Tag Archives: garden flowers

Six on Saturday – 10th July 2021

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July is proving to be a pretty grey month so far here in the west of Ireland, with little sun. Thankfully some dry days despite the clouds. Still plenty colour in the garden to bring us some sunshine.

  1. Cosmos
  • Cosmos

2. Yellow Loosestrife

  • Yellow Loosestrife

3. Day lily

  • Day lily

4. In the flower meadow, orchids are really abundant this year. When we started the meadow we had about three orchids. This year we counted 18 a week ago, and a couple of more have appeared since. They are all common ones but still lovely to have.

  • Orchid

5. Also in the meadow more ragged robin – it looks lovely against the white ox-eye daisies.

  • Ragged robin in the meadow

6. The bees are certainly enjoying all the wild flowers.

  • white tailed bee on yellow rattle

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Six on Saturday – 3rd July 2021

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Thanks to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday. Hard to believe it is July already. The delphiniums are now at their best.

  • Delphiniums

This rose grews in our hedge……………..

  • Rose

Along with native honeysuckle which is flowering really well this year and being enjoyed by the bees.

  • Honey suckle

I generally prefer pink foxgloves but I do like the markings on this white one.

  • Foxglove

The lavender is also being enjoyed by the bees in this case an early bumblebee male.

  • Early Bumblebee male

And finally this week – a newish arrival – little chick “Dream” with his mum “Miranda”.

  • Chick
  • Chick and Mum

Six on Saturday – 12th June 2021

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Mid June – and like The Propagator my garden “has been running away from me” too. Weeds everywhere but particular the vegetable path. So I am not going to show you that – just some pretty flowers (and a few insects) instead!

First this week a pink geranium – sorry don’t have a name, with a visiting hoverfly (Rhingia campestris).

  • Pink geranium with Rhingia campestris

Next one of my favourite June combinations – buttercup and red campion – these are both flowering under the hedge.

  • Buttercup and red campion

Delphiniums are another summer favourite – just coming out now.

  • Delphiniums

The garden is busy with bees at the moment – always a joy to see. The white tailed bumblebees seem to particularly like the lupins.

  • White tailed bumblebee on lupin

Sitting on the lupin leaf I spotted this lovely blue damselfly too.

  • Damselfly

And finally this week a red and yellow aquilegia. The white tailed bumbles also like this one.

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six On Saturday.

Six on Saturday – 5th June

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It seems this year I am just growing weeds! Work is busy and time in the garden is short – but thankfully the flowers are still doing their best, despite my neglect.

First this week – Iris – with raindrops

  • Iris

2. Another blue this time Aquilegia

  • Aquilegia

3. For three, also comes in blue but I have white Jacob’s ladder.

  • Polemonium

4. One of two self-seeded foxgloves. These ones are much happier than the ones I planted into the flower bed.

  • Foxglove

5. The meadow is coming on – buttercups are dominating but the ox-eye daisies are not far behind.

  • Wildflower meadow

6. And finally this week – some male early bumblebees about – note their really yellow body and face.

  • Male Early bumblebee

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Lens-Artists Challenge #147 – Gardens

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One of my favourite places to be is in gardens – if I am not in my own garden, I love to explore other people’s gardens. Gardening allows me to switch off, relax and become engrossed in my own little world. If I did not have to work for a living I think I would happily spend all my day pottering in the garden.

The garden is not just the flowers.

But also the wildlife the garden attracts.

And the fresh food it produces.

  • Tomatoes – Gardeners delight
  • Apple tree
  • Pumpkins

Six on Saturday – 18th July 2020

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The weather continues cool and cloudy. It started off lovely and sunny this morning but clouded over. We are hoping for a bit more sun later. Meanwhile in the garden all the young birds are keeping us entertained. There are young blackbirds, swallows, goldfinches, robins, dunnocks and these little wrens. Four are squeezed into this little box which the kids painted years ago. Every time an adult comes with food they are poking their heads out!

Wrens

2. Next this week is alliums – little ones. There are a few just coming out.

Alliums

3. Yarrow with hoverfly.

  • Yarrow

4. A rather wet nasturtium.

Nasturtium

5. I love the blue flowers of hyssop.

Hyssop

6. The blackbirds have found the Logan and Tayberries too, but we have managed to pick some. They just need a bit of sunshine to sweeten up.

  • Logan berries
  • Tayberries

Thanks to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday

Six on Saturday – 11th July 2020

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Finally a dry Saturday and time to get out into the garden. Lots and lots of tidying up to do.

So first this week Worcester berries V Juvenile blackbird. A few weeks ago I posted about the still green Worcester berries. Well they are ripening nicely, but the juvenile blackbirds that was helping itself to blackcurrants last week, also appears to have a taste for Worcester berries. We picked about half a pound today for ourselves and hoping that we can harvest some more that still need a few days to ripen before the blackbird eats them all!

2. Meanwhile Robin friend (my daughter’s name for our friendly robin who will feed from her hand), appears exhausted after his/her brood has successfully fledged. We’ve seen it with two young ones. Here it was having a peaceful preen away from hectic family life.

3. Bee numbers are definitely down after a few miserable weeks but this garden bumble bee was enjoying what remains of the foxgloves.

Garden bumblebee on foxglove

4. Some of the self-seeded borage is now flowering in the vegetable patch and these always prove popular with the bees too.

Borage and White tailed bumblebee

5. Gypsophila – looking nice in a pot with some other flowers.

Gypsophila

6. And finally for this week some brassicas – a mix of red cabbage and brussel sprouts plants which have enjoyed the rain.

Brassicas

Thanks to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Six on Saturday – 4th July 2020

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So rain seems to be a common theme with some Six On Saturday participants this week. As a gardener it is hard to get the “right” weather. Back in April and May it was too dry and now it is too wet!!

So first this week, a rather wet bee. Poor bumblebees are not enjoying this weather and numbers are well down from earlier in the year when they were enjoying the sunshine.

Garden bumblebee on sage

2. Next Campanula, this one is about 80-90cm and often gets battered by the wind. So will need to tie up today as it is due to get windy tonight.

  • Campanula

3. Fennel is good at capturing those little misty raindrops which we are having quite a bit of:)

  • Fennel

4. We have blackcurrants, but we also have two hungry young blackbird who appear to be rather partial to them!

  • Juvenile blackbird

5. Yellow loosestrife

6. And finally Crocosmia lucifer.

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Six on Saturday – 13th June 2020

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We have returned to cooler weather but still only small amounts of rain. As we approach mid-June there are endless garden jobs to do. Today is was planting out brassicas, cutting back rosemary and taking some cuttings, weeding and potting up. So here is this week’s six, and thanks to The Propagotor for hosting Six on Saturday.

  1. Large bellflower, Campanula. The first year I planted these they put on a big display and then got toppled by the wind. Since then they have seeded themselves here and there as individuals.

2. Here meadow cranesbill and yellow allium, both of which I showed in previous weeks, but I like the colour combination of the two together. If you look closely you may see a white tailed bumblebee too.

3. This is the same wild meadow cranesbill as the blue one above, which again seed themselves happily in the gravel and I then move them on. This one I moved to one of the wildflower meadow areas. It is not fully white, but has a slightly purple tinge.

4. I really like foxgloves as do some bumblebees.

5. Sage – the outdoors ones are now in flower, though some of the flowers seem burnt – which is quite possible as we did have a late frost, though it could also be wind burnt.

6. And finally this week Worcester berry – it is like a cross between a gooseberry and blackcurrant. These berries will get darker in colour. Seems to be a good enough crop this year – so may get a pot of two of jam.

Six on Saturday – 6th June 2020

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So the dry spell has come to an end and we have returned to more normal Irish weather of rain and cool temperatures (a bit too cool), but at least we don’t have to spend the evenings watering.

1 So first this week – yellow allium

  • Yellow allium

2. Next a purple leafed geranium

Purple leafed geranium

3. Tomatoes are planted into the greenhouse – I was slow starting them but hopefully we will get some fruit.

  • Tomatoes

4. Some beetroot – will let it get a bit bigger before I plant out.

Beetroot

5. Also squash and behind them cucumber. The cucumber will be planted into the greenhouse.

  • Squash plants

6. And finally lettuce (ignore the weeds!). We waited for ages for it to come and now it is all coming together.

Lettuce

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six On Saturday