It's Monday....this is the morning I take my parents and Mum in law food shopping........so at 6.45 decided to walk the garden to start my day quietly........
The gatekeepers are still around....and there are a lot of them.......
I often find them near or on the lillies......they blend beautifully, so I can imagine the butterfly can rest knowing that a bird will not see him.......I am pleased with the lillies, they were another cheap buy and add some lovely colour to the garden......
The whites are still around......I do love them even though they are a common butterfly.....when they can't find cabbages to lay their eggs on, they will use nasturtiums, another reason I plant them......
A white poppy appeared......lovely, for me the perfect colour for a poppy......
And amongst the hawthorn hedge Gaultheria has produced its lovely berries......they look beautiful against the red haws......
I am going to have to improve these bird shots.....I just can't seem to get a good image when they are so far away.........anyway this is a goldfinch....we have a charm in the garden and I think they will stay as the teasels are beginning to show signs of seeds.......
The great tits are also here in large numbers.....a charming little bird......
Also the robin.....there are a family here at the moment.....the young have sweet little rosy breasts now and look so exquisite.......
the wisteria has decided to bloom again.....the lavender flowers are so welcome.......I was pleased to see this.....
Not too sure about the colour of this gladioli.....I think this is going to be one of Cheryl's mistakes.......we will see.......
But I do like this little crocrosmia.........such a soft colour......
And finally, the hibiscus has just opened......lovely lilac. When I started this garden I wanted one for all seasons, I really thought about the colour and timing of things. I am a novice, so it has been a huge learning curve......there are plenty of mistakes but all in all I am enjoying seeing it grow and mature.......
This was a last minute thought.......have I ever shown you this small water feature on the patio.......It is made from old oak barrels from the brewery and an old hand pump......we put this together when we first moved here. There were a lot of problems initially due to the fact that the oak had soaked up the beer for years. Although we cleaned and treated the barrels, for the first year the patio smelt like a brewery.....you could get drunk on the fumes........now it is fine and creates a nice atmosphere when Mr P and I have supper on the patio. Hope you all have a good week...............
It's Monday....this is the morning I take my parents and Mum in law food shopping........so at 6.45 decided to walk the garden to start my day quietly........
The gatekeepers are still around....and there are a lot of them.......
I often find them near or on the lillies......they blend beautifully, so I can imagine the butterfly can rest knowing that a bird will not see him.......I am pleased with the lillies, they were another cheap buy and add some lovely colour to the garden......
The whites are still around......I do love them even though they are a common butterfly.....when they can't find cabbages to lay their eggs on, they will use nasturtiums, another reason I plant them......
A white poppy appeared......lovely, for me the perfect colour for a poppy......
And amongst the hawthorn hedge Gaultheria has produced its lovely berries......they look beautiful against the red haws......
I am going to have to improve these bird shots.....I just can't seem to get a good image when they are so far away.........anyway this is a goldfinch....we have a charm in the garden and I think they will stay as the teasels are beginning to show signs of seeds.......
The great tits are also here in large numbers.....a charming little bird......
Also the robin.....there are a family here at the moment.....the young have sweet little rosy breasts now and look so exquisite.......
the wisteria has decided to bloom again.....the lavender flowers are so welcome.......I was pleased to see this.....
Not too sure about the colour of this gladioli.....I think this is going to be one of Cheryl's mistakes.......we will see.......
But I do like this little crocrosmia.........such a soft colour......
And finally, the hibiscus has just opened......lovely lilac. When I started this garden I wanted one for all seasons, I really thought about the colour and timing of things. I am a novice, so it has been a huge learning curve......there are plenty of mistakes but all in all I am enjoying seeing it grow and mature.......
This was a last minute thought.......have I ever shown you this small water feature on the patio.......It is made from old oak barrels from the brewery and an old hand pump......we put this together when we first moved here. There were a lot of problems initially due to the fact that the oak had soaked up the beer for years. Although we cleaned and treated the barrels, for the first year the patio smelt like a brewery.....you could get drunk on the fumes........now it is fine and creates a nice atmosphere when Mr P and I have supper on the patio. Hope you all have a good week...............
22 comments:
Hi Cheryl, thanks for wishing me a great trip, it was, thank you!
The orange lily you have in your garden reminds me of a gorgeous lily I saw in the higher elevations of Yosemite. Vivid orange, growing along little streams up at 9,000+ feet. The orange was leaning toward red and almost glowed in the sunlight.
I wish I could grow such pretty flowers in my dry, deserty climate, but alas, no.
Is the lily in your photo native to your country?
Cheryl, your morning walk through was wonderful. I love the butterfly-those 'eyes' on their wings always make me smile. I think your bird shots are good, but I know you want spectacular.:) How great you have a second round of blooms on the wisteria and it goes so well with the hibiscus. Will post tomorrow and tell about the weekend. Have a great week.
Hi Zhakee....sounds wonderful....I will be popping over to your blog in a moment...
The lily is non native I am afraid...they are an asiatic lily, but they are hardy in this climate, so come up every year. They also draw in a lot of insects which is my main reason for planting.....
Hi Beckie.....the bird shots are not good....But I am determined they will be.....this is my winter project when the bees and butterflies have gone.....
Look forward to your post tomorrow......
Hey Cheryl,
I think the bird photo's are fine but I can understand what you mean about wanting to improve. You may have noticed I don't have many bird photo's on my blog, at least not of smaller birds. I'm just not happy with the way they come out. In my case much of that is due to the lack of zoom for capturing the smaller birds in a natural setting.
Your butterflies are always so gorgeous. I've got to find some more myself.
And a special thanks for the kind remarks on that post with the video. I really appreciated that.
Baker
Ohh how lovely. I dont think you showed us that before cos for sure I would remember it Cheryl. I love it - it just looks so natural, like it has always been there. And as always some beautiful pics for us to look at - thank you xx Hope you are well xxxx
I'm so glad to know that the little white butterflies like nasturtiums as an alternative to cabbage. I will happily plant more for them just so I can enjoy their little flutters about the garden.
Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage
Hi Baker....I loved your video....
I am really not happy with the bird shots and aiming this winter to make an effort to improve....fingers crossed....
Thank you Dawny....that is just the look we wanted as though it had always been there......I must say it is very hard to keep clean, another job, but it is worth it...
We are fine, hope you all are to....
Hi Cindy....So nice to meet another white butterfly person......they add such charm to a garden.....
Dear Cheryl,
I so love seeing your birds and your butterflies....Your Gold Finch is so colorful. I can see why the Robin is a favorite as it is very darling.
Your gardens are very pretty.
Water features are nice. I laughed about the smell.
Thank you for Monday morning in your garden.
Sherry
Hi Cheryl, I like to start the day out quietly in the garden too. Your flowers are lovely. Birds too. Enjoy your week.
(I like the bright pink glads!)
Hi Cheryl, I hadn't seen your water feature on your deck before. It is very nice. I imagine the sound is soothing as you sit on the paito.
I hope you enjoyed your shop with the folks.
What a lovely morning walk. Your birds are so different than ours with the same names. What a colourful goldfinch! Ours are black and yellow. Thanks for visiting and commenting on my blog. I will be back to visit yours.
I really like your water feature maybe we will do one like that some day... I wonder if the gatekeeper "knows" how well it blends in?
I have a soft spot for the whites, as they are one of the few butterflies I can reliably see. They must really love our yard this year...nasturtiums everywhere and lots of kohlrabi :-)
Hi Sherry....the robin is delightful.......he is my friend....they are aggressive towards other birds but we get so few here.....you never have more than one or two in a garden during the winter....they are very territorial......
I laugh now about the water feature....but it nearly sent me crazy the first year....people would visit and say what is that funny smell.....
Hi Ruth....this is what I find interesting to....you visit a blog across the other side of the world and the wildlife are so different....it opens up a whole new world......
Butterflies tend to rest where they blend well....I am sure they know....
the whites are great and add another dimension to the garden....you can always see them so clearly......
Love the lilium, Cheryl. It is just perfect. And the gold finch and robin red breast - delightful to have in your garden.
Nasturtiums have always been a favourite of mine - as kids, we would bite off the end and suck out the nectar, which was delicious. I also remember a story when I was very young about someone who had them growing all over his house and the neighbours thought his house was on fire! But now I mostly appreciate them for their sunny faces and their contribution to the vegetable garden - they are great companions to many veges and fruits. Can't wait for them to be growing here again. xx
Cheryl, you have so many lovely flowers blooming right now--for a self-proclaimed "novice" you did a great job in planting blooms for all the seasons.
Love the water feature, though I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the brewery fumes the first year:)
Hi Naturewitch....great story, and I can understand it....I love nasturtiums they are good all rounders......
It is funny now Rose.....but at the time it was looking like a disaster......
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