Snappys Flower In Bloom

Some Astrantia Major in flower from a few days ago.Do they look familiar?
The clue is at the top of the blog page.

I like to take ideas from all the gardens I have seen, both public and private.These beautys I saw first at Harlow Carr in June 2007.
I looked everywhere for the perennial roots and finally found some.They said they were red flowering, but have turned out white with lime green edging, and pink pin cushions within.Next year this plant should flower even more spectacularly.
A lot of my plants are perennials that should come back again with more vigour and more flowers.
The Monkshood, Chocolate Cosmos, Echinaceas, Eryngiums, Day Lily D'Oro, Crocosmia, and the Astrantia Major are seven perennials that should flower year after year, and be split eventually to pass along to other gardeners.
Its raining again.The wet weather continues putting flowers behind time with the cool and damp.Two more nights to go for me.
The Astrantia is Snappys archetypal flower.

Windowbox And Birds

Two Blue Tits in the garden this afternoon.I am back on nights so not much is happening.I tidied up the windowbox removing the gone over Virginia Stock and Scented Night Stock. I planted some busy lizzies, and a Coleus Black Knight, between the Dutch Iris that are growing on in the windowbox still.
The pots and debris underneath have been cleared up. I saw the first Blackbird in months today eating the fruit off the bird table.
The Robin was singing his heart out today, chirruping away on the fence posts and on the bird table, thrusting his red breast out.
The House Sparrow mob descended several times. I counted twenty three of them on one photo.They are so manic, flying, and hopping, jostling one another for the bird food.
I have three nights, which means the birds can enjoy the garden without me disturbing them.I will sit on the Rose bench daily though after the night shift and listen to the bird sing.

Chilli Passion

Todays late night post will be about my Chilli plants. I have six growing in pots outside now. It has been sunny enough for them to get some boosting sunlight.The first photo is of a sweet pepper that is going red. I read as the fruits develop over time the sugar content rises, that improves the taste and flavour. It was a chocolate brown colour a few days ago and has suprised me with the chameleon like change of fruit colour.

This picture shows my Apache Chilli plant, a dwarf Chilli plant for patio containers. It shows a flower in bloom at the top, a flower bud nearly opening to the right, and a fruit (Chilli) forming to the left.
I moved all my Chilli/Pepper plants outside for the summer to see if the fresh air, sunshine, wind, rain and buzzing insects would induce them to fruit better. I had some success with hand pollinating using a cotton bud, but a lot of flower drop too. It is experimental to see if the natural process can make more Chillis and Peppers without as much flower drop.

The next generation: Cayenne Chillis, Jalapeno Chillis, Sweet Pepper California and Yolo plants growing in front of the greenhouse. I also have six Hot Pepper Ring O Fire plants growing outside too. These five varieties have been raised from seeds this year.
A sixth type I grew from store bought Chillis marked Zambian Serenade. I harvested some seeds, dried them and planted them. I have flowers but no Chillis growing yet!
Another Chilli question I googled was are Chilli/Pepper plants annuals? The ones that are fruiting now are 12 months old now. I grew them from seeds bought at Tatton Park flower show last July from the Robinsons stand. I read if they are kept inside over winter then they can last 2 to 3 seasons.

The two Cayenne Chilli plants have given me sixteen Chillis so far. They start off this nice green colour and ripen to orange then red.They are hot to taste!
I have read that Chilli plants can drop flowers if they are stressed. I think if the flower has not successfully been pollinated then it also drops.
This year has been so educational watching these plants develop, and watching the flowers turn into Chillis or Sweet Peppers. It makes me want to buy more varieties of seeds and to grow a selection of the fruits. My wish list would include Habanero, Scotch Bonnett, andHungarian Hotwax to name a few. I read that the humble Habanero has whole recipie books given over to using it in cooking.
I have found a passion for growing Chillis this year.They have found a place in my gardeners green heart.

Sanctuary

After the blog post about pollinators yesterday I saw this wasp on the Helianthus this afternoon after I got up late. He was covered in pollen on his legs and thorax. He walked around the flower as i tried to get a good photo.
I love the fiery colours of the Helianthus flower. There are masses more buds too that have not opened yet.
Hopefully these will continue to attract flying insects into my garden.
I love these wildlife encounters, fifteen foot from my back door.Its lovely when gardens can become wildlife sanctuarys, so all forms of life can meet in the neutral garden.

Borage And Bees

These are some photos from the allotment this afternoon. I was suprised that despite all the rain the plot was not as boggy as it used to be. The combination of plants, and dug over soil has improved the drainage. The vegetable plants are growing beautifully and the weeds are slowing up in their attempt to grow in my beds. I grew some Borage in pots and planted them with Cat between the Pea's and French Beans. The Bee's, wasps, and hoverflys were buzzing around the Borages blue flowers today.Bee's and Borage..

The flowers hang down so the Bees had to fly up then cling on upside down. Their is masses of Borage now. I need to buy an icecube tray to freeze some of the flowers in ice cubes to flavour squash drinks. I do not know what else to do with my mass of Borage plants, although I read you can eat the coarse leaves as a salad leaf, it was slightly cucumber-ish in flavour.
The poor French Beans are dwarfed by the Borage. I cut an alley between two rows of Borage to let the light in for the French Beans. I have more FB germinating now from a later planting.

This is the Pea/French Bean/Borage/Spinach bed. The Peas are to the right, the French Beans are in the middle and at the far left of the Borage. The flower buds are a spectacual mass of pendulous pink buds. The Blue flowers look like Tomato plant flowers except for the colouring.
I spent two and a half hours weeding and turning the soil around the plants to aid drainage. The rain had caused it to harden and cap off. Turning it with a fork causes the water to drain to the plant roots and not sit on the surface.
I picked two and a half pounds of Courgettes today. I need some recipie ideas of what to do with them..

The blue flower illuminated by the light of the cloudy day. It did not rain today.The pollinators have been busy at the allotment. Flowers are in bloom all around the site.

My Runner Bean plants have baby runners on now from recently pollinated scarlet flowers. The French Beans are starting to flower with delicate white flowers in the middle of the bee central Borage.

A Strawberry plant flower on the edge of the Courgette and Gem Squash bed.These plants need a permenant home in the Autumn.I want a large Strawberry bed, as picking them and eating them has been one of the highlights of the allotment
Growing plants that need pollination to grow the fruit/veg makes you more aware of the bee's, wasps, hoverflys and flys. All those insects I saw today that fly from plant to plant cross pollinating.The Barratt road allotments are a rich place for all the flying insects that seek nectar from flowers.

Signs Of Summer

A field of wild Poppies between Wetherby and Harrogate. I rolled the window down and took the photo as we waited in traffic to get to the great Yorkshire show last Thursday.
Its another sign of summer for me along with the buzzing of bee's and warm sunshine.
I have had a lazy day just watching the birds in the garden, looking at all the flowers and buds on plants that have not flowered yet.
The right border looks good with pale blue Catnip Sixhills Giant flowering next to the Lilac coloured Buddeleja, and the White scented Freesias flowering over the green edging onto the path.The purple Salvias continue to flower beneath the blue and purple, along with the Blue tinged Cerinthes and purple stars of the Verbena Bonarensis.
The left border has two toned French Marigolds, Bright Orange Calendulas, and the Apricot coloured Lady Emma Hamilton. My white Astrantias are in bloom under the purple coloured Cranesbill Geraniums.
The sun has been shining today, and the rain never came. It has been a perfect Sunday gardening day. Just time to smell the Roses and admire the flowers.

Rose Bloom Saturday

The Rose Fred Loads in flower.This Rose only has the one flower bud so i have to photograph it. Next year my Roses might be more productive with the amount of flowers.
After Iceberg, Margaret Merrill, Red Devil, and Lady Emma Hamilton this Fred Loads is the fifth Rose to flower.
Two more need to bloom yet.The Pink fragrant climber Zephrine Drouhain, and another Rose called Miss Harp!
the Roses have given me a lot of pleasure this year.Cat says I need a bigger garden with a Rose border.She may be right..