Sunday, 22 June 2008

Warm and windy today


My lovely Ox-eye Daisies have taken a bit of a battering in the strong winds we've had today but thankfully there's no real damage in the garden.
After my busy day yesterday I've spent most of today enjoying the garden rather than working in it. I noticed that the Lavender, Ilex crenata and Jasmine are all flowering and it was good to see that the Borage and Galtonia candicans are in bud.
Sadly I've lost some of my Lilies that were over-wintered in their pots. L. Stargazer didn't come up at all and L. Orania came up blind. Careful inspection of the bulbs offered no clues: the bulbs were firm and there was no sign of any pests so I have no idea why this has happened. I had a similar problem with some of my Narcissi earlier in the year so I think the solution has to be to lift the bulbs and store them until it is time to plant them again. The Lily of the Valley also failed to flower this year but a friend had kindly agreed to pass on a clump from her garden.
There were lots of Hoverflies and Damselflies around today but far fewer bees than of late. I still haven't managed to identify the insect which is boring into the decaying piece of Jasmine wood. I spotted it and it looks a bit like a large ant with wings so I must do some more research. There was not one Butterfly today which is disappointing given the amount of plants I have which they are supposed to like. I read somewhere that it would be a poor year for them due to the wet summer last year and sadly this seems to be the case.
But to end on a high note I picked 12 Strawberries today - my record so far!
Georgie

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