Electric Purple

One of the plants that was here at Fishponds Drive was this beautiful Campanula. It grows all along, and over a brick wall tumbling down to the grass below. In April it is suddenly revived and the plant bursts into bloom with hundreds of tiny electric purple flowers. It is very pretty to look at it from the dining room window with the flowers glowing in the sunlight.

The Bee's and Butterflies love it. This hungry Butterfly alighted on the purple flowers. He drank deeply and then flew off energetically revived with the red bull type nectar. The flower had caused him to be full of the joys of spring, maybe nectar is intoxicating?
I like plants that attract the insects, which then attract the garden birds. These will eventually attract predators. Gardeners can help by growing insect friendly plants at the base of the food chain.
Lavender seems to draw Bees in from miles. Another plant growing here already was a gigantic Ceanothus bush with Blue flowers that smell like honey. That plant is always buzzing in the summer as the Bees visit it lots. Its therapeutic sitting listening to the birds sing, and the drone of the Bee's in the Ceanothus on a hot day with a glass of lemonade.
My favourite plant though is regarded by many as a weed, is the Buddleia or Butterfly bush. The one at the back of this garden was Butterfly central last year. I loved just standing and watching the Butterflys clamber all over it.
The weather here is warming up, but there is still a chill in the air. The sunshine lulls you into a false sense of security. Tonights temperature is forecast as minus one degree centigrade. When the wind blows you need a fleece on!
The first flower show of the year is on Thursday. The Northern Horticultural Societys Spring flower show at Harrogate. All my favourite plant sellers and dealers will be there. We will have a shopping list for things for the allotment.
It is a pleasure to spend time in the garden at this time of the year and the Spring Flower Show inspires you even more to get out into the garden.