Butterflys And Bee's

It has been a day of two halves.I went to the allotment this morning to do some weeding and watering.Everything has been growing on well with the recent rainy weather.The sunflowers have grown on in the carrot bed.The only poor performers are the Red Onions,and the Cauliflower plants.The failed crop beds are going to be filled with my Leeks.I wish I had more time to go up to water plants, but work gets in the way.This growing year has been challenging with the effects of a prolonged drought, then heavy rains,and hot temperatures.The slugs,snails,& caterpillars have decimated my Brassicas.I will not use any chemicals even slug pellets, so i have to grin and bear it.Some have survived and may even give us a crop at the end.I harvested Raspberries and my first half dozen Italian Courgettes today.

I finally got a photo of one of the White Butterflies landing to power drink some nectar from a wild flower.They are so flitting and perform mad aerial acrobatics.They dance with each other too in the air.I saw a variety of Butterflies species at the plot.

The local Bee's have gone mad with the wilder side of the plot.The grass path has lots of these Thistle flowers.He was accommodating in letting me photograph him many times.I watered and weeded until around Midday.I walked back home then to photograph the garden.

This is the first flower from the Bishop Of Llandaff.I bought four corms at the Spring Flower show.I wanted this Dahlia since I saw it growing years ago.It is a perennial favourite of many gardeners.I have four pots growing beautiful dark foliage, reminiscent of my Sambuca.I always think of Aztecs when I see Dahlias.It is a great colour red with golden yellow stamen.

The Butterfly bush is in full bloom now.I love how dark the colours are contrasting to the two toned leaves.It is scented strongly of honey.It intoxicates the Bee's that fly up to it.I want one of these up at the allotment.This plant always reminds me of railway lines,as i used to see them travveling up and down the country.The Black Knight is a more refined cousin of the common Railway siding Buddleja.

The Echinops is developing a blue streak to its Thistle.It is very Manga in design I think.The globes seem to float above the garden.They are dwarfed by the Butterfly Bush, and the Teasels.I hope that over time I can split this plant so I have lots of these Globe Thistles around the garden.

The Everlasting Flowers are doing well.These stems and flowers will be dried out,and used to decorate the house in winter as a dried flower.The flowers are very long lasting, and feel like plastic.I have these burgundy flowers, and others in red and orange.I want to find more Straw Flowers in other colours.They should keep for years.

I don't know what this flower is.The foliage is very fine and airy.It has these five petaled flowers with a central lip like a Sweet Pea.These have been growing in the pot by the kitchen door.I don't remember planting any seeds.If you recognise the flower please tell me!

The Asiatic Lily's are blooming magnificently.Like Row up row of different coloured sweets they glow in the evening light.A few rogue Tomato plants have started growing between the Lily's.

These should be called Banana splits.The Yellow Lily's have delicious orange streaking to the middle of the petals.They contrast brilliantly to the dark green leaves behind.

The Pink Lily's have a hint of lemon sherbet near the centre of the flowers.I have never planted so many Lily's in a single pot.Next year I will repeat the experiment but buy the individual colours myself.I want them to match in some pots, but to contrast in others.

The day has been about plants, and insects.Tomorrow we are going to the Great Yorkshire Show.The biggest agricultural fair in England.It is forecast to be sunny, and dry.I have the camera batteries on charge.I cant wait.I will blog my favourite bits here.It is one of the highlights of the summer.