters are swamping out everything else.

Roseraie de l’hay is attempting another flush after I dead-headed it. I’m looking forward to her perfume again.

More Crocosmia grows under roseraie de l’hay

Veronicastrum has suffered the wrath of the Aster too, next year I will either have to move this or dig up a lot of the Aster.

Stipa is even prettier than before!

Lobellia have come from somewhere; I think from the hanging basket I had last year…

Sea Holly, Verbena Bonariensis, Verbena Hastata, Sweet Rocket, Cosmos and two butterflies

This is my first year with Rudbekia ‘Goldstrum’, it isn’t as tall as I’d hoped… But with any luck it’ll come back next year… Although my past luck with Cornflowers is poor.

The Dianthus I bought way back in early spring are still blooming!

As are the wild poppies

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

Garden Insects

2011-08-09T17:06:00.000+01:00

I’ve taken some short movies of the garden using my phone, so don’t expect anything spectacular…

The aim was to show the number of insects buzzing around the Aster, there are often butterflies too but I tend to scare them away, especially if I’m standing and moving. For flutters you’re best remaining very still and having patience; I love how Bees just don’t seem to care, they’re on a mission and nothing will stop them getting their nectar/pollen.

Sadly it isn’t translating too well, as the video is quite small so you can’t really see them buzzing around. Also I find the phone tends to blow out the colours a bit; i.e. high contrast and saturation… Blacks are very black and colours are very strong.

This one shows Hoverflies enjoying some California Poppy blooms

I’m trying to figure out how to make it automatically play in HD, however when you click play you will then see a 360p pop up on the bottom bar, if you click the little arrow next to it you can then switch to HD instead should you fancy seeing the videos in better quality.

My heart goes out to the victims of the current looting around the UK, especially to one guy who'd been punched or attacked, was on the floor and then looters came to 'help' him. Instead they mugged him. It still makes me cry just thinking about it; so horrendous to watch.

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

Flutters and Flowers

2011-08-05T22:56:00.001+01:00

Ok, I’m about to apologise yet again for the Butterfly photos. It’s just that there are so many around that it’s difficult *not* to take any photos of them. They entice me, sing to me; taunting me to come closer and take some photos.

A Peacock and Red Admiral

Then a Gatekeeper attempts to muscle in and shove the Red Admiral out (funny how the background looks white when it was a sunny day…)

After reading a post over at: Plantaliscious I discovered that these Bees with the yellow bums are in fact leaf-cutter Bees, they’re regularly seen on the Cosmos and Bird’s foot Trefoil. It’s been blooming for months now and keeping the Bees extremely happy.

And this cheeky baby Shield Bug thinks the Trefoil is also a good place to hide.

Harlow Carr rose has another flush after no blooms for a week or two, I bet my regular readers have all been missing her… ;)

Susan Williams-Ellis also has another flush; she’s been struggling a bit with the dry weather… In fact a lot of plants have and I’ve been trying my best to water everything more and we now have lots of Sweet Peas, yay!

Some interesting lichen on the Magnolia Stellata

Turns out, one of the best times to get close to Butterflies is when they’re, urm, otherwise engaged…

Lliatris makes interesting shots

Ragwort has been attracting the insects like a magnet… You need this in your garden if you don’t already.

Just look at all these Hoverflies on this Burnett!

Sea Holly is another magnet, although you can only see the one Hoverfly on there, be assured that there are normally swarms of Bees and Butterflies too.

Look at this growing in the pebbles on the tier… A Tomato, I’ve even begun watering it, we’ll see if we get any fruits!

Just to finish this blog post with…. More Butterflies…

Today we’ve had three Peacocks and one Red Admiral; just waiting for the Painted Ladies now!

See, there is a reason I’ve been leaving the job of moving this wood until after my dissertation is finished!

Gatekeepers on the Coneflowers

How many ‘keepers can you spot on this Ragwort?

I'd have to estimate there were between 10-15 Gatekeepers around the garden today, at the same time as these on the Ragwort I also had one on some sea thrift, another three on Ragwort elsewhere, the two on the Coneflowers and then the odd few flitting around the hedge. I'll miss them so much when they're gone!

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

Wordless Wednesday - fairy grass

2011-08-03T10:49:00.000+01:00

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

End of Month – July

2011-08-01T10:11:00.000+01:00

Apologies, I forgot yet again that it was the end of the month…

Nothing has changed since I last updated on the garden, I don’t actually think anything has come into bloom that wasn’t in the last one… I’m not so sure it’s worthwhile posting anything to be honest.

It’s been just so incredibly dry here, there are garden jobs I need to do plants that need planting and I’ve been waiting for a wet spell to do it, but just never happens and the ground is so hard. Last week I think it was, I decided to bite the bullet and move some Asters that were down near the kitchen in the Buddleja border so I could then plant the new Geranium… Well neither spade nor fork could get any deeper than an inch. In the end I had to soak it for half an hour and then go back later.

Veronicastrum is coming to its end… I hope next year they will make more of a statement.

Monkshood too is not far off finishing, I think I will chop it back when it does.

Stipa is looking very pretty and whispy

I came across this beautiful moth last week… Something must’ve disturbed it out of its hiding place

Oh yes I need to get back on track, this is an end of month view!

The flat-topped Aster seems to be in full flow… Of course it’s nice that it’s already blooming, however I am worried that at this rate I’ll have nothing in September/October because it’s bloomed so early.

The grass is gradually getting worse, I’ve given it a quick watering but it still needs a good drench.

And I’ll leave you with Cotoneaster berries ripening…

And a view taken from an upstairs window… This isn’t a photo I take often enough, although now it’s largely blocked by the Buddleja being in bloom.

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

More Butterflies I’m afraid

2011-07-27T18:47:00.001+01:00

Last week we had an amazing day of flutters, and naturally I had to spend most of my day stalking them.

We’ll start with this large moth; I don’t know which type it is though

We had Green-Veined Whites

Commas

Gatekeepers arguing along the hedge

Small Tortoiseshells

Large and Small Whites

Peacocks

And then just as I was sat hoping for Small Coppers like last year and wondering whether I’d see any more Skippers along came these: Small Skippers

They’re so dinky and cute

And if I hadn’t sang praises enough for Erysimum yet… Almost every species of flutter I’ve had this year has fed off it!

It had a little sunbathe on the Lupin

And then the Coreopsis ‘early sunrise’.

Sadly I didn’t manage to get a shot of them together before they chased each other away.

We did also have Meadow Brown, Speckled wood and my first Red Admiral that I didn't manage to snap a photo of!

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

Where has the year gone?

2011-07-23T19:12:00.000+01:00

I’m deeply concerned that we’re speedily coming into August; where does the time go??

We’re into the mid-summer garden now and lots of plants are blooming, yet I still have this compulsion to buy more, more and yet more plants! Eeeek, I’m quickly running out of space, however the last batch I’ve bought is intended for the front garden; White Saliva, and a couple of types of Burnett.

I’m still yet to get some plants in the ground that I’ve bought over the past few months, I’ve been stalling so I’ll have to make a point of getting them in so they can get settled before Autumn arrives in September.

Dahlia ‘Happy Days’ and Isotama, I’m not too sure about the combination, however at least they are adding a nice splash of colour.

Bergamot is suffering somewhat from some mildew type thing, and I’ve discovered that another has survived winter and it’s just popping up now so it’ll be a few weeks before we see any blooms off it.

Dahlia Roxy is combined with Nemesia…

I can’t believe how much it actually smells of Vanilla, amazing.

This rose has popped up in the hedge near the other rose I’ve posted about previously… I’ve never seen one this colour before so I wonder why it’s just appeared.

And this is the first time I’ve had white cornflowers!

This is a darker shaded version of the mystery plant I posted about last week, I’ve no idea what they are…

I chopped these Nettles back a few weeks ago and it looks like they’re coming back with a vengeance… Oh well, they’re good for the ground and I can compost them again and add lots of nice nutrients.

This Shasta Daisy is at my parent’s, I stole some blooms that were laying on the ground… I’ve warned mum that next spring I’ll be round to steal some for the garden :D

They’re sharing a vase with Dianthus, Sweet Peas, Dahlias and some of my own Shasta Daisies.

The Hostas this year are doing very well with little to no damage on their leaves… I think it’s partially down to there being so little rain since February but also because we’ve discovered we have a little friend visiting us… A juvenile rat, I’ve caught it on camera with a slug in its mouth and then saw it carrying a Snail. It’s been seen on a number of occasions out in the open in broad daylight; twice it’s been so close to me I could’ve easily stroked it. Silly Rattie. We’ve set up a humane trap to try to catch it but it’s too small to set it off. However I haven’t seen it for a week or so now, and fear a local cat has caught it.

And here’s Rattie…

Gaura is blooming at last, although I do miss my long-stemmed type… These smaller varieties just don’t dance in the wind.

I always think they look like dolphins riding the surf… Or, and here’s a flashback to my childhood… A movie called ‘the last unicorn’ and there’s a scene at the end where the Unicorns are freed from the sea; long story short – they’ve been driven into the sea and they’re riding on the waves… Anyway, enough of the tangent!

Ladybird Larvae!

Wednesday – Butterflies

2011-07-20T09:22:00.000+01:00

Ok, so the flutter photos have been building up for a time now… So yep, lots of photos again!

We’ll start with this Large Skipper

This is my first year with the perennial wallflower ‘Bowles Mauve’ and well, what can I say? Butterflies really do like it. I always see the Small Tortoiseshell on there – it even ignores the Buddleja in preference of this! And now this skipper, I wonder what else it will attract.

It then chose to feed on the Privet blooms; if ever there was a reason to allow your privet to bloom it’s for the Butterflies and Bees. Ours is alive with insects fluttering and buzzing along it at the moment. Earlier today I even rescued a little Bee, and placed it back on the privet – full story to come another day, this post will already be long enough :)

Speckled Wood and Gatekeepers also love the privet

I’ve discovered that the Small Tortoiseshells really love the perennial wallflower, please if you haven’t already – get some! You won’t regret it, I promise :)

I think this one must be an older one as its colours are somewhat washed out, it probably over-wintered here.

Compare the colours to this one, which I assume has probably only emerged recently:

Here we had two on the same Buddleja bloom, one is lighter than the other and its wings are more tatty.

And here’s an indication of my dedication… I was laying on the grass at this point, when first a Peacock landed on a bloom a few inches away and then a Small Tortoiseshell landed on a bloom even closer…

I love how the hair is catching the light, you can really see the iridescence of their colours.

Also, here’s a good reason to have Feverfew in the garden… (look to the right, there’s a Peacock)

And, Ragwort (this Peacock butterfly actually looks fake here!)

Look how velvety the wings are? I think this must’ve also recently emerged.

And purely because it looked cute, playing peek-a-boo…

Safari Sunday

2011-07-17T15:46:00.000+01:00

Time for a quick catch-up… it’s so easy to get behind on photos at this time of year and yet I know in a few short months I’ll be struggling to find anything at all!

This weekend we’ve finally had some rain; even if it did ruin my plans to go to Chatsworth… Oh well, it’ll have to wait until September/October now once the kids have gone back to school and it’ll be quieter. It’s been very dry here, with only a day of rain here and there it just hasn’t been sustaining the plants/grass and my lawn is now yellow and crunching when I walk on it.

Here’s some grass in the city centre (photo taken with my phone):

A tree with most of its leaves dead

Now obviously it’s going to be warmer in a city centre (urban heat islands, traffic and all that) so we’re not suffering quite so much, but my lawn is yellow and crunchy:

I’m so far behind on photos that I haven’t managed to post about Clumber Park, Old Moor or the trip across the peak district… One day, maybe.

I find the juvenile Sparrows to be a little too bolshy… or stupid, I’m unsure which. They don’t seem to check for danger before coming to the feeders; but I am sure as they get older they will get far more cautious.

Our butterfly numbers have also recently increased quite dramatically; with the arrival of the much-missed Gatekeepers, although I still don’t have as many as in previous years…

However, I have had a number of Small Tortoiseshells – which normally I have very few of. (I stalked some on Friday, photos to come at a later date)

This Comma wouldn’t pose nicely for me.

Ladybird eating aphids

See the bug in the top right? I think it might possibly be a lacewing larvae? What do you think? I didn’t notice it until I uploaded photos.

Gatekeeper, I think

The poppies are finally blooming… But they’re tiny! Grrr and I thought that this year I’d finally cracked the Buddleja border and it was actually going to be full of blooms and looking gorgeous… Now I wish I’d kept it well watered.

I can’t believe the Aquilegia are still blooming… I’m not even dead-heading them… The blooms are very small though but even the leaves and dried seed-heads are adding their own splash of colour

Nicotiana and rose in the background

The Cupid’s Dart (Catananche) has FINALLY bloomed… It feels like I’ve been waiting for ever for it, and very pretty it is too.

Gypsophila is very cute and delicate

Knautia is blooming away happily, although I haven’t seen many insects on it yet?

Shasta Daisies are growing alongside ragwort and actually look quite pretty

I’m unsure what this is, its leaves look chrysanthemumish/feverfewish?? It’s from a mixed seed collection, which didn’t state the seed contents!

Feverfew and Veronica continues to impress me :)

One of the Blackcurrant Fizz poppies, this one is probably the only ‘normal-sized’ one. Grrrr

Anyone know what this is? Also from an unknown seed mix, is it morning glory? Only it blooms all day! It looks like a larger blooming flax flower.

Dahlia ‘Happy Days’

Heuchera adds a little interest to the Buddleja border…

Looking at the poppies and other blooms from down on the decking, you can see just how much shade the Buddleja casts.

A new Geranium for me… ‘Thurstonianum’

Double Petunias in the hanging basket…

New Echinacea ‘Lucky Star’ is next to ‘Harlow Carr’ and I think will make a nice combination

Tess of the D’Ubervilles is looking better this year, it took quite a beating when the new fence posts were put in, but it’s bounced back nicely.

Monkshood has masses of blooms, I have to stand on the tier to take these photos otherwise I look like a dwarf next to them!

Sweet Peas need cutting for vases… They started off with lovely long stems but gradually the stems have become shorter and shorter, is this due to lack of water?

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – July

2011-07-15T19:48:00.000+01:00

I confess that I totally hadn’t realised what date it was, so this is a last minute posting made up of images taken over the past week or so. Please visit Carol at: May dreams gardens and join in with showing off your blooms for the month.

I’ve been quite busy this week with writing my dissertation introduction, then Pete’s been off this week so Monday morning when we set off to RSPB Old Moor I couldn’t get in the car and it turns out someone *coughPetecough* left the boot slightly open so it killed the battery, then just to make my week that little bit more perfect, on Tuesday we waited in for Pete’s new phone to arrive and I managed to cut through the wire on the hedge trimmers… Only at the time I was borrowing them off dad and apparently they were half his and half his neighbours! Arghhh. On Thursday we went to the cinema and we had a flying trip across to Manchester on Wednesday to meet an old friend, swap Gerbils (ok we didn’t swap more a case of me giving him his Gerbils and him giving me some youngsters to introduce to a lone older female).

Flat-topped Aster are coming into bloom

Showing off just how tall it is

This sweetpea was a little seedling that came in one of the pots for the hanging basket… I decided to leave it to grow so I’d have some by the kitchen door. It’s a beautiful deep purple – a shade I’ve never seen in sweetpeas, sadly though it has barely any scent.

Ragwort

Coreopsis was added to the border to mirror the yellow of the Bird’s foot trefoil, I’ve also added Rudbekia Goldstrum too as otherwise there was yellow only in the lower right of the border.

Lupin is on its second flush; such a pretty colour

These roses come through the hedge from next door and it’s seemingly impossible to correctly catch the colour! It isn’t a scarlet red at all but a deeper ruby red.

I bought this Verbena Hastata blue from Clumber Park; I’ve never seen it in this purple shade before and I think I love it more than the pinky purple version!

Harlow Carr is still blooming, I can’t wait until she’s larger and makes more of a statement in the border

Geranium Anne Folkard isn’t very prolific, I still think it isn’t happy even after having moved it a number of times… Fussy plant!

Sea Holly is finally turning steel blue

Ok, I’ll stop there… There’s far more to come but it’ll have to wait for another day :)

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

A mixed bag

2011-07-08T19:53:00.001+01:00

Well, it’s certainly been a mixed bag weather-wise today. We finally had all the rain we’ve been promised for the past few days; each time we had a small amount of rain but the sun would then come out and dry it up, but today we’ve had some good hard showers and not enough sun between.

I’m trying to get old photos out of the way, so they’ve been building up over the past few weeks I’m afraid!

We’ve been having some amazing sunsets over the past few weeks, I usually take photos with my phone though, but here’s a few taken with my camera:

Strangely I’ve also seen a number of moths flying around during the day such as Silver-Y’s but also this one which I don’t know the ID of:

But also this Cinnabar moth!

And I’ve been seeing baby Ladybirds everywhere! On the same plant I saw two alone, very strange as normally I never see any.

I’d also really appreciate it if someone would please stop me buying more plants, thank you.

Gypsophila ‘gypsy’

Nicotiana ‘rose’

I actually went out looking for Echinacea but didn’t find any; why is this year everything I want I cannot find?! However, I did finally find some Gaura after having searched in various places for the past month or two.

Dalia ‘Happy Days’ has been combined with Isotama

Bidens has also been combined with a green Nicotiana

We have also had some much-needed rain, hopefully it’ll keep the plants happy for another few weeks

Buddleja are opening, I look forward to the flutters arriving… I’ve already seen some Small Tortoiseshells and others I was unable to ID, but I suspect one was a Comma.

Why is it the red Dutch Flag poppies somehow manage to seed, yet I goet rid of all their seed heads last year and yet the ones I wanted – the Peony and Blackcurrant Fizz are nowhere to be seen?

Black Lily turf continues to expand, I’m still confused to what exactly it’s living off, but it’s happy regardless

Wordless Wednesday – Bouquet from the garden

2011-07-06T08:00:00.003+01:00

Sunday Safari – A time to catch up on some photos

2011-07-03T12:10:00.000+01:00

Sunday Safari – A time to catch up on some photos

I’ve discovered yet more images that I haven’t touched… Too many for me to post right now, and I suspect will end up being completely forgotten very quickly. However, here we go:

We’ll start with some birds shots that I’ve managed to forget to post for the past few weeks, the first two are of a Juvenile Dunnock which hadn’t noticed me stood only a few metres away… As you can tell it’s very well camouflaged!
Excuse the mess, the upper tier is still a work in progress!

And here’s Mr Bullfinch, I had my macro lens in so the image isn’t amazing but it’s a record shot none-the-less. At one point they were visiting very frequently, every 30 minutes however their visits seem to be less often now and I assume either their babies have fledged or their nests were unsuccessful. I *think* I might’ve seen a baby earlier this week; I assumed it was a female and didn’t look very closely until I noticed it struggling to get into the globe feeder and fluttering around. Normally the Bullfinches are straight in there and don’t tend to hang around or flutter around the garden.

Our garden is very much a spring/summer garden for the birds… We don’t have any birds nesting in the garden, but we do have plenty nesting in the hedges around us, as a result we get many birds during the breeding season and especially once the birds have fledged it becomes a nursery for juveniles. There are so many house sparrows that I cannot count them, I believe we’ve had two separate Blue Tit broods, as well as Great Tits and for the first time I’ve seen some fledged Coal Tits too – normally the adults disappear and I never see any youngsters. I’m having to refill the feeders on a daily basis as they’re getting through so much when normally I’d expect to fill them a couple of times a week; sometimes even once a week.

I was taking shots of the new border and was surrounded by the tall plants; Asters, Aconitum and such so the birds weren’t taking a great deal of notice nor I them… So they began to come down to feed:

How many Sparrow juveniles can you fit in the feeder at once?

Blue Tit juveniles in the globe feeder and a Great Tit juvenile on the sunflower heart feeder.

I happened to take some shots of a bird in the Willow and was surprised to see it was a Chaffinch! Normally I only get them in winter when they’re desperate for food… Then today when I popped outside I heard a song which for the past couple of weeks I’d assumed was a Greenfinch, yet every time I heard it I was a bit confused because it doesn’t quite sound right but I knew for certain it wasn’t a Goldfinch or Bullfinch… Then today it dawned on me that it’s the Chaffinch. Hopefully it will stick around and spread the word that there’s plenty of food here! It isn’t a good shot again but I’m happy just to have a Chaffinch visiting.

Look what I found! It’s an almond! This is the first year I’ve seen one, there are a few more but I believe the almonds on the Dwarf Russian Almond are inedible??

I’ve seen a few of these around, I assume some sort of Bee or Wasp

The aconitum ‘sparks variety’ is coming into bloom, it will have to be moved next year

The strange Dill-come-Angelica is going to seed… A strange plant with the blooms of Dill, yet the leaves of Angelica… Oh well, the Bees, Wasps and other insects loved it.

The feverfew backed by Geranium really makes a nice statement. I hope to see some seedlings from the feverfew this year, last year it was tiny so I’m very pleased to see it has done so well this year. I’d love to have enough plants to cut them for vases.

I’m also thrilled with the Veronica this year, I got them quite late on in the season last year and they were reduced, they’ve done really well and I’ve cut some blooms to have in a vase with Sweet Peas and Geraniums; photos to follow next week sometime.

Coreopsis ‘moonbeam’ is in a huge pot, but I think I’ll move it soon because I think the pot gets too dry.

I have a few Lavenders on the tier that I planted last year, they’re all in bloom now with one in particular having at least trebled in size.

Ragwort has sown itself in the new border and is making an attempt to catch up with the Aster which is taller than me!

And my flat-topped Aster is coming into bloom; it’s quite worrying because it isn’t supposed to bloom until August???

The Veronicastrum virginicum ‘fascination’ that I planted on the upper tier is blooming, I have also moved some of the Aster above onto the tier

Shasta Daisies are teasing me…. I hope they open today!

Now for a few of the blooms in the front garden…
I bought this little Astilbe reduced last year when it was looking rather dead… I’m glad to see it’s come up, although I really need to get some of the larger varieties as it seems they do quite well in our shady front garden.

Our Hydrangea is a bit weird… Some are pinky others purple… It’s also far behind our neighbour’s Hydrangea which is in full bloom, ours is in a shady spot though so it’s often weeks behind.

Centaurea is doing very well this year, it always grows quite leggy though, does anyone know how I can stop this? The crown of the plant always ends up bare because the branches all splay to the sides…

Geranium Wargrave Pink still has masses of blooms, I will chop it back soon so it gets nice fresh growth.

One of the unknown roses is a little *too* pink for me, but for now they can stay until concentrate more on the garden.

One of my pots with a self-seeded Campanula and some Dianthus plugs sits by the front door.

I’ll stop there because otherwise this post will go on for an eternity.

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

End of Month – June

2011-07-01T22:57:00.000+01:00

Oh my, it’s July already… Things go downhill from here, and I’ve already begun to feel it… the grass barely grows anymore, it’s so strange! I can’t help but think it’s due to lack of rain because it certainly doesn’t feel Autumnal yet I cut the grass for the first time in weeks yesterday.

This is the first year where overall I’ve generally been very happy with how things are going in the garden. Yes there are problem areas that need addressing, but the general feeling is that I’m pleased wherever I look.

The right border has some successes and others not so… It would seem I’ve lost a few things, so towards the ‘front’ (looking from the kitchen) of the border these gaps are quite noticeable, I have planted a Coreopsis, Scabious and some Verbena Bonariensis to try fill the spaces and I discovered the source of an aphid infestation – the Yarrow. I sprayed it a few times with soapy water and it’s done the job, however it’s well behind in growth because they were sucking the life out of it so I won’t have any blooms from it for a while yet; if ever… So for now the front is looking a bit bare as the Aquilegias and Lupins are coming to the end, however towards the ‘back’ it’s looking much better, probably because I only recently planted it.

Eye spy a little Potato to the lower left of the photo…

The ‘new’ border is looking so packed in… I think it’s a little too busy, so I’ll have to move things around. The feverfew is a very nice surprise, and actually I’m loving it against the Veronica and Geranium. I think I will pull out the Pheasant’s tail grass, it does have some fresh growth but it’s still looking so dead that I think it’s time for it to go and I’ll replace it with something hardier… I have a Stipa waiting to be planted but I’m undecided where exactly I want it to go.
I want to remove the Monkshood, it’s huge this year and it’s completely blocking out the plants behind it including the Aster ‘Lady in Black’ which I can barely see, so it can go onto the upper tier where the Summer house was.

The Buddleja border is now looking quite bare and dead, the seeds I scattered grew very well at first but then suddenly stopped, the Poppies are all tiny but I do have a few other seedlings almost coming into bloom; albeit quite late, I think it was the droughts earlier on in the season as they are in full sun most of the day

The Cherry border is going over now, I’ve cut back the Geraniums and hope I might get some more late blooms from Phaeum. I’ve been cutting off the seed heads from the Foxgloves to stop them seeding everywhere as next year I want more of a mix with the excelsior colours.

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

Wordless Wednesday – A scented bouquet

2011-06-29T14:20:00.000+01:00

Flaunting my flowers again

2011-06-24T10:20:00.000+01:00

Here we go again, flaunting my flowers with Tootsie. We’ve had a mixed week with the weather but the rain never quite seems to be enough.

One of my new loves: David Austin ‘Harlow Carr’, I love its bluey pink hue. And in the coming years as it gets larger it will contrast nicely with the purples I’ve planted around it, currently it’s a little swamped.

Verbena in the hanging basket isn’t really trailing as I expected…

I got this Dahlia ‘Roxy’ last weekend… I’m not much of a Dahlia fan as I don’t like to nanny plants. But this was too pretty not to, it’s been planted with Nemesia ‘Wisley white’ and some more of the Argyranthemum.

And here is David Austin ‘Susan Williams-Ellis’

I think my camera memory card is going a bit mad… For some reason when I take photos of harlow carr the photos always turn on their side. Perhaps I’ve given it too much of a beating over the years with the volume of photos I take.

I’m not sure if any of my regular readers had noticed photos of these previously….

Those of you who regularly read my blog over the past couple of years will know I’ve had poor success getting my Cosmos to bloom early. Last year was dreadful and they didn’t come into flower until OCTOBER! Even though I sowed them well back in March or April.
Well this year I haven’t had such problems, these seeds came free with Garden’s Illustrated, however they do seem to be the dwarf variety; can’t have it all can we?!

Is this beauty ‘Rozanne’?

‘Harlow Carr’ being dwarfed by Verbena Hastata and Erysimum ‘Bowles’ Mauve’

And yet this year my Tomatoes are well behind last year even though they too were sown early in March. Oh well, maybe next year.

Wordless Wednesday – I’m in Love

2011-06-22T17:00:00.000+01:00

Macro Monday – Butterfly

2011-06-20T22:11:00.000+01:00

I’m a little late, but it’s better than never!

On Saturday I noticed something fluttering around the garden...

Goodie! Thinks I.

Grab my camera and set off on the hunt:

Now, what's this I spy??

I ended up crawling along on my belly so not to scare it away, sadly it wasn't in the best of places with grass covering much of it.

Whilst waiting for the Small Tortoiseshell to move to a better position I also saw a Skipper land on the grass, I got up to attempt to also stalk it but it flew away :(

However I did spot this Speckled Wood feeding on Cotoneaster flowers... I didn't attempt to stalk this one though.

Thankfully it decided to sunbathe on the wall instead

They seem to like the perennial Wallflower

Anyway, I was out earlier and decided to take some photos, I was wandering around the garden and took some shots of a new Rose I recently planted as the blooms are slowly beginning to open... I bent over and came face to face with another small Tortoiseshell! I swear, I almost head-butted it. I hadn't even noticed it and no need for the stalking as it sat there sunbathing!

I think it's a different one as the wings are ragged and the colours aren't as bright.

Butterfly tooshie!

And here’s a close-up of the colour on the wings… It looks like it’s almost made from scales.

Sunny(ish) Saturday

2011-06-18T18:50:00.000+01:00

I had quite a nice crop of Peas recently… I had to put them in the fridge though as I couldn’t taste anything! So I think unfortunately they will have lost their lovely sweet freshness.

And just because they’ve been feeling left out over the past few posts… lol

Sorry, but I’m afraid you’ll be seeing far more of this Salvia over the coming weeks, I’m in love and cannot wait for ‘harlow carr’ to bloom and enjoy the contrast between the Saliva, Rose and Perennial Wallflower. Then in the coming months we’ll also have Verbena Bonariensis, Verbena Hastata and Tuberous Thistle also adding to the nice mix of purples and pinks.

‘Harlow Carr’ teases me by refusing to open her bloom!

I love the purple of this Veronica, sadly she doesn’t bloom for long.

It looks like my wild poppies have hybridised with the ‘dutch flag’ poppies… I’ll have to buy some more fresh seed… bah.

This one appears to be ‘normal’ and there’s a range by the looks of things; some have a small amount of black others are totally pure.

Campanula is stunning at the moment and seems to enjoy self-seeding around the garden. I’ve two plants in pots as well as this beastie that like to take over every year.

Clover is in full swing, and although we don’t have as much of it as last year, it is still covering a nice big area… The only downfall is that I cannot walk across the garden easily and have to avoid going to the left of the garden! The things you do for wildlife…

It also means I can’t mow, so the grass gets very long.

Sedum are preparing for their Autumnal show

One large poppy, this I think has sown itself… The others are still tiny and not at all looking very happy; I’m almost beginning to doubt they will even bloom.

I believe this is probably Geranium Rozanne, although I cannot be sure. It’s huge, easily to my waist and really needs a good chop back as it’s becoming quite straggly.

My little Acer might be suffering some wind burn?

A weedy, hawkweed type thing?

Shasta Daisy is looking very happy; for the past few years it’s been swamped by the Buddleja and as a result always ends up curling round. This year I finally moved it and it’s looking so much happier for it. I have another I need to move, but was too tardy.

Feverfew reminds me why I allow it to grow, even if it is in the way and I’m thoroughly tired of having to step over it – or rather around it now as it’s too large!

I’m sure this Astrantia is supposed to be white? It was last year!!! I’m sure. I’m confused.

Bramble is rambling through the back hedge, I will enjoy the fruits later in the year

The Elder continues to bloom too and brightens up the back

Today I stalked a few Butterflies – mainly a Small Tortoiseshell as it sunbathed and then a Skipper which sadly I didn’t manage to catch; hopefully another day! I also caught a Speckled wood feeding on the flowers of a Cotoneaster.
We’re still missing the Gatekeepers, all I can assume is that the hard winter killed them and any overwintering caterpillars. Usually they’re all along the Privet hedge but so far I haven’t seen any :( very disappointing.
Photos of the small tortoiseshell will be posted on Monday, so watch this space!

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

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day – June

2011-06-15T11:37:00.000+01:00

There’s quite a bit going on in the garden at the moment, although we are perhaps falling behind… I think it’s due to the dry weather, many of the plants just aren’t growing. We’ve hit a wall where the seedlings have sort of stopped…

I won’t be saying much in this bloom day as I have a cold and am struggling to think with much clarity, so it’s going to have to be simple images plonked on a page (perhaps that's for the best to be honest).

Please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to take part in this meme.

A vase I put together from lovely Roses from the garden

First Raspberry

How did I forget?

2011-06-09T21:05:00.000+01:00

Due to one reason or another I’ve managed to totally forget I had a few days’ worth of images from late May… So I’ll play catch-up now, get yourself a drink; sherry, G&T or a good old warm drink because you will need it.

I mentioned a while ago that I’d found two dead Bees in the dead head of an Allium, it was shortly after the UK was hit with high winds so I assume they were clinging on to wait out the bad weather but as it lasted for a few days perhaps they never managed to get out again and so died. Or perhaps they had some sort of disease/illness

These two Bees are tiny, I wish I’d taken a photo of it next to something else for scale. Here’s one still in the Allium head

And when I brought one inside to take photos as the other was blown away – high winds, remember :)

This year I finally have some Ragged Robin, I’ve tried many times to get the seeds growing over the past couple of years!

California Poppies are out, not quite the ones I had in mind but these survived the winter… I bought some cream ones, and do have a couple of tiny seedlings which just don’t seem to be doing much… Most of the seedlings have done this, it’s probably due to it being so dry they just aren’t growing.

I’ve never seen the ends of the California Poppies so pink before, I have previously seen this tinge on the end but just not quite so noticeable.

I finally managed to get some photos of a Butterfly, I seem to have quite a lack of them this year… Normally I have so many Gatekeepers and Speckled Woods that it’s hard to walk in the garden without seeing at least one. I wonder if the snow killed all the caterpillars.

Pyracantha was doing a fantastic job of attracting the insects, sadly it’s now finished blooming and we’re left with unsightly brown petals until the berries form.

A teeny Bee…

Elder flowers… perhaps one day I ought to make some juice?

Oh-so much to do

2011-06-07T13:28:00.000+01:00

Things are getting rather tall these days… the Aster and Aconitum are now taller than me, and the Angelica isn’t far off!

Work is needed here, a lot of things have died over winter… My Gauras, Verbena Hastata and Bonariensis, a few Bergamot, Scabious…. Oh, and the two black Hollyhocks! So in all there’s a lot of gaps which need filling.

And the Cherry border has been flattened by the big fat wood pigeons… I’ve had to place rose cutting around to stop them ruining my plants… Not happy. I will move the feeding station so there’s no reason for them to patrol.

Is this a Honey Bee?

The white Clover is blooming, but there’s far less this year than last… It’s likely due to the very hard winter and then very dry spring. We’ve lost a large area of it, but hopefully it’ll expand over the coming weeks.

Love this Salvia, it’s so nice!

This Nasturtium has been given its own hanging basket, I’ve never seen these deep red blooms before, but I think it’ll be very pretty indeed.

And finally, some shots of the Angelica…

For some reason it's very yellow when I thought they were meant to be creamy/yellow/white?

I do like the purple of the Geranium in the background...

Raindrops on Argyranthemum

2011-06-04T22:05:00.001+01:00

Apoligies, I've been a little lazy with taking photos of the garden at the moment, and I really need to take some wider views otherwise next year I'll have little idea what the gardens looked like!!
Everything seems to be on hold until later... Then later arrives, and something else crops up and I have to hold it off yet again, at this rate we'll be into Autumn before things are planted.

So I'm a bit stumped, I think I'll just have to find alternative homes (easier said than done, as I'm now reaching the point where everything is full) for the plants in question and hope they're happy until the jobs are done.

Anyway, here are some more shots of the Argyranthemum... It is very pretty!

End of Month – May

2011-06-01T12:30:00.000+01:00

Wow, well after the very warm and dry start to Spring over the past few weeks has seen cooler temperature but it has remained relatively dry still. Rain has arrived, but never lasts long and even heavy downpours seem to vanish without any trace within hours and the ground goes back to being parched, dry and cracked. As a result my seedlings seem to be lagging behind a bit at the moment, even with lots of watering and pampering, there’s too much grey so we’re at a bit of a standstill.

I hope everyone else hasn’t suffered too much with the high winds experienced last week? I’ve had a little bit of damage – Buddleja branches broken and had to stick some emergency bamboo canes in the ground to protect the Sweet Rocket but otherwise everything is fine.

The ‘new’ border… which I really ought to rename to Aster border or grass border… who knows!
It’s looking a bit grim in the background but I hope to have that sorted soon now I have the time after finishing essays and just now slogging along with the dissertation.

Well, the Buddleja border looks far more exciting here than in reality… I hope this is the first year I have managed to sort it and am somewhat pleased with the result. Previously it’s always a bit of a let-down, especially once the Buddleja takes over and the Asters grow tall and effectively block out all the light to the lower area – which happens to be at the decking and is generally the area we see all the time.

I’m loving Salvia Caradonna… And so are the Bees because within seconds of opening the box I had a Bee on it :)

Recently I’ve also noticed the tiny Bees are back that I had last year… The tiny Blue ones that were chewing up the Hollyhock leaves and rolling them into tiny little balls, but I haven’t managed to get a shot of it again this year.
I also noticed something rather sad on Saturday evening, two were dead inside an Allium head… I assume it was due to rain or the high winds and they’d decided to take cover inside, as I’ve seen other Bees do. Only for some reason these died… I took photos and might post another day.

The Bees have arrived in abundance at the moment, and this is one I’ve never seen before and at first I thought might be a Bee fly because of its round body, but it’s clear from the photo that it is some sort of Bee – perhaps a Cuckoo Bee?

A variety of Bees are loving the Pyracantha blooms.

I also discovered a Wasp drinking nectar from my Cotoneasters… I thought they were predatory and didn’t like nectar/pollen??

Could anyone confirm what this is for me please?
I think it could possibly be Gladiolus, but the leaves are much too small… I did plant lots of Freesia last year but none came up, do you think it could be them? Or is it some ornamental grass? They aren’t round at the base though, so I don’t think they’re grass either………

Lots of Nigella seed… Only I don’t remember sowing any Nigella this year? Lol, I think I might’ve had a plant in this area last year, well it’s certainly left its legacy behind!

The Geraniums are out, a garden can never have too many Geraniums!

Astrantia Major ‘Roma’

The birds will appreciate the berries on this Pyracantha in the Winter…

And I made quite a discovery… The Wisteria has survived! I’m unsure whether to just get rid of it, all it’s managed are two little branches right down near the base… Everything else, I assume is dead. I had planned to get rid of it before I found this, and I’m wondering whether to still throw it away. The past two winters have taken their toll.

Sunday Safari

2011-05-29T12:09:00.000+01:00

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!

Wordless Wednesday – Sweet Rocket

2011-05-25T09:45:00.001+01:00

***Edited***

Sorry this doesn't make my post wordless anymore, but blogger is still having issues and it logs me out all the time... This also means I'm unable to comment to people also on blogger as it doesn't recognise my blogger account, so I login, then when I come from the login page to comment again, it's logged me out. Repeat x 1000000 times and you'll see steam coming from my ears.

Sorry!

Anyway, onto the more interesting stuff...

Macro Monday – Argyranthemum

2011-05-23T11:40:00.000+01:00

Let’s have some nice pretty shots of Argyranthemum - Lemon Anemone, it is actually in a hanging basket that I made and intended to go by the front door… The problem with that is, the basket’s looking very nice, and needs a little longer for everything to come into flower, however I know as soon as it’s hanging by the front door I’ll forget about it and fail to water it regularly. Plus I’m also far less likely to take photos of it, as it’ll be a) too high and b) I don’t often photograph the front garden.
Perhaps I’ll have to place it on the hanging hook by the back door instead and just buy something for the front??

Any excuse to buy more!

Lighting: A closer look

2011-05-23T11:05:00.000+01:00

I’ve decided to have a go at entering Gardening Gone Wild’s Picture This Contest this month… Which aims to get participants to "look at light in the macro or close-up world."

After a recent play with the light in the garden, it seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

Safari Sunday Saturday

2011-05-21T16:31:00.000+01:00

Howdy, I’m home after a very nice relaxed week in Norfolk; for the most part early on in the week the weather was warm and muggy and the skies often grey but I didn’t mind because it meant the temperature was more bearable. During the latter half of the week, it became clear and sunny and thus the temperature slowly crept up.

The garden has changed a lot in the past few days, and I have a surprise that you’re all just going to have to wait another couple of days for…………… tee hee.

I’d asked Pete to mow the lawn for me when I was away because I’d been too ill/in hospital for the few days before I left for Norfolk… However, being Pete he didn’t do it so I came home to a jungle and had three wonderful presents left in the long grass from cats. Less than impressed I can assure you, thanks for that one Pete. Mucho gracias.

One of the Lupins has come into bloom when I was away, this year is its best so far and I’ve found a few seedlings around and cannot wait for them to bloom perhaps this time next year.
The Bees are certainly enjoying the flowers as much as I am!

My pink Lupin is a little behind the purple, and the white one bought late last year has not survived… I’m tempted to take it back to the shop!

Roseraie de l’hay continues to bloom, I have brought more flowers into the house so I can enjoy them both inside and out.

My Angelicas sent to me from Cheryl that I grew from seed last year are almost in bloom, I do not think they are as tall as they ought to be…

It’s now time for the hardy Geraniums, with three all coming into bloom whilst I was away

Astrantia in the ‘new’ border although there is a severe shortage of blooms on them… I’m unsure why but hope we will get more in the coming weeks.

Veronica ‘Twilight’ is very lush, I’m glad it survived the heavy snow and seems to be the better for it. I’m almost becoming impatient waiting for its tall purple spires.

If there was ever a reason for you to get Alliums this is it; Bees love them! Mine are almost finished now, but the Bees are still buzzing around gathering the dwindling food.

Astrantia Major Roma is doing well, and I will have to divide it next year or move it…

The Peas are doing well, my dwarf French Beans aren’t doing so well though, with only the one seedling having come up I had to sow two more and hope they’re successful this time.

And this plant, which I originally thought was fleabane seems to be either Ragged Robin or Red Campion sent to me from Cheryl… Although I am thrilled to see this, I am also now very disappointed that I seem to have lost all the fleabane. These have popped up where I sowed seeds from the fleabane so I’m confused how they got there but I am sure they will be gorgeous all the same!

I’m so in love with this self-sown Aquilegia, I love its plum shade, and its height!

The little moths are spinning more and more webs around the Hawthorn, I think they are likely to be small Ermine moths.

This is a massive surprise for me… Allium Christophii. I’ve either been sent a rogue bulb or this bulb took a two year hiatus and decided to bloom again this year… I planted a few when we first moved here in 2008 and none ever returned! No complaints that this one has shown up though :)

The seeds sown in the Buddleja border are doing very well, and will need thinning… Just as well because most of the seedlings in the new border seem to have disappeared :( most upset as they were doing so well… I’ve sowed some replacement seeds, but it may be too late now.

Quick Update

2011-05-13T22:00:00.000+01:00

I’m off to Norfolk for a week, and knew all my fans out there would be wondering where I’ve disappeared to if I didn’t update ;) only joking

These photos were actually taken a few days ago, I’ve been somewhat mia after an emergency visit to the hospital :(

We have our first little pea pods… we have a couple more since this photo

More geraniums are in bloom, there’s this lighter type and then two that are more fuchsia in colour

The Bluebells are still blooming – a surprise!

The sea of Alliums is beginning to end… Impressive though, do you agree?

Sweet rocket… well what can I say? Very impressed, this is the first year I’ve tried it and I think I’ll definitely have some next year

Oh and it’s that mystery flower that I still haven’t taken the time to go get the label….

Brook Thistle, it had a Carder Bee hanging to it this morning, no photo though sadly

Roseraie de l’hay is blooming now, I love its perfume and have a flower floating in a dish of water to brighten the house up.

Sunday Safari

2011-05-08T13:23:00.000+01:00

We’ve had some much needed rain, not as much as promised though… But certainly you can visibly see the garden breathe a sigh of relief.
The garden is romping away, grass permanently needs mowing and my Peas have flowers on them already.

I recently got some thistles, to add to the garden after having read that some are especially loved by all manner of Butterfly; there’s no way I could possibly not have them in the garden. So far I’ve only seen Bees visiting them, but hope as summer progresses we’ll have flutters enjoying them.

The eared Lady Fern is so very pretty,

The Foamflower and Fern have now been planted in the Cherry border, I hope they do well there.

Raindrop on flower I still haven’t found the name for… It’s very long and starts with A…

Can anyone identify this little Bee? It’s seriously tiny!

Brook Thistle is attracting the Bees for me

Whilst the Tuberous Thistle doesn’t yet have blooms, but booooy does its thorns hurt.

Astrantia Major Roma should bloom soon, my others are well behind this one; but it is a mature plant I’ve had years…

Weigela blooms… I don’t actually like this shrub and one day it will probably be removed but for now it can stay a little longer.

A common sight around the garden at the moment…

Geranium Samobor continues to brighten up the Cherry border, I’m very impressed how large it’s got in just the one season.

Another lovely shaggy Aquilegia, so, so SO happy to see them blooming this year.

Crab Spider? Creepy!

Raindrops always look so beautiful when caught on Lupin leaves.

The Dicentra are still blooming, I don’t actually think they’ve ever bloomed for so long… Must’ve been going over a month now.

Forget-me-nots are close to finishing, time to collect some seeds from the white ones I think.

Clematis Marjorie’s blooms are now almost fully open

Sweet Rocket looks lovely!

Experimenting with Light

2011-05-02T17:45:00.000+01:00

I decided to have a little play around with the light as the sun was low in the sky… It was still high enough to produce quite harsh light and therefore still light enough to see what interesting things might happen with the lens.

First I began with the Alliums, the aim to have as many in one shot as possible and play around with depth of field and see what ‘bokeh’ effects might happen…

And then I moved onto the Forget-me-not… I know I’ve already taken far too many shots of these, but just bear with me.

At first things were a little pedestrian, some nice bokeh going on in the background though, but I want more!

Oooooh, what happened here??! Check out the colours!

Now lets see what else we can get with this light…

Mmm, what’s going on at the bottom? Something interesting happening down there…

Look in the background, somehow other stems are being magnified…

Trying to get both background and foreground in focus.

Almost there!

Ok, I’ve no idea how this is happening… I assume the light is being reflected inside the camera and lens.

End of Month – April

2011-05-01T08:48:00.000+01:00

I’ll spare you the ramblings about how fast the month has passed… It has, however been a strange old month, indeed a strange winter/spring! Heavy snow, then Snowdrops in January, next to no rain at all in April and now we’re well into our summer flowering plants with Roses breaking open already and Alliums filling the borders.

And on to the photos! Ok, so the borders are coming along nicely, although I do think perhaps I have sown seeds too late and ought to have done it earlier considering how quickly everything has been growing. Reality is, I couldn’t get it done due to Uni commitments. I now have lots of seedlings coming up in a couple of borders; next I need to sow some in the front garden too.

I have also noticed an incredible number of Bees around so far, most of which are all very small; and I believe to be mining Bees (sadly not the Blue ones I had last year), and I have seen very few Carder Bees so far, when normally they are one of the most common. I think perhaps the sharp increase in these small mining Bees is due to me providing them a log and soil pile, I hope it’ll also attract plenty of Beetles.

Another photo of this lovely Aquilegia again…

Geraniums in the front garden are flowering, just waiting for Wargrave Pink to bloom in the background, normally these two bloom together… Been a strange old spring this year!

Centurea is also getting ready to bloom, the Bees love it.

A plant I got to go in the hanging basket… Sorry I don’t remember its name now… Very pretty though!

The Bluebells are stunning as always and they’re bulking up nicely; it’s taken them around 3 years to finally begin naturalising and we’re getting numerous stems from the one original bulb.

Wheeeee, Clematis Marjorie is opening! She’s doing very well this year, I have way more blooms on her and lots of nice fresh growth.

Roseraie De L’hay will not be long, I cannot wait for her blooms… The perfume is so amazing and flowers are huge.

The Sweet Rocket won’t be much longer either, this is the first year I’ve grown it and can’t wait to see what its blooms will look like.

I really love this self-seeded Aquilegia, its colour works very nicely with the Alliums too – and it’s almost the same height!

Allium ‘purple sensation’ or ‘aflentense’ just breaking through its skin

This one doesn’t appear to be getting much pigment, I wonder if they sent me a white one by accident…

And now we’ll move onto wider views of the borders… be warned, some are not so pretty, but then that’s the point! They’re works in progress.

The cherry border, I’ve done so much here… you would not believe how much different it looks compared to last year. I need to work on the year-long interest, and the right side was only recently opened up further with the removal of a Clematis. And in its place I planted Foxgloves, Dicentra, Primula and Hellebores. I also have Foamflower and a new Fern to add.

This is an area I’m struggling to get to, what you can’t see is the pile of concrete posts and wood in front of it! As you can see the Dandelions are having a great time… You might be able make out the little Fuji Cherry that was pretty much killed by workmen, it does still have some branches though and may recover from its beating, I bought another one anyway and may plant it next to it.

This is the ‘new’ border – really need to think of a name for it… It isn’t new anymore! So far things are growing very well. The Asters are already quite tall…

And here’s a few slight further to the left and you can see another lovely pile of concrete posts and wood… I have to be very selective with my photos!

Monkshood looks well on its way, the border behind needs lots of work done to it but right now it’ll have to wait until I have the spare time.

These seedlings have ended up clumped together, I only sowed them the day before we got all that rain, so I think it washed them all together… Lol, this is going to be fun!

And the Forget-me-nots, see the seedlings to the bottom left of the Blue one?

And we’ll finish with some more Alliums… Plenty of them to see!

And another selective shot, where the dead Rosemary bush is revealed in the background…

Actually, this border is going to be a let-down this year, two Foxgloves have died plus one of my Black Hollyhocks and it also looks like the larger one, which was growing has given up… So I need to find something else to plant in their places. I do have black Hollyhock seedlings, which I hope will flower this year (they were started last year) in the other side of the border but the plan was for them to even it out by repeating the Black… Soooooooo, urm…. Yeah, I’ll have to think/find something else!

Flaunting my flowers

2011-04-29T19:06:00.000+01:00

Yay, it’s time to flaunt my flowers once more with Tootsie over at:

A self-seeded Aquilegia that came with me from the last house is flowering at long last… This is one I’ve been waiting for, with the lovely shaggy petals. I just love it and wish I had more of them, but hopefully we’ll get more seedlings from this one!

Geranium Phaeum is in bloom, and looking stunning!

Another Geranium coming into bloom, I am unsure which exactly it is as I was given it by a friend.

Creeping Phlox is blooming, last year it didn’t bloom for me so I’ve only just discovered its endearing little flowers… I want to buy more to cover the bare slope…

Next door’s white Lilac is out, it has more blooms this year so I don’t feel quite so bad for stealing some to put in a vase… I love their double blooms.

Of course the Forget-me-nots are still blooming… I hope I get more next year.

Alpine Strawberry is blooming, I look forward to its small fruits

And then there’s tiny wild Forget-me-not that pops up around the garden every year.

Not strictly blooming, but this Pyracanthus will soon be attracting the insects.

Alliums are blooming, there’s now 27 in this border… I know I didn’t plant that many in there. Sadly some of the heads seem to be small for some reason, I wonder if they’ve been damaged somehow.

This lovely foamflower I bought yesterday, there’s a market in the city centre selling a whole range of things and these plants were in very good condition… I only bought the one, went back to buy another but it’d gone and tried again today but the stall wasn't there at all :( It sure it going to look lonely when I plant it!

I also picked up this gorgeous Fern… I don’t remember its name, but I do have a tag for it…

Macro Monday

2011-04-25T14:33:00.000+01:00

After the sneaky peek at the Forget-me-nots on Wednesday, here’s a whole post dedicated to them!

We’ll start with those posted last week for those who might’ve missed them…

And finally, after the deluge on Saturday…

I hope you’re all having a lovely Monday and didn’t stuff yourselves too much yesterday! I’m off to go back to my essay writing now, almost finished this one, just some tidying up to do and other finishing touches.

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

Sunday Safari

2011-04-24T20:09:00.000+01:00

We’ve got another big update, so get yourself a cup of tea and an Easter Egg and settle yourself ready to look at ample photos.

Sorry kids, it’s that time of year when everything is appearing and with the amazing weather we’ve had for the past 3 weeks in the UK, I just cannot help myself. Mid-afternoon on Saturday saw the heavens open up, causing some major flash flooding in other parts of the city, instead I just went outside and danced in the lovely cooling rain… Thunder rolled across the city almost none-stop for an hour, and we managed to escape the huge hail that some parts got; ping-pong ball size!

This fly was taking a well-earned break on a dying tulip

I discovered these on the Hawthorn hedge… I think they’re sawfly larvae

I adore this white bleeding heart…

And Geranium Phaeum is almost in bloom, I’ve wanted this dusky bloom for years now! I was given it by a friend last year and am ever grateful :)

There have been Hoverflies hovering all over the garden for the past couple of weeks, they must enjoy the heat too.

The Anemone coonaria de caen I posted a while back developed into a lovely white, it started out green!

The Dandelions are taking over my neighbour’s garden… He normally strims it himself but recently an old arm injury has made it too difficult for him so he has a guy come round to do it… But it’s Easter so he hasn’t been for around a week.

Next door’s Lilac is in full flow now and I get to smell it every time I go out the door… I might’ve stolen a couple of blooms off it as it’s against the dividing hedge *whistle*

Herb Robert geranium is flowering, it’s grown very large this year; probably due to being right next to the compost bin, it’s having a field day! A little Hoverfly seemed to enjoy its pollen anyway.

And kitty that wants to move in was back and saw me laying on the grass, so decided to copy me.

There have been lots of Bees around scouting the soil slopes… I think they’re solitary mining Bees, and they seemed to like this wet sloppy mud I poured onto the border from a trug I had.

The Sparrows have discovered loads of aphids on the Roses… These are the first Aphids I’ve seen actually, as there are barely any in the back garden thanks to the army of Ladybirds.

The Sweet Rocket is getting rather tall, I hadn’t expected it to be so large.

The Ajuga looks lovely in the shady Cherry border, I look forward to it creating a nice carpet.

Clematis Montana Rubens is flowering in its temporary home, its blooms are far smaller than I remember… I wonder if it’s unhappy where it is… I think it’s because it’s too hot.

The monster Campanula will soon be blooming, strangely this year it’s growing up rather than out.

Aquilegia is adding a nice splash of colour, although it isn’t as large as it normally is, I can’t see any reason why though.

And my lovely, self-sown Aquilegia… I love its deep purple colour. So very pretty.

And finally, another Aquilegia… We have a few more self seeders beginning to bloom. One of which is the shaggy type from our last garden and I’m so unbelievably happy to see it!

Tomato seedlings are growing nicely and definitely appreciated the rain yesterday!

The Beans loved the rain too.

And I think it’s almost time to plant the Sweet Peas

It’s almost the turn of the Alliums to take over the show… And boy what a show it will be this year. In one border I have 27! Stay tuned to see how they progress.

Wordless Wednesday – Forget-me-not

2011-04-20T22:04:00.002+01:00

Macro Monday - Spiders in the garden

2011-04-18T10:26:00.000+01:00

This Nursery Web Spider sure is a big beastie… It’s one of those situations where you see the spider, your stomach lurches and if you’re so inclined you begin to scream and back away… However I try to hold back the irrational screaming, swallow the lump in the throat as my curiosity takes over and instead I find myself taking photos… Whilst of course keeping a close eye on any beasties sneaking up on me at the same time.

I wasn’t too bad with the spider being relatively close… That is until I looked at the photos on the computer and could see the size of the fangs. I subsequently tortured myself by looking on the internet for more photos to be sure they are the fangs and then even went on to search if they bite.
Honestly, sometimes I really do bring it on myself.

I lost sight of it, readied myself to run, and then noticed it moving through the leaves.

I think it was following the morning sun to warm up.

Keeping an eye on Nursery web I noticed this male Wolf Spider attempting to attract the attentions of a female… I’ve seen this ‘dance’ before, they wave their little front legs around and occasionally shake them like maracas!

I think she’s had enough…

She’s off!

Oh well, maybe next time.