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.'