Monday 2 June 2008

Monday and its still gloomy.

The weather this spring has been awful. Apart from the odd spell of sunshine, we have mostly had rain, drizzle or grey skies. The effects on wildlife will show probably next year....but for now I can tell you the following..........up until this time I have not seen any honeybees in the garden. Hopefully if the weather warms up I might begin to see them. The mason bees have not done so well....last year eighty tubes were filled......this year I have ten at the most. I don't know the reasons but it has never happened before. But its not all doom and gloom....there are lots of young birds in the garden.......magpies....chaffinch.....starlings....sparrow.....blue tits.....and great tits. These are the ones that I have seen. Blooms are doing ok, as we have spells of sunshine in between the showers.
Plenty of rose blooms still, although some are pretty soggy!!!
I love this bloom on the Elder Black Lace. These shrubs thrive in the damp, so they are doing well.
Hypericum......I love these shrubs and can never quite understand why they get such a bad press here.
This Rose has got to be a freak of nature surely. Can you see the outside petals are green and red? Most peculiar.
Lovely foxgloves again,this one has just opened.....how pretty is that.
This honeysuckle is so full of flowers it lifts the whole garden, and the smell, oh I can't tell you it is divine.
Welsh poppies are popping up all over the place and dance in the breeze.....
And the delightful calendula.....an old cottage garden plant, don't you just love its sunny little face.
The cranesbills have flowered non stop.....I would not be without these.

I planted Arum Lillies in the bog garden years ago. Someone told me they would not do well. Me being me, never listened....glad I didn't because they bloom non stop every year.
I just love my white blooms.
This poppy is stunning....tried several times to capture the true colour and this was the best photograph. This is the result of cross pollenation.
Marigolds, always reliable and the hoverflys love them.
And finally this Clematis, one of the montana's, has so many buds it was starting to come away from its host, the old pear tree. I spent a good hour yesterday tying it in. I can't wait for it to reach the top of the tree....every year I look down from the bedroom window to be greeted with these magnificent blooms.
So a brief chat about what is going on in my garden......how is the weather with you and is your garden doing well????


21 comments:

Rose said...

Summer has come to Illinois! It's hot and humid here, which means many blooms will be opening up soon. On the other hand, we have had a lot of rain, too.
The calendula looks a lot like my new gallardias; wonder if they are related?
The white lilies are so lovely; glad you didn't listen to the advice of others:) And honeysuckle--I agree the scent is divine.
I will try to send some warmer weather your way:)

Cheryl said...

Hi Rose....Calendula....they are similar to Gallardia's aren't they.

I will wait with open arms for those sun rays!!!!

Connie said...

Thank you for your kind words on my blog!
You have a lovely assortment of blooms. Our weather has been cool and wet as well, slowing things down a bit.

Cheryl said...

Hi Connie...tks for dropping by...seems most of us have had plenty of rain.

fiona said...

Such fantastic blooms! Calendula is a favourite of mine, partly because I love the bright cheery yellow flowers, partly because they self-seed every year (even though they're supposed to be annuals) and partly because they're great for companion planting with my tomatoes.

Love honeysuckle and roses.. scent is so important and I think its a childhood thing as my Dad grew these in our garden.

I'm sad that the bees aren't doing so well this year. Because of you I am taking much more notice of bees! Today I tried to get a snap of one who was sitting on a chive flower in the kitchen window box for ages.. and yesterday I managed to rescue a bumble who had fallen into my rainwater bucket. He was walking about OK afterwards so I'm hopeful he made it!

TheSingingBird said...

Such a lovely blog and garden to discover! We are low on rain this year and will have to watch the amount of water we use this summer in California...I will hope for balance in all gardens. :)

Cheryl said...

Sweet calendula...my grandfather always grew them...strong connections for me.

Well done saving the bee. He would have been chilled....place them somewhere in the sun next time and a drop of honey nearby will give him strength. If he survived he will not forget you, I am sure.

Take care special person.

Cheryl said...

Hello singing bird and welcome...

We all need balance in our gardens, I wish this for you to.

beckie said...

Cheryl. where to begin?! First, I love the header with the juvenile bird. Looks like a typical teenager. The black lace elder is just beautiful and I love the hypericum. Wonder what the bad rap is. Your poppies are really something to behold. Such a lovely pale orange and a deep almost purple red! The Arum lilies look a lot like calla lilies one of my favorites, but can't seem to get them to do well here. For all your weird and cool weather-your garden is wonderful!

LadyLuz said...

Hola Cheryl

What a good thing that many of your plants like damp conditions. I didn't know lilies liked it boggie...they look beautiful, as do all your flowers.

It is finally beginning to warm up in the evenings here, which means more watering. I think we may have seen the last of the heavy rains until October (famous last words!)

Cheryl said...

Hi Beckie...thank you for your lovely comments.....its strange some of our plants look similar and yet have different names.

The weather actually is pretty awful.Mr Practical always longs for the summer and it has not really got going yet. Living in an old house with beams, it can be very dark and some would find it depressing I am sure. So please if you have sunshine blow it our way just for a little while.

Hope your roof is being sorted, keep thinking about you.

Cheryl said...

Hi Ladyluz....Lillies don't like it boggy as far as I know. I made a mistake I think but it is a mistake that seems to have worked!!!

Dawny P said...

Hi Cheryl. We had a bit of rain last night but other than that it's been quite dry, albeit grey!!! Once again these photos are stunning. You are an absolute genius with your camera. And good for you for not listening re your lillies cos they are fabulous. Our garden is looking ok-ish right now. Still haven't finished the pots but I am getting there!!! If I get a sec later, I will take a quick snap and post it on the blog. But it is not a patch on yours xxxx

naturewitch said...

Hi Cheryl

We're also having wet weather in Canberra. But as we are almost in winter, it is probably not surprising. I'm hoping the rain will soften the ground so I can get into the garden this weekend and do some winter maintenance.

I love your gorgeous flower photos, particularly the hypericum. It grows wild around here, although it is regarded by the authorities as a noxious weed. But there are some among us who value its medicinal properties and have been known to gather the "weed" with great delight. I've never seen one looking as healthy as yours, though.

Your garden seems to be a little bit of Eden in the middle of England. I'm sure your bees will return once the weather settles.

love and light

Cheryl said...

Thanks Dawny....I would love to see your flowers....it doesn't matter what the photo is like, it gives an insight to the people who have planted them, I like that.
Hope family is well....
Dentist for me Thursday, i've broken a tooth, what joy!!!!

Cheryl said...

Hi Naturewitch....tks for dropping by....Hypericum is so useful medicinally, I have used it many times during the last few years.
I also, like you, love the blooms. I have around ten shrubs in the garden, great.
My garden is my little bit of England, how I personally would like it to be. No chemical sprays, teaming with insects and wild flowers.....native trees and the odd foreigner (I adore the eucalyptus) and planted one as soon as we moved here. The trunk is so tactile....I always have to touch it as I walk by. I just love being close to nature.

Miranda Bell said...

Well this collection of plants would be enough to cheer up anyone on a gloomy Monday morning!! I love your Elder Black Lace - you don't have the exact variety of Sambucus as I'd love to get one - whether I'll be able to source one in France is another matter though! We have some wonderful damp areas where it would look great! Have just come in from cutting the grass - weather looking more settled right now... thank goodness! Take care Miranda

Cheryl said...

Hi Miranda....the weather is still gloomy and damp.
The elder is beautiful, I have five of these in the garden. If I remember correctly its called Sambucus nigra laciniata. I hope I have remembered correctly.
If you lived nearer I could have given you cuttings in the spring.
Its great when you can cut the grass, it finishes everything off neatly....

Wendy said...

I must say we also have been having a lot of rain. Good for our grass and gardens, but we also could do with some more sun.
Loved all your flower pics, but especially liked the sunny face of the calendula. Just brightens up my day.

Cheryl said...

Hi Wendy...Calendual are a lovely little flower, and so effective when planted in blocks. Hoverflies adore them.....and of course they keep the aphids away from other plants.....great for companion planting.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

It may have been gloomy in your garden monday but your photos are outstanding.