The garden is so dry. The earth is hard to quite a depth, both water butt and pond are drying up. We are watering the vegetables but some of the shrubs and trees are suffering. The bird baths and water containers for the animals are being topped up morning and evening. The pond had to be topped up too, that's twice in the last few weeks
Although the warmer weather has made having to stay at home more bearable we do need a few days of rain. I think it may be getting cooler and damper by Wednesday, but there doesn't seem to be any significant rainfall in the forecast.
Although the warmer weather has made having to stay at home more bearable we do need a few days of rain. I think it may be getting cooler and damper by Wednesday, but there doesn't seem to be any significant rainfall in the forecast.
Around the Garden
The first Strawberry
The first few picked just as red showed and left to rippen on the kitchen windowsill, one step ahead of the squirrels who like to eat them.
The first blue hardy geranium
Sisyrinchium Striatum, also known as Pale yellow eyed grass or Yellow Mexican satin flower.
The first yellow rose
The Valerian or to us Welsh Weed is looking good at the moment and is attracting lots of butterflies.
Common Newt from the pond. We also found a dragonflly larvae which will, I hope, emerge one evening as a dragonfly. I hope I see it emerge like I did the last one.
Speckled Wood Butterfly
Something's supper. Sparrow Hawk or fox? There were only a few white feathers remaining which we left for the little birds to feather their nests with.
Blackbird with daisies.
An evening visit from the badger
and also the fox cubs, two here but we have seen three. Mum or Dad, never both, stay further afield on guard duty.
We have wheat growing in the garden. The seeds must have been in one of the wildflower mixes we have had over the last few years. Or perhaps dropped by a bird. It's growing the other side of the garden from the bird feeders and we don't use seed mixes in those, just sunflower hearts and suet sprinkles. It is such a lovely colour and stands so straight and tall.
I'm going to have a go at 30 Days Wild this June. I may not manage everyday but I'll give it a go. Link in my sidebar-click on the fox.
I've also found out that the white flowered plant I wrote about a couple of posts ago - the one we bought at Clumber Park - is a Deutzia Magnifica. I think it will still keep the name we gave it.
I'm going to have a go at 30 Days Wild this June. I may not manage everyday but I'll give it a go. Link in my sidebar-click on the fox.
I've also found out that the white flowered plant I wrote about a couple of posts ago - the one we bought at Clumber Park - is a Deutzia Magnifica. I think it will still keep the name we gave it.
It's so warming and exciting to see the first strawberry ripening in delicious sunlight. And the wild geranium is very pretty too.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lucy, it's always a joy to see the first ripening strawberry:)
DeleteLike you our soil is bone dry and we are using tap water instead of water butts. Hopefully we will have a good dousing soon. Interesting to read your name for valerian. It sprouts out of every granite wall here at this time of year. A good selection of wildlife in your garden :). Have a good week. B x
ReplyDeleteThank you Barbara, we have been using tap water as well as water from the butts espeically to water the front garden and top up the pond. We always call the Valerian Welsh Weed as I put some of its fluffy seeds in a pocket when we were walking down a lane in Wales, we set them back home and they have gone from a pot to self seeding against the wall:}
DeleteA lovely update of your garden, but I do hope you get some rain. We know only too well what drought can be like. I'm enjoying everyone's walks & garden photos. I think your Newts are very like what we call Skinks, that live in our gardens, though I've never seen them in the pond. Thank you. Take care, stay safe & huggles.
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan, I hope we get rain too otherwise there will be hose pipe bans and all the vegetables we are trying to grow to keep us fed will be lost. We have quite a few newts in the pond, used to have loads of frogs but only the odd one now. You stay safe too:)
DeleteMy goodness so much beauty in your garden not least the strawberries. It was a delight to see the badger and fox too, how wonderful to have so many visitors.
ReplyDeleteThank you MM. It is lovely to see the foxes and badgers but they sometimes make a lot of noise and wake us up. We had our first strawberries yesterday, they were delicious:)
DeleteOn Wednesday we shall have rain.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking pretty even with the dry weather. Wonderful that you have newts in your pond. X
Thank you shazza, I hope so, of course the perfect scenario would be rain through the night and dry during the day. We have quite a few newts now only common newts though:)
DeleteBeautiful views, around your yard/garden.
ReplyDeleteHope you get rain.
Here we are cooler, and I ought to bake!
Thank you WoW, I hope so too. Enjoy your baking:)
DeleteYour garden is such a joy, so much going on, i'm quite jealous of the fox cubs! I'm hoping we get a big downpour this week, we need it desperately don't we!
ReplyDeleteThank you Pam. We saw the fox cubs last night just as it was going dark, the first time we'd seen them in real time and not on the camera. There are definitely three of them:)
DeleteYour garden is very pretty in spite of lack of rain. I do hope it does rain soon. Here, the weather is a bit cooler than normal, and everything is lush and green. Our first strawberries are ripening, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lorrie. I'm hoping for rain soon, even thought the lack of rain is making it easier to stay at home and in the garden. I notice the trees over the back hedge are getting dusty looking and the leaves are going slightly brown around the edges. I hope you enjoy your first strawberries:)
DeleteWhat a pretty garden, so many wonderful firsts of the season. Your strawberries look delicious. We might get some rain this week but let5hope the sunshine stays even if it's getting cooler. 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen. The strawberries are lovely, we've had them twice this week so far. It rained overnight here and the heat from yesterday has disappeared:)
DeleteYour garden is so beautiful and I love seeing all the flowers, trees and shrubs you have. The strawberries look delicious and it is always lovely to see the foxes and badgers - so envious! Garden here desperately needs rain too. I managed to miss watering one of the oreganos in a pot for a while and now I think I have lost it :( There is rain and cooler weather to come after day but as you say how much rain will it actually be! Stay safe and well Rosie and take care.
ReplyDeleteThank you RR. The strawberries are delicious, we've had them with a strawberry yoghurt a couple of times this week so far. Just watched the fox cam and it has become badger cam - the whole family of five were on the top lawn at 11p.m. last night, I'm going to get some screen shots off so I can put them on the blog. Sorry you lost your Oregano, we have a sage that doesn't look too well. Lovely rain overnight and a lot cooler this morning. Stay safe and well:)
DeleteA lovely post! I have enjoyed the bit of rain here this morning, the heat really doesn't agree me and I've been struggling the last few days! I have wheat in the garden too which I think is from bird seed. I rather like it though!
ReplyDeleteThank you Louise, I feel a lot easier and more purposeful today now it is cooler. I love the wheat wish we could grow more:)
DeleteThe wheat growing in your garden looks lovely Rosie. I like your little newt visitor. I haven't seen a newt in my garden for years. I hope we get rain soon. My grass has turned to straw! Hope you're having a lovely week. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Simone, it has rained here both yesterday and today on and off. Short, sharp showers seem to be the order of the day. Hope you are okay, have a lovely weekend:)
DeleteLoving the calendar page for June, that's so pretty.
ReplyDeleteWe've had wheat growing too this year for the first time.
Looks like someone has been doing a rain dance if the weatherman at teatime is believed, seems wwe are in for some downpours over the next few days.
Happy wildlife spotting!
xx
Thank you Julie, I think there must have been seeds dropped by birds rather than wild flower seed mixtures. Weather looks to be a bit unsettled and quite windy for the next few days. Enjoy your garden wildlife and stay safe:)
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