Late Spring at 212

The sun is shining at last and suddenly the garden is full of colour.

Worth waiting 2 years for!

 The echiums have reach their full height which must be in excess of 12ft. The bees love them. Note the lovely blue sky!

Hyde Hall Echium (2008)

I dug up this photo from 2008 when we took nan to Hyde Hall for her birthday.

I was boring people about Echiums back then too.

Escape after a difficult week

 I ventured out into the garden today after three days of sorting and paperwork and low and behold the garden was looking beautiful despite the persistent rain.








I spent some while getting the veg plot planted out and tidied. A much needed break!!

First blooms

 This echium is now well over 10ft tall and is......















 blue.












This one is just behind and is.........

















white.

To crush or not to crush....

Harlequin ladybirds are a major threat to our native ladybirds. They only arrived on our shores in 2004 and are spreading North and West rapidly. Should we kill them if we see them or accept the inevitability of their dominance? I've pulled these 2 apart while I make a decision!

Rain response

The garden is really responding to the recent rain with the plants in my south facing bed jostling for attention. It should be quite a spectacle when the Echium Wildpretti (silver foliage to the right), Verbascum (bottom right) and centura (centre) are at full height and in bloom.