What yesterday was a wilderness today is once again serene. Why and how? My Gardener D and his helper J have been for a couple of hours. The lawn is mown and, after a good week of non-stop rain and then two days of sunshine, is looking lush and green. Not a white clover knob or a single Bird's Foot Trefoil to be seen and I have to admit it looks very smart.
Up the side of the bungalow the side lawn is the same and J has cut off all dead and dying flower heads . The Crocosmia is in full flower - deep, vibrant red and the smaller yellow variety is just coming into bud so plenty of that still to come.
While D was dealing with the lawns J carried on in the back garden. What a difference it makes once all the dead and dying foliage has been cut away and dead flower heads removed.
Then D cut giant swathes of Aquelegia which have flowered and now seeded out of the herbaceous beds allowing sun and fresh air in. Who knows might have lain hidden for months and might pop up now. Watch this space!
.JPG)
15 comments:
Can't understand why you find no white clover or birds foot trefoil something to be chuffed about, I've always imagined you as someone who supports wildlife. By simply raising the cutting height of the mower by a notch or two, your gardener could still leave the lawn looking neat and uniform all over but leaving the clover and trefoil flowers to feed bees etc..
I think bees are one of the best parts about a garden. I'm presently reading Grey Bees by Andrey Kurtov -'a captivating heartwarming story about a gentle beekeeper caught up in the war in Ukraine. It's a good read. - Pam.
It's nice how you get so much joy from your garden, Pat! I weeded for over an hour today and still have lots of weeds to pull! Slowly but surely, I'll get it done!
Gardens are so wonderful and yet can be so different. I can't wait to hear what will now pop-up to surprise you.
Your lawn and garden sounds manicured and lovely. If it does not rain, I will mow my lawn tomorrow. My clover is blooming and I like mulching the clover flower seed back in to the lawn. In a week or two, more clover flowers appear.
Lovely. Thanks for the update.
I mowed here yesterday, and it looks so good. Today I will mow up at the barn, and strim around all the trees. With high temperatures forecast for this week, it might stay short for a while.
I love it when a patch of grass is not just grass, but has some flowers (clover or others), too - and the bees and other pollinators enjoy it, too :-)
Your gardeners sound very efficient. Isn't it amazing what can be achieved in only a few hours!
I am snapping up the pots of 'distressed plants' at a local store. I bring them home and give them a good watering, and so far, every single one of them has come back. I've got quite a collection of pots at the new build site. I can't plant them until the house is built, but every time that you talk about the joy you get from looking out at your garden, I get a happy feeling inside. One day, it will be me, looking out my own window at my own lovely garden!
This post reminded me of those surveys which report on the importance of being able to see outside space, particularly nature, for those who are ill or confined indoors. Watching nature gives so much, and I feel sorry for those who either cannot see it, or see it but don't notice.
I love the insect life that accompanies a garden, bumble bees are a favourite but also the little wasp like creatures that feed on the fennel, who have also pollinated my tomatoes. So Derek's advice about giving the mower cutters a higher half inch setting sounds good for the wild flowers in your lawn.
For house read garden, neat and tidy, nothing out of place. Result, happiness. Dust, never been seen, something out of place, fridge unclean, weed, heaven forbid, mares tail, result, misery, By the way, did you have the happy campers in on Sunday morning? You didn't mention them.
I love to see wild flowers in the lawn! I’ve been growing Red Clover, White Clover, Birds Foot Trefoil, Ragged Robin and various other wild flower plants, from seed, so that myself and my son in law can share the plants for our gardens. He has also just dug a pond and is keen to attract as much wildlife as possible! It’s good to see the grandchildren taking an interest too! Derek’s idea is a good compromise!
Yes thak you Rachel - they came for a couple of hours - I usually only see my Grand daughter and her husband and their two children once a year - although we communicate regularly by phone and e mail etc. They live in Glasgow and with two children (7 and nearly 2) it is difficult to get down this way. It is always good to see them and the children who seem to be growing up quickly.
Actually Derek I think he probably does what you suggest. This morning both the clover and the trefoil are visible again.
Thanks everyone.
That's OK then Pat, bees, butterflies, insects, need all the help they can get these days. The farmer alongside the reserve down here sprays his crops relentlessly and I'm surprised that any insect life survives.
Post a Comment