Category: Garden
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The Turning of the Season
It has been a year of revelations, surprises and learning curves. Autumn has certainly arrived in the garden as seeds set, leaves drop and plants show signs of impending dormancy. To be fair, I have been quite dormant since fretting over the heatwave and preparing my case – still awaiting notification whether it will be…
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Procrastination
Well that was a learning experience! I have been dithering around since June, taken this to the wire – just 7 minutes to spare, spoken with several people, let it fester and maturate, all the while wanting it done, wanting anyone else to do it for me, been anxious, mad with myself for not applying…
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Hunting for Boojums
What a year to rediscover the joys and pains of growing plants! I confess it is more interesting to me at this stage of my life, especially watching for interactions between the insects, cultivated and wild sown plants. They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;They pursued it with forks and hope;They threatened…
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Vanishing Point
“It seems, just now, To be happening so very fast; Despite all the land left free For the first time I feel somehow That it isn’t going to last, That before I snuff it, the whole Boiling will be bricked in Except for the tourist parts— First slum of Europe: a role It won’t be…
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Bewitching Compulsion
‘The force that through the green fuse drives the flower’ Dylan Thomas hthttps://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/the-force-that-through-the-green-fuse-drives-the-flower I read an interview with Julia Cameron (nothing to do with David) that referenced this line and it bewitched me instantly. It seems to encapsulate exactly and succinctly what I had endeavoured to convey recently. The beauty of the phrasing making clear…
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T(w)o Be(e), or Not T(w)o Be(e)es…
Cuckoo Bumblebee Guide This quite large bee is possibly a red tailed cuckoo bumblebee queen. She spent several minutes digging into spots around here, then flew away. She had dark wings, which suggests that she is a cuckoo. It is unclear what this smaller ‘bee’ could be. It flitted between the blossoms quite rapidly. Glad…
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The Strange Case of the Missing Gastropods
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/17/ants-can-beat-pesticides-helping-farmers-grow-healthy-crops-study-aoe Ants are generalist predators and hunt pests that damage fruits, seeds and leaves, leading to a drop in crop yields. A greater diversity of ants generally provides more protection against a wider range of pests, the study found. https://www.theguardian.com/profile/phoebe-weston A fascinating article about how ants can be a biological control for pests, which prompted…
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Blushing Turtle, Dust, Bowls and Awesome Foxgloves
Finally, some rain. Not enough to penetrate the soil but enough to prepare it to absorb more if it comes. The temperature is cooler so it could fall. I bought a Geranium yesterday; Blushing Turtle – it looks like neither. It was left to soak overnight and planted it out in the dry, shady border…
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Taking Stock & Serendipity
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/aug/15/six-ways-heatproof-garden-provide-shade-make-compost-leave-weeds The garden looks devastated. The black kale was stripped by cabbage white caterpillars, looks like it’s trying to keep growing so will leave it for now and watch with interest. The gathering clouds over the meadow need to do more than promise, even the mistletoe is looking wilted. As this garden had been abandoned…
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Happy Growth and Strange Growth
https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/inonotus-hispidus.php Strange growth first: Noticed a peculiar growth on one of the mature apple trees, provoking online searches and sharing with a friend who delights in all types of nature and wild life (except tories). I suppose this is an indication that the host tree is stressed by the drought and unremitting heat. Happy growth,…
Garden Life 