Wild Edges

post from Snappy's Gardens Blog on 22 May 2013 05:42:19 PM. © Snappy's Gardens Blog

I spent the day between the allotment and the garden. The garden is ordered but still a bit wild around the edges.Who remembers blowing these Dandelion seed heads to tell the time?Sending the seeds airborne with each puff of breath. This seed head was by the greenhouse.
I cherish Dandelions. Having made a pillow of these to lie down on when i was small.The orange flowers attract all the local pollinators.They make a fabulous dry wine too.I read on Twitter that someones children thought that the dandelions were meant to be in a garden, because there were so many there.
The funny thing is if you tried to grow them they would not respond. They self seed where they want to, and will not be swayed by the whims of gardeners.
A Creeping Buttercup flowers by the greenhouse too. They have a beautiful simplicity, and purity. These are endemic all over the plot.I still adore the yellow flowers reflecting the sunlight.
The wild edges of the unruly garden make a great home for some friendly native British wildlife. The pond has had newts since I dug the hole. How they found it I do no know. Maybe they smelled the fresh water? Here two common Newts swim around. They are fascinating to watch, swimming, doing Tai Chi in the water, or lying very still. I love the way they gulp their air down from the surface.
The Birds are the most common wild things that I attract into the garden. This friendly Robin hops around even when we are in the garden. The Warlike Robin is a gardeners friend sat on the spade or fork handle waiting for the digging to uncover grubs and worms.He makes me happy to see him.

The other wild thing that I keep seeing, and have managed to photograph is our long tailed field mouse. He must live under the fence or patio. He scurries out from his hiding place, to raid the dropped bird seed.He can jump like a horse too if he is scared. Up and forwards.
I think amazon the second is quite handsome in the mouse face stakes. He was happy to let me photograph him.I left some treats on the patio slabs.He has a funny habit of running between the slabs in the narrow gulley's.
Some welcome returners to the pond are the common garden Frogs. They are like temperate water spirits peeking out of the pond looking at you. Some are skittish and dive straight into the water.
Others are more laid back and will let me photograph them. I think the chilled frogs have seen me before and remember me.
Its hard to estimate how many Frogs and Newts have taken residence in the pond. A lot hide in the murk, or under the bricks, or in the roots of the pond plants. I love seeing British wildlife having a home in our garden, when it has been built to attract them.The pond water has cleared slightly now, as the natural balance between clear water, and green algae has been reached.
The last photo of the wild edge of the garden is a Poppy flower head dangling down like a green tear drop. It is growing behind the rose bench. I think it is a welsh poppy but need it to open to work out what it is.
The wind has blown the seed there, or the birds have dropped it. I love finding plants in new unexpected places. They choose the best place and bloom away. If you tried sowing them they would fail spectacularly. Nature is funny sometimes.
The Chelsea flower show has exquisite manicured show gardens, but a slightly scruffy wildlife friendly garden is as much fun, and will last for many years to come.

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Gardening Article: Creating a Critter-Friendly
Garden

post from North Coast Gardening Blog on 22 May 2013 11:42:36 AM. © North Coast Gardening Blog

Not all critters that may wander through your garden are bad. Some can actually benefit your garden by fertilizing flowers and plants, by keeping bad bugs away and by making your landscape more attractive. Cut down on your garden maintenance by planting[...]

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tml

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Reader Photo

post from Cactus Blog on 22 May 2013 11:42:34 AM. © Cactus Blog

I received this picture from someone’s cell phone, texted to my email. Because cell phone emails aren’t real email addresses I don’t know who this comes from.

Is it from you????

Anyway, someone was very excited to share their Echinocereus grandiflora hybrid from us in full bloom.

Nice!

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http://www.cactusjungle.com/blog/2013/05/22/reader-photo-3/

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Wildflower Wednesday

post from Barbara's Garden Chronicles on 22 May 2013 09:34:00 AM. © Barbara's Garden Chronicles

For months now, I've been chomping at the bit hoping that I could play on Wildflower Wednesday. I've shown questionable nubs of green and flowers from years past, but this month, it's like my tuba has been repaired; mum's got the fringe tidied up on my shoulders; and my brass buttons have been polished - I'm back in the marching band once again.

So here's a pictorial of wildflowers from the beginning of May until this weekend - from brown sprouts of hope, to acres of green and blue.

My first wildflower of the garden - I can feel the squint the the petals of the hairy little Hepatica -

Hard to believe that these Trillium grandiflorum going to live up to their name:

Dicentra culcularia by the front stoop.

And no not wild flowers, but a lovely little finch who is nesting in the Magnolia stellata, and now three weeks later is invisible, hidden behind all the leaves:

A week later, a little show of white on the T. grandiflorum.

And a week later, in someone else's garden - the full joy of their open blossoms.

A little native fern that has decided to do it's own mutating:

Mertensia virginica - Virginia Bluebells - little pieces of sky visiting the earth.

Arisaema triphyllum on my walk this weekend with Judy.

And the reason for this woodland walk along 16 Mile Creek - the Mertensia virginica were in bloom:

One of the prettiest wildflowers in Ontario.

Sadly they're having to do battle with the dreaded garlic mustard - see all those little white dots - all garlic mustard.

There are organized pulls to keep them under control. This patch of M. virginica is much bigger than in years past, perhaps it's a sign that the pulls are working.

M. virginica is an ephemeral. So these wonderful leaves will soon yellow and die over the next month. It's a plant that I tuck into an area with hosta, so that the last stages of its life can be given a little privacy under the large hosta leaves.

Here we have Geranium maculatum. If you can find one in your nursery, and have dry shade, you really can't ask for a better low-maintenance attractive plant. More little dots of garlic mustard to the top right.

And while this excellent slow-growing woodlander, False Solomon's Seal, has been growing away, its name has been changed to Maianthemum racemosum.

The Trilliums are coming to an end for this year:

And back home on an early morning walk, here's an excellent patch of Polygonatum Solomon's Seal, growing in a nearby garden. It's flashy cousin Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' is perennial of the year. It makes a very sad looking potted plant, but quickly becomes a stunner in the garden. I'd encourage anyone to take a leap of faith when they see one at the garden centre to take it home and plant it in a shady spot.

And should you not have enough wildflowers for the moment - and frankly how could you ever have enough? be certain to visit Gail at Clay & Limestone for more Wildflower Wednesday.

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Trilliums In My Garden: Wildflower Wednesday

post from Cold Climate Gardening on 22 May 2013 07:05:06 AM. © Cold Climate Gardening

Trilliums have charmed and fascinated me ever since my days as a Girl Scout, when I learned to identify a few wildflowers. With three leaves and three petals, trillium practically named itself (tri = 3) and was easy to remember. I never set out to have a trillium collection, but I’ve never turned down an [...]

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wednesday/

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HOW TO MAKE LIMONCELLO

post from The Garden of Eaden on 22 May 2013 05:41:19 AM. © The Garden of Eaden

CLICK HERE FOR THE 'GARDEN OF EADEN? SEED SHOP.If you have spent any time in southern Italy, and in[...]

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ello.html

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Wilting Cucumber Vines

post from About.com Gardening on 22 May 2013 05:30:28 AM. © About.com Gardening

Your vegetable garden is probably looking good right now. Yay! The usual problems often don't show up until summer sets in and brings the insects and fungal spores with it. But if you experience the same problems year after year, now is a good time to start keeping watch for the culprits.

...

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cumber-vines.htm

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WHERE IS SORRENTO

post from The Garden of Eaden on 22 May 2013 04:43:06 AM. © The Garden of Eaden

CLICK HERE FOR THE 'GARDEN OF EADEN? SEED SHOPYou would have surely heard of Pompeii,[...]

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html

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WHAT IS LIGHT POLLUTION

CLICK HERE FOR THE 'GARDEN OF EADEN? SEED SHOP.There have been many reports recently about the[...]

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ution.html

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Garden Vocabulary: Latin Botanical Epithets
Augustifolia

After watching 2 days of coverage of the Chelsea Garden Show and noting all the plant names I see, it re-interested me in a project to research those Latin words that appear frequently in plant names. Some are very common and others quote rare, but I figured I would start with one of the most [...]

Garden Vocabulary: Latin Botanical Epithets – Augustifolia is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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