Time Flies & Everything Stays the Same
- Clare
- Jul 24, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 19, 2020
It's funny how everything seems so "samey" at the moment and I genuinely forget what day it is most of the time. The garden never stops of course, but my time in it has become very routine. As per my last post, I have spent a lot of time this week weeding and collecting seeds. In fact, I am finding that propagating plants is fast becoming my new obsession. I have taken more cuttings from my dianthus and sage, planted spores from our ferns, collected seeds from a multitude of plants and potted up some cotoneaster and lemon grass seedlings that have sprouted around their mother plants. I am not 100 per cent sure what I will do with all of them at the moment but I am fast amassing enough plants to start a small nursery!
In a slight deviation from normality, I managed to drag myself out of bed early on Tuesday and ventured into the garden just before the sun rose (around 4 am) in an effort to see comet Neowise. After some initial thoughts of "this is a crazy idea" and fueled with a cup of strong coffee, I did actually enjoy a very peaceful hour sitting in the garden with just the birds for company as the sun came up (though I didn't see the comet!) My grandad always used to say this was the best time of day and finally I could understand why.
The garden is still flourishing and the birds and bees seem happy. I love that we have so many flowers and many have literally been blooming for months. The pretty pink hardy geraniums and golden Helianthemum 'Ben Fhada' are great examples of this. They are such wonderful plants at the front of a border and spread wonderfully well.
Rather than flowering continuously, other plants are displaying a second round of colour, such as the red valerian illustrated below. The roses have also been flowering on and off for many weeks now and I love to catch their heady scent as I pass by.
Sadly, the little baby quinces which were growing behind my yellow roses seem to have disappeared, though I am unsure whether they have been eaten by birds, or merely succumbed to the dry spell we had recently.
A few more fiery flowers are also appearing; the lily shown below is magnificent (it was a gift and therefore I do not know the variety) and the first fiery crocosmia has opened its petals. The latter of these spread like weeds and I have planted them in patches around the garden for a burst of late summer colour.
The bees are loving the oregano flowers that are tumbling over our raised beds and the lovely daisies are permanently covered in insects. Its funny how flowers can seem to have a personality and daisies (possibly because they are so associated with childhood and innocence) are such friendly, happy flowers!
Whilst still covered in butterflies, the purple buddleias in our garden are starting to fade, though the white variety is now in full bloom.
I recently found out about Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count, which has been taking place annually since 2010. It only takes 15 minutes and is a nice thing to do with young children as it doesn't take too long (most important for short concentration spans!) and also introduces them to butterflies and the importance of conservation. This year, the count takes place from mid July until 9th August and you can find the details here:
The insects are also loving our sunflowers, which have shot up in recent weeks. The sunflower in this image towers above me and has reached the upper windows of our house. That said, it is far from the height of the tallest sunflower ever recorded which was grown in Germany in 2014 and measured a whopping 9.17 metres (30 feet 1 inch)!
Despite being such tall flowers, sunflowers are great to grow in small gardens as they don't spread too far and (though I have never tried this) can even be grown in pots inside if placed in a sunny position. The flower heads are a magnet for insects and act as a huge 'nectar-filled' landing pad, while various butterfly and moth species will lay their eggs on the leaves. When the flowers die off, I hang the heads to dry and then use them as a ready filled bird feeder.
This year I also plan to recycle the sunflower stalks as canes in the garden as I understand they are a good alternative to bamboo (as a random little factoid, sunflower stems were once used to fill life jackets before a synthetic alternative was found).
It's great to recycle and many gardeners are very adept at this. At our local allotment, there are even old toilets used as planters - it always makes my children smile! In our own plot, the courgettes are going crazy (as courgettes tend to do) and I am trying to find novel ways to eat them. I brought home a pile of courgettes, some spring onions and broad beans earlier this week and then played a round of Ready Steady Cook as I tried to decide what I could make with them. The following recipe seemed to be made for my little harvest and was lovely (though the pesto really does have to be fresh):
As we start the Summer holidays, it is sad that so many gardening events (such as the Hampton Court Flower Show and the opening of the new RHS Garden Bridgewater) have had to be cancelled or postponed, due to the impact of Covid-19. This must have been devastating to the horticultural industry and imparted a huge financial impact. There are still lots of lovely gardens to visit however and the Gardens to Visit website lists some of the best:
Their Facebook page also currently displays images of some of the "best" gardens of the British Isles and takes you on a lovely photographic journey:
Following on from a virtual Chelsea Flower Show, the RHS have also launched Tatton Park at Home, which has numerous contributions from a varied assortment of people associated with the horticultural industry. You can take a tour of Tatton's lovely Japanese garden, find ways to support local growers and also obtain lots of practical advice. It's not the same as visiting in person of course, but does provide a welcome alternative in these troubled times.
Ah Sunflower
Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun:
Seeking after than sweet golden clime
Where the travellers journey is done.
Where the Youth pined away with desire,
And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow:
Arise from their graves and aspire,
Where my sunflower wishes to go. William Blake
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