In the Garden

[Leadinglights]

We’ve got some white ones, in amongst the blue. I’m waging war on my blue ones, because they’re Spanish, and thuggish, and they hybridise with our native woodland bluebells, of which there are some just being established in our neighbours woodland area. I’m never sure whether I should dig out the white ones or not, I’ve left them so far, but I'm losing the battle with the Spanish blue ones, so I’m wondering if when they seed down, they produce blue offspring. Anyone know?

I have seen them in pink as well, I think they are genetic variations.

 

[Barrowman]

I have seen them in pink as well, I think they are genetic variations.

Interesting, so now we have whitebells and pinkbells as well as bluebells, in seventy-nine years I have
only ever seen the blue variety, we learn something new every day.

 

[eggyg]

Our bluebells are out in force even though every year we pull them up and throw away the bulbs. They are actually the bane of our gardening lives. We mostly have blue but have some pink too and we get a handful of white which aren’t out yet. They reside in a shadier part of the garden.

 

[Docb]

Not quite in the garden but seen on my morning walk yesterday. @eggyg - taken on my Lunix at full zoom!

 

[Jessica DUK]

I need to find a photo to put on here... I currently have a family of foxes between mine and the neighbour's backyard! The baby foxes (pups?) are admittedly very cute.. about 5 of them

 

[Ditto]

I keep reading about peoples on here and fb chucking Bluebells but I thought they were a protected species?!

I am very upset this morning, Mum's pink cherry has popped off. Why? Too many trees?

 

[Robin]

I keep reading about peoples on here and fb chucking Bluebells but I thought they were a protected species?!

I am very upset this morning, Mum's pink cherry has popped off. Why? Too many trees?
View attachment 25713

Native English bluebells are protected, what a lot of us have got in our gardens though, is the Spanish variety, which are sold in garden centres. They are more thuggish, and not as attractive as our native, and they interbreed with the native ones, or seed in woodlands and crowd out the natives. So we are encouraged to get rid of them from our gardens, particularly where we are close to woodland with the native variety in them.
You can tell a Spanish bluebell because they aren’t such an attractive deep purply blue, don’t have the same scent, and have flowerlets appearing on all sides of the stem, not just one side, so they don’t hang over gracefully like the English ones.

 

[Barrowman]

Native English bluebells are protected, what a lot of us have got in our gardens though, is the Spanish variety, which are sold in garden centres. They are more thuggish, and not as attractive as our native, and they interbreed with the native ones, or seed in woodlands and crowd out the natives. So we are encouraged to get rid of them from our gardens, particularly where we are close to woodland with the native variety in them.
You can tell a Spanish bluebell because they aren’t such an attractive deep purply blue, don’t have the same scent, and have flowerlets appearing on all sides of the stem, not just one side, so they don’t hang over gracefully like the English ones.

Thanks for that information I will go and check mine out now and if they are I will do my best to
dig the bulbs out when they have finished flowering this time, although they do look nice I might
re-consider that decision....

 

[Ditto]

Native English bluebells are protected, what a lot of us have got in our gardens though, is the Spanish variety, which are sold in garden centres.

Agh, surely they're not allowed to do that! I got done for selling Ash trees on ebay, you have to be careful. I didn't know about the Ash or the Spanish Bluebells, sent some of those out by mistake as well. Feel very guilty now. Son's garden was all over Spanish. Mum's got English ones and if I see a dastardly Spanish I will grub it out in future, probably. I hate killing things though. Bluebells are the opposite of us, no stiff upper lip, the English ones are all floppy and the Spanish are all stiff and upright. 🙂

 

[grovesy]

my tulips.

 

[Jodee]

Lettuce growing well, but weeds are doing better 😉

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Was really enjoying our irises which were leaning out over the pond in the late afternoon sun yesterday. Further down the (long thin) garden there’s a scabious and some waving airy Verbena that bounce that purple colour down the garden. Just lovely!

 

[Leadinglights]

We had our first pick of a few strawberries a couple of days ago, just enough for breakfast.

 

[Robin]

Something ate my lettuces. I was growing Lollo Rosso in a trough by the kitchen door, and they were very successful last year, and convenient just having to open the back door and pick a few leaves when I wanted. I'd just got this years lot to the stage where they’d developed their first true leaves, and half of them disappeared, and then the rest of them all but one at the end on the following night. They were covered with a chicken wire guard (we get muntjacs in the garden, so I can only assume a slug got in. I resowed in fresh soil, and the new ones have come up. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Docb]

Looking forward to some broad beans soon with the early spuds not far behind.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Something ate my lettuces. I was growing Lollo Rosso in a trough by the kitchen door, and they were very successful last year, and convenient just having to open the back door and pick a few leaves when I wanted. I'd just got this years lot to the stage where they’d developed their first true leaves, and half of them disappeared, and then the rest of them all but one at the end on the following night. They were covered with a chicken wire guard (we get muntjacs in the garden, so I can only assume a slug got in. I resowed in fresh soil, and the new ones have come up. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Ah those pesky molluscs!

I had hoped that the few weeks of frozen temps over the winter might have reduced our population a little - but they seem as prodigious as ever 😱

Even our significant frog and newt brigade can’t keep pace!

Hope the second sowing escapes unscathed.

 

[eggyg]

Our potatoes and onions are doing really well. Courgette plant growing like mad as always. Toms still under cover, runner beans starting to grow. Some lettuce ready to pick. Our beetroot leaves have been nibbled, usually pigeons, we have string over the raised bed but they’ve been breaking it! Carrots coming through, sprout seeds planted and under cover. Hopefully ready for Christmas. Oh I forgot turnip, the pigeons like those leaves too. It’s never ending but very satisfying.

Was really enjoying our irises which were leaning out over the pond in the late afternoon sun yesterday. Further down the (long thin) garden there’s a scabious and some waving airy Verbena that bounce that purple colour down the garden. Just lovely!

View attachment 26079

We used to have scabious and I loved them. Alas, they are no more, we inherited them 37 years ago when we bought the house. Goodness knows how old they were then. A good old fashioned cottage garden flower. Our water iris are nowhere ready to flower but we have the blue ones in a border, we inherited them too but they just keep on giving.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I came across some VERY old seed packets in the shed this year. so have tried (without much success!)

Tomatoes seem to be the most resilient. Not much joy with peas or beans.

 

[SB2015]

Our best ever showing of the wisteria after some sever pruning last year
Delighted

 

[void]

We had our first pick of a few strawberries a couple of days ago, just enough for breakfast.

First strawberry this year for us on 30th. First one of 2022 was picked on 23rd May last year. For 2021 year, the 9th June. Variety is 'Elsanta'.