Tag Archives: Six on Saturday

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.

Six on Saturday – 15th May

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This week our weather still remains cool and changeable. Our Robin friend is run-ragged (literally) collecting grubs and worms for what I assume is a nest full of chicks. He enjoyed searching in some soil that I was turning over today. He appears to have a preference for grubs, including leatherjackets (though one was left behind as I think it was just too big) over worms. The fork handle proved to be an excellent spotting post.

  • Robin friend

Second this week are bumblebees. Numbers are increasing slowly with plenty queen bees still around. The kale flowers are proving popular as always. I try to leave some kale and other brassicas to flower each year as a bee food.

  • Garden bumblebee

Third this week, is red campion. I love this wildflower as it adds so much colour to an area under a hedgerow, not far from the kitchen window.

  • red campion

Fourth this week are Rowan flowers.

  • Rowan

Perennials are a little behind this year but the lupins are not far off flowering now.

  • Lupins

And finally this week sage . This one is in the greenhouse. It will be a couple of weeks before the outside ones have flowers.

  • Sage

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Six on Saturday – 1st May

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May already, and we are still having night frosts. Time they went away now. This week’s Six on Saturday. Thank you to The Propagator for hosting.

  1. Red crab apple – tiny apples but makes up for it with it’s beautiful foliage and flowers.
  • Red crab apple

2. Newly emerged and very green maples leaves.

  • Maple

3. Bluebells. Yes May is bluebell season

  • Bluebell

4. Geranium – small and delicate and I am afraid I don’t know the name.

  • Hardy Geranium

5. Dandelions are already setting seed and attracting a goldfinch pair into the garden.

  • Dandelion

6. And finally we have six new chicks just a couple of days old.

  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Six on Saturday- 3rd April 2021

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We have been enjoying lots of lovely spring sunshine today. Does the soul good.

Also doing the soul good is seeing the first of our solitary bees – these are Ashy mining bees. Beautiful bees that need a bare soil bank to nest it.

Tulips have also opened – adding splashes of red.

  • Tulips

The tadpoles are growing.

  • Tadpoles

The comfrey is flowering in the polytunnel and not far off outside.

  • Comfrey

We don’t have much spouting broccoli, but at least there is some.

  • Sprouting broccoli

And finally a lovely present of a flowering currant, just need to find a spot for it now.

  • Flowering currant

Thanks to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Have a lovely Easter everyone.

Six on Saturday – Pollinators return

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It is always a special moment when we see the bees and other pollinators returning to the garden in the spring. So for this week’s Six on Saturday, I am going to just share six pollinator images.

  • White tailed bumblebee queen on dandelion
  • bumblebee leaving willow catkins
  • Hoverfly enjoying the same willow catkins
  • Insect on coltsfoot
  • Small tortoiseshell on willow
  • A pollen covered hoverfly

Six on Saturday – 6th March 2021

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Another lovely spring day after a cold week. So busy day clearing weeds today.

  1. This is one of robin’s friend’s favourite places.
  • Robin

2. A new bird box built by my son in his woodwork class last term. Already being inspected by blue tits.

  • Bird box

3. Willow catkins. Great for bumblebees. We saw our first bee last Sunday, then no more till another one today. Haven’t managed to get photo yet though.

  • Willow

4. One of my favourite spring flowers – primroses.

  • primrose

5. The larger daffs are all opening too now.

  • Daffodils

6. It is so nice to see fresh green shoots emerging.

  • New shoots

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday.

Six on Saturday – 27th February 2021

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We have just had a lovely spring day. Crocuses are at their best.

  • Crocus

2. I love these delicate ones too.

  • Crocus

3. Hellebores are also flowering nicely.

  • Hellebores

4. It is always nice to get free plants. These foxgloves self-germinate in the polytunnel.

Foxglove

5. Looking forward to these lettuce that over-wintered in the greenhouse and are bulking up nicely.

  • Lettuce

6. And finally this week , germinating lettuce seed!!! Yes spring is here!

  • Lettuce seddings

Thank you to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday

Six on Saturday – Spring is coming

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One of the things that makes me really happy is the coming of spring.

A sure sign of spring is the arrival of frogs in the garden pond. They usually arrive around St Valentine’s Day and sure enough that is when the first ones appeared. Yesterday’s count was about 100!

  • Frogs

At this point we also have the first spawn.

  • Frog spawn

Thirdly this week are the crocuses. Despite all the rain they are coming through.

  • Crocus

Flowers are just such bundles of joy. Here mini daffodils also coming out.

  • Daffodils

Even the first leaves are emerging – here some native honeysuckle and a great tit. The bird song is another sure sign of spring.

  • Great tit and leaves of honey suckle climbing through trees

It is very wet though. We have had constant rain and everything is muddy. Garden jobs are well behind as it is just to wet too work the soil.

  • Muddy path and chicken

Thanks to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday and Sheetal for hosting last weeks lens artist challenge – Glimpse into your world.