Thursday 17 July 2014

A Beautiful Summer

Dahlia

I would hate to jinx the weather but this is turning out to be the best summer in many years. Just the right mix of rain and warmth to make the garden look really good and fine enough to be able to enjoy it.

It is very hot and sticky today and forecast to be even hotter tomorrow. I love it!

We have been making serious inroads into remodelling and replanting the garden. We have brought in some expert advice regarding the planting and maintenance and everything is looking very colourful. Mostly July is a very boring month when the spring flowers have finished and there is very little left to flower.

We were advised that deer don't seem to eat Dahlias so planted some in our new flowerbed. They look stunning (see above photo) and so far uneaten! We have also planted lots of Clematis on the pergola and the new archway. Again lots of summer colour.

Allium Purple Sensation

Another addition to the flowerbeds this spring were the Alliums. Not a flower I had ever considered planting but these ones, Purple Sensation, were absolutely stunning. Thank you, Jane for suggesting them. We also planted Allium Christophii - not quite so colourful but massive blooms the size of footballs. We will definitely be planting more Alliums this autumn in the new flowerbeds.

Green Silver-lines Moth

There have not been so many butterflies this year, although the hot weather this week has brought more out - Peacocks, Comma, Fritillaries, etc. However, I have been spending time investigating the moths in the garden. I have occasionally been running a moth trap (a device with a bright light that attracts the moths and collects them in a container). It does not harm the moths and they are all released after I have identified and photographed them. The photo above shows one of the prettier ones, the aptly named Green Silver-lines.

Roe Deer

We have not seen much of the deer this summer except for the Muntjacs which are always hanging around. However, last week I saw the first fawns of the season. Mrs Roe has twins again this year. Unfortunately, I did not manage to get a photo of them all together.

Roe Deer

Last weekend I was watching a fox eating windfall apples (sadly not many apples this year). He was a fine looking creature and I managed to get a quick photo.

Fox

Finally, this year has been good for woodpeckers. There have been numerous Great Spotted youngsters on the bird feeders and there has been a pair of young Green Woodpeckers with their mother regularly on the lawn and down by the pond. No photos unfortunately.

So a great summer so far for flowers, wildlife and weather. Long may it continue!