My mother never dressed me in pink, she always chose lilacs, greens and white.
Our parents, can without doubt, influence our choices. I am not really a 'pink' sort of girl.
And yet, Filipendula Rubra 'Queen of the Prairie' stops me in my tracks everytime I walk past her. She is too pretty for words. Native Meadowsweet grows in abundance in this area. I have always loved it's pretty frothy white blooms. I would like to see her growing alongside 'Rubra'
Do you like pink in the garden? If so, which is your favourite plant?
Robin's pincushion, also known as the rose bedeguar gall, is common all over Britain on the wild or dog rose. There may be up to sixty chambers inside the brightly coloured gall, each containing the larva of the small gall wasp Diplolepis rosae.
Nigella has released her seeds. Wonderful artwork, don't you think??
Fox and cubs, one of my favourite wildflowers.........my new macro lens allows me to see more detail.
I loved art at school.....now in older age, I can use my camera to show you how I view the outside world........I see beauty in every stage of a plants life.
I must have brought the weather back from Spain :) Temperatures are way above average for this time of year (27C 84F). It seems the seasons are in such a 'jumble'........
Hope you are all well and enjoying your garden.
Another birthday, another year passes, how she grows.
And indeed, the garden grows. I love this......dwarf pampas grass and Persicaria amp. 'firetail'. Below are some more combinations that I really like.
Eupatorium fortunei 'pink elegance' and asters.
Rudbeckia subtomentosa 'Henry Eilers' and aster.
Susan's and ribbon grass.
Arum italicum and ferns.
Green can be very beautiful............
Can you imagine a world without trees, I can't. Last year Dan sent me 'A Tree in Your Pocket' by Jacqueline Memory Patterson. It has travelled in my pocket on many occassions.
I would like to share with you the 'conclusion' ..................
In ancient times Britain was known as a place of initiation and learning, where the qualities of the natural world not only sustained the people, but gave them a foundation upon which the structure of daily life was formed according to the season. By acknowledging themselves as part of Nature they found inspiration, fulfilment and a sense of security, for they were attuned to the
earth and its rhythms.
Today such a relationship is almost forgotten, for communication between people seems hard enough, let alone communing with Nature. We are all too busy in a world which has substituted
roads for woodland and supermarkets for gardens.
The memories of trees are ancient. They show what was and what can be, giving us ecologically sound advice. The wild places where they grow and prosper, however, are now severely at risk, open to desecration in the so-called name of progress, their unique properties ignored as man and machine determine to control and alter the precious balance of the land.
Yet we need trees to survive, for by holding the memories of what we were and the seed of what we will be, they form our identity as individuals and a race. Hence the conclusion to this book is dedicated to saving what remains of our trees and countryside , for as the land is covered in tarmac and concrete its essence dies, and so, little by little, do we.
As Wally Hope, the Stonehenge visionary says 'The greatest evolution is by example.' It is by our waking up to understand that the earth comes first, for it is our home and provider of life. It is by accepting that we are but one species of a vast array of life-forms and that we do not rule. It is by acknowleding that we are utterly dependent upon the other forms that dwell beside us and the communication that we open up with them. Closest to us are the animals, then come the trees. They await communication and are willing to share their magic, for it is the key to our identity and the future of the earth.
I would love to hear your opinion ............can we strike a balance between man and nature??
Must progress always come first?? Are you connected to the outside world and do you fully appreciate what it has to offer??
Each morning, as soon as I rise, I walk the garden. I have done so for the last nine years.
It gives me time to think about the day ahead. To see and absorb all that is around me.
The copse is the most magical place in this garden, and is almost, almost, like a secret garden.
It improves each year.......and still has secrets, some I will never know.
I love the fact that it is natural. It has been left to tell it's own story. I love to sit amongst the trees and listen.
Today I was in for a surprise. The medlar tree left a message.
As I climbed the stairs to the tree house I notice Medlars on the deck.
Ripe Medlars that the wind had brought down. It looks as though the birds have been enjoying them.
Walking back into the copse I did find one, just one, on the woodland floor. I would not say it is the most appealing fruit in the world but I was certainly going to try it. On my travels I have eaten worse :)
I opened the fruit and scooped out the bletted flesh with a small spoon. I smelt it....smelt quite nice.
The fruit is slightly gritty, only slightly. It tastes of stewed apples, a dash of spice, and has a lovely zing to it. I like it, I like it a lot.
I managed to salvage four seeds from this fruit and shall try growing a Medlar.
If anyone would like a seed let me know. Cannot promise you will get one, as the Medlars on the deck were minus seeds, so something is obviously eating them.
There is a strong gusty wind today.......torrential rain is expected. I think it might rain Medlars tonight :)
Around a year ago the land opposite our home was sold. At the time I was concerned as to what would happen with this field. I need not have worried. It is now owned by a shepherdess and all of the animals that you see in the photograph have been rescued by her. On Friday she was working in the field and I stopped to say hello. We chatted for a while and she asked would I like to come in and feed the llama. I explained that Nella was not used to large animals and felt it might be better if I declined. She assured me she would be fine, so in I went.
Nella was great and I was really proud of her. I fed the llama, they were so gentle and very timid. The Alpaca were much to frightened to come close.....I think it will take some time before I can feed them. Ann is a lovely lady, and it made me feel happy to know that these animals will now spend the rest of their life in rural Kent and will be treated with nothing but kindness.
I have told Ann I will check the animals regularly for her (I can see them from my bedroom window), she is going to give me a key to her gate so that Nella and I can walk the field if we so wish. She has also offered me the droppings for the garden. She will bag and I will collect from the gate. I think Ann and I will become very good friends :)
It soon started to rain, so Nella and I made a dash for home. I noticed this beautiful toadstool as I entered the garden.
Such beautiful detail inside the cup.
Looks like another soggy day ahead..............but hey, perhaps tomorrow will be better.
