Watership Down

No it's not about the rabbits.

This is Phlox paniculata Bright Eyes, purchased five years ago from Hayloft Plants. It took a while to get established in my garden, probably because it likes moisture, and we usually have quite dry summers. But not this year, and I've never seen it look so happy. This is the first bloom, there are many more to follow.

Remember I mentioned a while ago, that the birds were particular about where I get their food from? Well I've solved the problem of what to do with the food they won't eat. I put it in my 'squirrel-proof' feeder. You know, the one where the squirrel just lifts the lid up. He eats anything, problem solved.

And finally, a little observation on the weather. Hope you enjoyed the recent heatwave. Only I've noticed that our very weird weather this year, has actually kept to a very fixed pattern:

End March:   heatwave
April:            wettest April for 100 years
May:             heavy rain like April
End May:      heatwave
June:             wettest June for 100 years
July:              heavy rain like June
End July:       heatwave
August??

Erm, I suppose the pattern could change, but then again........

Brush Stokes

Nothing to do with painting though.

This is Callistemon citrinus, commonly known as the Crimson Bottlebrush from Australia. Erm, I don't mean I bought it from Australia, I meant it originates from there. I grew it many years ago from seed. I managed to get three plants to germinate and grow. The other two succumbed to the severe winter two years ago, but this one not only survived but is flowering again. What a surprise.

When I planted it in the garden, we were experiencing relatively mild winters, and after taking a few years to settle in, it flowered every year, until the severe winter of three years ago put paid to the blooms the following summer. But that was nothing compared to the next winter; the main stem was split in half by the sheer weight of snow. After a bit of judicious pruning, and a bit of TLC, the plant began to recover. I really didn't expect it to bloom this year though. Must be all the rain.

Remember the Berberis darwinii that was attracting all the blackbirds ?  It is now being visited by squirrels. They don't pick individual berries like the birds. Oh no, they pick a bunch and eat them like grapes. Well they would, wouldn't they ?

And finally, a bit of good news; the weathermen are predicting the end of our soggy summer. Apparently, the Jet Stream is heading back up north to where it should be, and as a result we should get  normal summer weather. You know, sunshine, remember that ?  Jet Stream, eh ?  So why didn't Air Traffic Control sort it out sooner ?

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - July 2012

It's time to show what's in bloom in the garden this month:

Dahlia Bishop of Oxford, purchased from Brookside Nursery earlier this year, and still in the greenhouse.

Campanula persicifolia, one of the first campanulas I grew, and it self-seeds around the garden. Bargain.

Hemerocallis, commonly known as a daylily. Sorry I don't know the variety. The plant got through last winter, but the label didn't, it faded.

Viola, another self-seeded plant. I love plants for free.

Begonia Superstar, a wonderful plant for hanging baskets, only just coming into bloom.

Asiatic Lily, variety unknown. Lost the label. Really must be more careful.

Adenophora, closely related to campanula, grown from seed many years ago. I remember it took quite a few years to get established, but now it's a bit of a thug.

Matricaria, another one grown from seed many years ago, and now self-seeding around the garden.

Oxalis, this one escaped from my neighbour's garden. It grew through their hedge, and now flowers in my garden in dense shade. Oxalis can become a nuisance, but this one knows its place, and shows no signs of spreading.

Alstroemeria, this is one of the first Princess varieties, purchased many years ago when they first became available. I bought three at the time; a red one that died, a white one that still throws up a few stems, and this one that really took off.

Clematis Shimmer and Clematis Amethyst Beauty, growing together in a pot. Purchased two years ago, and flowering for the first time.

Sweet Pea, a perennial variety, also purchased two years ago, and also flowering for the first time. It's planted under an arch, but this stem decided to climb up a nearby apple tree.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this meme. Why not pop over to Carol's blog to see what is in bloom all over the world this month.

A Little Nut Tree

But this one doesn't bear a silver nutmeg.
It's not a nut tree either, but a Flowering Nutmeg.

This is Leycesteria formosa, which is also known as the Himalayan Honeysuckle. Erm, it's not a honeysuckle either. Now that you're completely confused, I'll introduce you to one of my favourite shrubs. I first came across this shrub many years ago, whilst on holiday in Cornwall. It was a specimen plant in the middle of a lawn, and was about 15ft. tall by 15ft. across. But what really attracted me to the plant, was how it was constantly visited by blackbirds who were gorging on the berries. This shrub has the added attraction of producing berries and flowers at the same time, later in the season.

On return from holiday, I set about purchasing my first plant, and it died. A few years later, I tried again, and it died. But I was determined to have this plant, so a few years later I purchased yet another one, and it.......wait for it, it survived. Maybe it was the pruning; I think I may have pruned the young shrubs too hard in their first year. Whereas with this plant, I let it get well established before attacking it with the pruners. And it has survived two severe winters recently too.

It has only just started flowering this year, I wonder why, so there are no berries just yet. The blackbirds in my garden are currently feasting on a bumper crop of Berberis darwinii berries:

Sorry about the poor quality of this photo, only it was pouring with rain, yet again. Remember the blackbird who was sunbathing the other day, well she really doesn't like the rain:

There was no food on the bird table, so she was just sheltering from the rain. Can't say I blame her.

Fit For A Princess

Yes, it's another rose:

This is Rose Princess Alexandra of Kent, the third of my four new David Austin roses to bloom. It managed to produce four lovely blooms before the deluge on Friday. I dead-headed it yesterday, and it now has some new buds showing through. The new roses have all done very well this year, must be all this rain. In previous years, new roses have struggled to produce many flowers in their first year.

This rose is named after Princess Alexandra, who is a cousin of the Queen, and a keen gardener and rose lover. Apparently, the rose has a fresh Tea fragrance that changes to the smell of lemon as the flower ages, and eventually gives off a hint of blackcurrants. I wouldn't know, because I have no sense of smell. And even if I could smell them, my flowers only got as far as the fresh Tea stage before the weather put paid to the display.

We had a glimpse, and I mean a glimpse, of sunshine the other day. Whilst I was out in the garden I stumbled across this blackbird sunning herself.

She wasn't very pleased about being disturbed. See the look on her face, but she didn't move. Well, why should she ?  She was there first. So I went back inside, as did the sun.

An Amazing Discovery

A couple of days ago, a discovery was made.
More about that later.

This is Linaria purpurea, commonly known as the purple toadflax. It is a short-lived perennial plant, much loved by bees, as you can see. I purchased some seed many years ago, and it has self-seeded ever since. Although the individual plants don't live very long, there are always plenty of youngsters to replace them. They grow to about 2ft. and are self-supporting.

And now about that discovery. For all of you who have been eagerly waiting to read about the Higgs boson, er sorry, not that discovery. No, this is what I was talking about:

Yippee, a ladybird larvae. Yes, despite the horrendous weather, the ladybirds have had babies. Found this one on a bin lid. The bin contained some hedge prunings; branches of elder coated in blackfly. The ladybirds must have laid their eggs on the elder knowing that their young would have plenty of food. I lifted this larvae off the bin and placed it in the greenhouse, on an orchid that was covered in greenfly. I also recovered two more larvae from the bin and placed them on suitable plants.

And finally, the weather. Despite June being the wettest month in over a hundred years nationally, here in Sheffield it was the wettest for only five years. But now it's July, and there are new records to be broken. Last night I attended an open air concert in Sheffield Botanical Gardens. I know, fancy attending an open air concert in the summer. Anyway, despite a thunderstorm that came uncomfortably close, we didn't get too wet. Memo to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: next time you come to Sheffield, can you pick a venue with a roof, please ?

A Fighting Chance

Another rose flowering for the first time:

This is Rose Fighting Temeraire, an English Rose purchased from David Austin Roses last autumn. As you can see, the bloom is a different shape from most English Roses. It is one of four roses I planted in the front garden last November. It has an eventual height and spread of about 5 feet, so I placed it further back in the border than the other three. Would you believe it, the other three have all grown taller than this one. I'm hoping it is just a slow grower. I'll take more photos when it has produced more blooms.

Rose Fighting Temeraire is named after a painting by JMW Turner from 1839. It was named for the opening of the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate, Kent last year.

This little chap came visiting last week. We don't get many bullfinches in the garden, but we have had quite a few this year, probably as a result of the weather. Oh, don't get me started on the weather. They've just announced that last month was the wettest June for over a hundred years.

And finally I am pleased to announce that Jane at Tidy Gardens by Jane has nominated me for the Lovely Blog Award. Thanks Jane, it is very much appreciated. I now have to tell you 7 things about myself, so here goes:

1. I love summer, you can't beat a good deluge or two or three or .....

2.  I was once the proud owner of a sports car; Kelloggs used to put some nice toys in their breakfast cereal boxes years ago.

3. I like seafood. I'm not going to mention that corny joke about 'see food and eat it.'  Oops, too late, said it now. Sorry.

4. I'm fascinated by thunderstorms, as long as I'm not caught out in one.

5. I love rainbows, and the pot of gold at the end. Oh dear, I'm sounding like a banker now.

6. I like strawberries, as do the blackbirds, the squirrel, and my dog. Latest score: 3 - 0 to me.

7. Three days after passing my driving test, I had an argument with a car park concrete bollard. It hit me from behind. They don't half move fast, those bollards.

I'm now supposed to nominate 10 other blogs, but as I have said before, I find this impossible to do. So may I direct you to my Blog List where there are some excellent blogs to read, it's just that there are more than ten of them.

A Touch Of The Arctic

Don't panic, it's not a weather forecast.
It's just a clematis.

This is Clematis Arctic Queen, purchased three year ago from Raymond Evison Clematis. It is described as one of the most free flowering double clematis. And you're probably thinking it doesn't look very double. I'll try another photo:

You're right, definitely not double, at least not yet anyway. Many doubles do produce a flush of single blooms. I'm hoping that's the case with this one, otherwise the labels have got mixed up. Oops. I'll keep an eye on this one to see if it produces double flowers later.

You'll be pleased to know that a number of those plants stranded in the greenhouse have now been moved into wall baskets outside. Don't know if the plants are very pleased though, what with the thunderstorms and all. Whilst I was in the greenhouse I noticed something hiding amongst the plant pots on the shelving. I presumed it was a snail, but snails don't have tails, do they ?  Yes, it was a little mouse. Didn't even move when I lifted the plant pots up. I went back later when the mouse had gone, and removed a snail from the same area. Guess what ?  The mouse had been building a little nest in there. Now I've no objection to the frogs that live in the greenhouse, but a mouse ?

The photos above were taken before today's thunderstorms. That heavy rain reminded me of the Sheffield floods five years ago this month. At the time I worked in an office quite close to the River Don near Meadowhall shopping centre. Most of us managed to get home okay, but some who stayed behind were trapped by the floodwater, and spent the night in the town hall. I remember looking at the traffic cameras when I got home. Couldn't understand why they were pointing them at the river. Then I realised, we don't have traffic lights and street lights in the middle of a river, do we?  Sheffield escaped the floods today. But that 'once in a hundred years' event could so easily happen again.

Best Buddies

The first strawberry of the season:

This is Strawberry Buddy, purchased earlier this year from Thompson & Morgan. As you can see the plant is in flower and also has its first ripe fruit. You can also see another buddy in the top right of the photo. Yes, at the same time as I noticed the ripe fruit, so did my dog.

The plants are growing in self-watering stacking pots, placed on pot stands with wheels, so they can easily be moved around the patio. Now that the plants are fruiting, I will have to cover them with netting to keep the birds off. However, it will take more than netting to keep Joey off them.

Strawberry Buddy is a relatively new ever-bearing variety. In other words, it crops throughout the summer, not just in June. In fact, it's not supposed to start cropping until mid-July and then continue until October. One of its parents is Strawberry Diamante. Oh, and the strawberry in the photo ?  It was delicious !!

And finally, a little conundrum for you. My calendar says that last Thursday was the first day of summer, and my diary says that today is midsummer. You can see where I'm going here, can't you ? Anyway, enjoy the rest of the summer, or should I say the rest of this week.

She's A Lady

Albeit a fictitious one.

This is Rose Lady of Shalott, purchased from David Austin Roses last autumn. I bought four roses at the time, and planted them all in the front garden. Oh yes, I remember it well. We had had a glorious autumn, but when the plants arrived the weather was already on the turn, and wintry weather was forecast. So I prepared the ground, and dug four very large holes. Although I was wearing a coat, it was a short one, and to cut a long story short, I ended up with severe backache. Just before the wintry weather set in, I managed to get out into the garden and plant the roses. Really should have dug those holes whilst the weather was still warm. Oh well, you live and learn.

Anyway, this is the first of those four roses to bloom. I'm really impressed with it. The plant is full of buds, which should give a good display for its first year. I took this photo today because one of our regular summer deluges is forecast for tomorrow.

The rose is named after a character from one of Lord Tennyson's favourite poems. The poem is set in the time of King Arthur's Camelot. The Lady of Shalott lived in a nearby castle, but she was trapped in a spell. There was a lot of that in those days, you know. She was freed from the spell when she saw the reflection of Sir Lancelot in a mirror. Sounds just like an episode of Merlin, doesn't it?

And finally, I had this little visitor arrive in the garden during a thunderstorm:

Not the best photo, I know, but it was about 15 feet up in the hawthorn tree, oh and it was raining, heavily. I can say for sure that it is a moth, but other than that I can't be more specific. I think it might be a lime hawkmoth, but I can't be certain. One thing I do know, I've not seen one before.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - June 2012

Took these photos just before a thunderstorm.
Got some very soggy flowers now.

Abutilon Hardy Red, I had four different colours originally, the other three obviously weren't that hardy.

Lobelia erinus Superstar, still stuck in the greenhouse, really should be outside by now.

Clematis Ice Blue, bought five years ago, putting on its best display yet.

Digitalis purpurea, a self-seeded foxglove. Nature always plants them in the right place.

Corydalis lutea, another self-seeded plant. This one does get a bit giddy though, really have to keep it under control.

Dactylorhiza pupurella, growing in a pot in the greenhouse. Look at those aphids, wildlife at no extra cost.

Hebe, variety unknown, has now outgrown its allotted space. Will be taking cuttings to replace it next year.

Verbena Trailing Red Velvet, another one in the greenhouse awaiting its escape.

Geranium versicolor, just coming into bloom.

Allium siculum, complete with bee. Don't get me going about the name change, it's an allium, right ?

Osteospermum Voltage Yellow, another one still stuck in the greenhouse.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting. If you want to see what's in bloom around the world today, why not pop over to Carol's blog.

Fruit For Thought

Or should I say the lack of it.
I'll explain later.

This is Clematis Rebecca, purchased about five years ago, and growing atop an apple tree. It was bred by Raymond Evison, and named after his eldest daughter. This year it has produced its best display ever, and as you can see there are lots of buds to follow.

It was whilst taking this photo that I noticed the apples, or should I say lack of them. The apple tree is Bolero, and it has only a few apples on it this year. Normally it is a prolific cropper. So I decided to check my other apple trees. Three of them have no apples at all, despite producing plenty of blossom earlier. Obviously this is the result of the crazy weather we have had this spring and the lack of pollinators. Ironically, my Polka apple tree is laden with fruit despite not having had much blossom, but it bloomed later than the others, when there must have been more bees around.

I then decided to check my gooseberry bush; two fruits, just two, hardly worth getting the cream out. On a more positive note, the blueberry plants are full of fruit, and the raspberries and strawberries seem to be doing well also. The blackbirds must be licking their beaks in anticipation.

You may recall I mentioned in my last post that I had been nominated for the Sunshine Blog award by Mary at Muse, and that I had to answer some questions. Please feel free to stop reading at this point. Normal service will be resumed next post. Anyway here goes:

Favourite colour:      Blue, I'm sure I've answered that one before.

Favourite animal:      Dog, Joey would never forgive me if I had chosen anything else.

Favourite number:    A winning lottery number. Although I'd need to know it before the lottery was drawn, not much use finding it out afterwards.

Favourite non-alcholic drink;    Tea, there's nothing like a nice cuppa tea.

Facebook or Twitter:     Twitter, I love the dawn chorus.

My passion:      Music, if music be the food of love. Do you know, I'm sure I've heard that before.

Getting or Giving Presents:    Tis far better to give than to receive. And I've heard that one before too.

Favourite Pattern:   A mackerel sky, one of Nature's magnificent paintings.

Favourite Day of the week:   All my working life it was always Saturday, but now I quite like Mondays.

Favourite Flower:    Difficult this one, there are so many that I like. Anyway I'll go back to the Fuchsia, see what I did there. It was one of the first flowers that I grew.

And finally I'm supposed to choose five blogs I like. As I explained previously, this I find impossible because there are so many excellent blogs out there, so I'll just direct you to my blog roll for some excellent reading. And thanks again to Mary for nominating me, please check out her blog, it's brill.

In The Summertime

When the weather is ........
Mm, that wasn't a very good choice of song, was it ?

This is the first of my David Austin Roses to bloom this year. I bought it over fifteen years ago, along with Graham Thomas and William Shakespeare. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of this particular variety. It's really had a bit of a rough time. Shortly after it was planted, the nearby Ceanothus grew above it, and it has spent most of its life in the shade. The Ceanothus was removed last year, and the rose started to thrive. Strange that. So this year it has been treated to food for the first time ever, and a mulch. Seems to like it.

The photo was taken a few days ago before the wind and rain, or should I say gales and deluge. This particular bloom is now spread around the lawn, but there are plenty of buds to follow. Weather permitting, of course.

Thought you might like to see this. In the centre of the photo is a young blue tit. Now I'm not saying it's Orville. In fact, after watching Springwatch on TV, I realise that it's highly unlikely that he survived. But I do know that it is one of his siblings. And how do I know that, you may ask. Well, one of Orville's parents had very distinct markings, and today I saw it feeding this little one. And there were a few others twittering in the tree. Yes, they are already on Twitter. They'll have their own Facebook page soon, no doubt.

I also had a visit from a squirrel today. I'm thinking of calling him Harry, as in Houdini. He managed to open not one, but two squirrel-proof feeders twice today. Mind you, the blue tits didn't complain. When he'd gone, they sat on top of the seed, and had a banquet. No wonder the youngsters now look bigger than their parents.

And finally, a big thank you to Mary at Muse, who has nominated me for The Sunshine Blog Award. I am truly honoured. Apparently, I have to answer some questions, so thinking cap on, and I'll answer them in my next post.

A Peony For Your Thoughts

And it's a tree peony too.

This is a Japanese Tree Peony, sorry I don't know which variety it is. I bought it a long time ago, I mean a very long time ago. I purchased two of them and planted them in the front garden. One of them, a lovely yellow double, was planted under the front window, where it just grew and grew. As it was obviously in the wrong place, I decided to move it. Big mistake. Tree peonies don't like moving. It died.

So this one I left alone. It only grows to about four or five feet, dependent on the severity of the winter. It was quite happy until the gas men came and dug up the pavement near the front garden. The gas pipe they were replacing was quite close to the peony's roots. Tree peonies don't like root disturbance. Don't worry , it didn't die, but it did sulk quite a bit. It seems a lot better now than it was last year, so hopefully it is now recovering from the experience.

The flowers are dinner plate size, huge things, but very heavy, and they bow their heads to the ground. So despite having about a dozen blooms at the moment, after the recent rain, the flowers are all facing downwards, and the display is hidden. No point in trying to lift them up; heavy rain forecast for tomorrow. Oh well.

You may have seen in previous posts, the bird feeder I use, which is covered in a squirrel guard. The guard keeps out the squirrels and the large birds, but I wasn't expecting this:

Didn't know snails liked bird seed. On the subject of bird seed, I read a letter recently where someone was asking if birds are particular about the bird food they are given. The letter writer said that if he changed the make of bird food, the birds weren't happy and would ignore the food until their regular make was offered. I too have experienced this. I usually get my bird food from CJ Wildbird Foods, but if on occasion I buy from another supplier, you know special offers and the like, the birds won't eat it. Even food from other very reputable suppliers is ignored. It's as if the birds just don't like change. The BTO say birds can tell which food is best, and they will eat the best food and ignore poorer quality food. I suppose it's a bit like, once you've sampled M&S food, do you really want to go back to Tesco?

Know Your Onions

Yes, the ornamental onions are in bloom.

This is Allium siculum, a bulbous perennial that seems to thrive in my garden. What's that ? What, it's not an Allium ?  Ah well, you see when I bought it, it was in the genus Allium, and that is where it remains for me. If the botanists want to change its name, so be it, but they are not changing my plant label. Oh and if you want to know what it's called now, well it's simply Nectaroscordum siculum. Now that's a memorable name, isn't it ?  And you wonder why I'm sticking with the old name. I haven't got a plant label big enough, for a start.

Anyway, the plant itself is a real bee magnet, although there were no bees out today in the rain. Yes, it's June, it's a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, so it's got to be raining. When the flowers have been pollinated, they fold up and lift upwards, forming a sort of conical shape. The plant is also very good at self seeding, and grows wherever it feels happy. I've had plants coming up quite a distance from the main planting. If you come across it in the bulb catalogues, I highly recommend it.

A few days ago, whilst sat out in the garden, no it doesn't rain every day, I was reminded about why I like to garden for wildlife:

This wood pigeon came to the bird bath just a few feet from where I was sitting, no zoom was used on this photo. The birds and animals have become quite tame over the years. As long as I move slowly and quietly, they just get on with their business as if I wasn't there.

And finally, on a completely different subject, you know how folk are always going on about eating your 'five a day' fruit and veg. I was reading an article in a newspaper the other day, about 10 superfoods that you should eat every day to keep you healthy. All the usual suspects were there, but in at number ten was, wait for it, four, yes four pieces of dark chocolate. That's every day, folks. Must go now, I'm off to eat my 'four a day.'

Horizontal Hold

Except I'm growing it vertically.

This is Cotoneaster horizontalis, planted by nature, not by me. She planted this one at the bottom of a rose arch, shortly after I had removed the old rose. These plants normally grow horizontally, hence the name, but if planted against a wall or arch, they will grow upwards. I first became aware of this plant's versatility several years ago, when I discovered it planted in the car park of a shopping centre. It was planted between the car parking bays, and was regularly clipped. This made the shrubs quite dense, much to the delight of several dunnocks who had made their home there.

My plant isn't dense enough for any nests yet, but in the autumn it is regularly visited by blackbirds who adore the berries. And at this time of year, it really is a bee magnet. Oh, and it attracts other pollinators too like this one:

Are you impressed ?  This is the first time I've ever had a holly blue stay still long enough to have its photo taken. Actually, I think it was drunk, it stayed there quite a while before it flew off. And others have been feeding in the garden too:

Look at the expression on the young blackbird's face. It's as if he's saying to his dad, 'what sort of food do you call this ?'  Never satisfied, these young uns.

By the way, it's recently been announced that putting up bird feeders acts as good pest control. Scientists have carried out experiments that show that gardens with bird feeders have better pest control than those without. Apparently, whilst the birds are waiting to use the feeders, they will eat the pests on your plants. It's a bit like putting sweets near the checkouts at the supermarkets. Except these 'sweets' are good for the birds. Mind you, I don't think putting broccoli spears near the supermarket checkout would have the same effect as sweets, do you ?