Extreme Gardening

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  • A Mixed Bag

    Despite the constantly changing weather there is still a summer feeling to this area of the garden. The Autumn Hawkbit (which opens and closes on a regular basis in response to the showers) provides a sunny contrast to the cosmos and the Fuchsia in the background. It is a nice contrast to some of the…

    September 19, 2023
  • An Indian Summer

    This second flowering of Geum has produced a dramatic background for a mature Green Shieldbug. I don’t imagine that this is the safest place to be if you need to be inconspicuous, but it makes a lovely picture. This has been a bumper year for Puffballs and Earthballs and they have expanded their territory to…

    September 4, 2023
  • The Little Picture

    This Vapourer moth caterpillar has picked the perfect background to show off its dramatic coat – you could hardly call it a disguise! It always amazes me that I can find just one of these creatures a year when there must be many more around for the species to survive. This one was on a…

    August 18, 2023
  • As Summer Ends

    I think that this has probably been the best year for butterflies since I first moved here over thirteen years ago. All the usual favourites such as the Red Admiral, Peacock Butterfly, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Speckled Wood are in abundance in the flower garden and copse, but there have also been many more…

    August 6, 2023
  • All Creatures

    I have always kept some ragwort in the garden since I first found the caterpillars of the Cinnabar moth and realised that I had a treasure trove on my hands. A few winters ago, I used up the last of a stack of wood in my woodpile and inadvertently uncovered dozens of moths who I…

    July 23, 2023
  • Summer Colour

    This pink Leptospermum scoparium ‘Martini’ was a new addition to the garden last year. It tends to be delicate and I had no hope that it would survive the cold winter. It is past its best in this photograph, but to my surprise it is thriving. If it is like its relatives in the garden…

    July 2, 2023
  • Disaster on the Driveway

    Disaster has struck my ash trees. This view of the top of my drive is one of my favourites. This photograph was taken in Spring when I started to plant some extra shrubs to give the birds better shelter when feeding in Winter. Sadly, once the foliage ’emerged’ or didn’t as the case may be,…

    June 18, 2023
  • Bees’ Bottoms

    My hawthorn trees lost their flowers very early this season, while across the valley they remained in full bloom a week later. I only managed to make one bottle of cordial until the Crataegeus prunifolia suddenly burst into bloom. The resulting cordial is an experiment as I could not find any recipe, but hoped that…

    June 4, 2023
  • Salt is Not Always Savoury

    I am usually very alert to any weather ‘events’ in the garden, but seem to have missed a recent dry wind from the south with its usual unwelcome gift of salt. The black leaves on the hydrangea are always a hint, but this time the Rosa Rugosa seem to have suffered as well. This is…

    May 20, 2023
  • Beauty and the Bugs

    I am always slightly disappointed when I find a new creature described as ‘common’, when they seem very exotic to me. I rescued this Rose Chafer from the dogs a few days ago as it emerged from the cuttings in the herbaceous border. It was positively luminous and the photograph does not do it justice.…

    May 5, 2023
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Extreme Gardening

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