Slug free hostas…yay…but for how long? The hostas have multiplied across the gardens over the last couple of years, which is weird given there’s a thriving community of slugs and snails and no frogs, thanks to that big freeze a couple of winters ago.
Perfect lupin blooms, although the leaves already have mildew.
Rain-battered campanula. It has rained continually for a week now and the veggies are just loving it, I think I prefer endless rain to drought at this time of the year.
Sweet peas coming back for a second year, unheard of!
Roses are bursting forth in all their glory.
This beauty is escaping the railings and smiling at the general public, instead of at me….
while two rambling roses, one pink, and one yellow, are romping through the ancient apple tree and are just beginning to bloom. There are literally thousands of buds.
Standard rose in the the courtyard, just getting going!
Greenfly and blackfly have been in abundance this spring/early summer.They always appear, but this year….oh my!
The roses, and other plants are smothered with greenfly and the elder trees have been so heavily laden with blackfly, they’ve dropped all their leaves and everything below is coated with the sticky residue secreted by the little blighters!
The back garden is lush and green at the moment….
with the beech trees taking center stage.
On the wildlife front….
the wildlife unit was recently bombarded by phone calls from concerned members of the public who were all witnessing a mother shelduck walking her large brood across dangerous roads, in a busy residential shopping area. The drama unfolded throughout the day, until eventually four people, individually brought five ducklings in. Sadly, the rest of the brood were attacked by magpies and crows and killed by cars.
It seems that the mother was attempting a two mile walk to the mudflat estuaries where shelducks like to feed.
Happily, the remaining five ducklings are thriving….touch wood!
This bird that resembles a magpie is actually a crow. It has a vitamin deficiency which has resulted in those white feathers. It will have to moult and re-grow all it’s feathers before it can be released which means it’s likely to be in the rescue for twelve months.
And Finally….
Daughter and grandbabe attended my volunteering award, can you believe this littl’un didn’t cry once in three hours!
It was really humbling hearing the stories of other volunteers, so many people doing so much for their local community!
It was quite funny though, as our PR person paraded me around for photo opportunities like a prize pig!
I love your adorable baby header. How lovely that your daughter and granddaughter joined in the award ceremony. I don’t have many greenfly but my hostas are shredded. Your garden is looking fabulous. Cute shelducks.
Thanks Chloris, I am loving having a grandbabe, how quickly they grow! I live for smiles these days! It was lovely having the girls at the award, a great memory! xxx
Oh this did make me smile so broadly…..LOVE LOVE LOVE THE LITTLE ON…and a huge CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU.
Sorry I am so late in responding, but just returned from Atlanta (the wedding) and am exhausted….time to pack the suite case away for several months and enjoy summer in the UK.
That header photograph should be in a magazine…..Jane xxxxx
Ahhhh, thanks Janet! Goodness, what a time you’ve had, I must go catch up! Here’s to a chilled, relaxing summer for you!xxx
That last picture is a classic. Sorry to hear the bugs are giving you trouble but your garden still looks great, especially those roses. Congrats on your award!
It’s certainly is bug season around here at the moment, sighs…although it’s the same every year! Thanks Jason.xxx
Great post, images and…greenery.
Thanks Peter, hope all is well in your world!xxx
Your garden is looking very good, thanks for sharing your photographs.
I think my favourite has just got to be the beautiful photo of Hallie and so nice to see one of the three of you. Well done on your award.
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan, grandbabe certainly is a delight for sure! I am glad the award ceremony is out of the way though!xxx
What a lovely photo at the end. Three generations is a blessing for sure, but it’s even more so when the wee one puts on an expression like that! I hate to hear about the ducks, but it really is interesting to hear about the vitamin deficiency and the white feathers. I wonder if my gray hair is due to a vitamin deficiency? Probably not — more likely it’s an excess of years!
Your garden is just beautiful. All of the work you put into it surely has paid off. For some reason, roses in an apple tree seems like pure luxury!
Thanks Linda, granbabe is so expressive, I’d forgotten how babies wear their hearts on their faces! I think I have a vitamin deficiency too……that or I too have clocked up many years! Oh, those roses in the apple tree are scrumptious! xxx
Your garden is looking very beautiful with all the lush colours and shapes. Hope the mildew will not destroy your beautiful Lupins.
Its sad hearing those mishap news of the ducks. Glad to know though that the remaining ones are okay.
That’s a very lovely photo of three generations of beauties to end this lovely post!
Ahhh, thanks Jade. Mildew just looks unsightly, it doesn’t seem to affect the blooms, thankfully. The remaining shelducks are doing well, fingers crossed.xxx
What a lovely photo of three gorgeous gals… such a family resemblance between the three of you.😍🌞 isn’t it just grand having a grand baby! So glad some of the ducklings have been rescued… so hard for animals & birds trying to follow their instincts in the middle of suburbia. Congratulations on your volunteering award … so well deserved.
Thanks Gerrie. Oh yes, who knew how lovely having a grandbabe could be, especially all those cuddles and smiles! It is becoming harder and harder for wildlife to survive in our ever busier world, they simply seem to have run out of space. xxx
I’ve tried the watered down milk treatment on our gooseberries at first Dong of mildew. So far it’s either worked or something else has warded it off. We’ll be seeing you face popping up everywhere.
Oh…I must give watered down milk a try! That’s the worst of awards, seeing your face popping up. Thanks Sue.xxx
Prize pig! If it don’t look like one and it don’t snort like one, nor waddle around like a pig, then it ain’t one.
All three of you look great and framed, to boot.I wonder what grand-babe was thinking….
You have a very colourful garden. It has taken time for most plants to recover at any level from the weird weather. What would it take to entice your yellow roses to turn and entertain you :).
Shame about the ducks, glad you have some of the ducklings.
Xxxx
Hahaha, laughing at your prize pig comment! Granbabe certainly wears her heart on her face! I do hope you get a decent summer, you seem to have all types of weather thrown at you, here’s to your garden blooming! It’s good to have those remaining chicks, shame about the others, at least the mother survived too.Thanks Menhir.xxx
Guess the little one was very proud of grandma 🙂
kuddu kuddu
But I’m asking myself, why didn’t people react right away by taking all the ducklings + reckless mother, to the mudflat estuaries?! I’m sure all of them could be saved…
Your garden is a blast! Last weekend I spend a few hours below the rain (Emanuele Giosuè was helping a bit) trying to get some work done in our garden… during the week-days the sun shines, the weekends (when I could do s.t. at home since I’m not working), there is only rain pouring down, like under a shower. I feel so horribly miserable…
Hugs and love to everyone 🙂 claudine
From what I can gather, many people tried to catch mother duck and her ducklings but she kept flying off and the ducklings kept scattering. It’s so sad that so many died but the remaining five are doing great, fingers crossed. It’s so frustrating when you work full time, it always seems to rain when you’re off! Here’s to some good weather in your part of the world.I hope Emanule Giosue is feeling better, is he still with his girlfriend? Love and hugs to one and all.xxx
Love the photos of grandbabe, she is adorable!
Glad to hear that some of the ducklings survived, I wonder if my blackbird has the same vitamin deficiency as your crow, he has a few white feathers.
Your roses are beautiful, I’m sure your neighbours appreciate them!
Thanks Pauline, grandbabe is adorable! Sounds like your blackbird may have a similar problem! The garden is full of roses at the moment, the scent is just lovely.xxx
Hallie: “THREE HOURS”
Congrats again, my friend. You are appreciated much more than a price pig!
That poor crow. I had no idea vitamin deficiencies could have such an effect.
I do love the lushness of that back garden view with the tidy raised beds and exuberant plants overflowing them. Glad you are getting some rain. As you know, we are done until October 🙁 Hope your veggies and herbs soak it all in and grow well for you.
Hahaha….smiling at your prize pig comment! Hallie is such a good baby, she only cries when she’s hungry or tired and is easily comforted. We’ve had lots of rain and sunshine and the garden is just loving it, especially all the veggies. Good grief…..no rain until October, what a nightmare!!! How on earth do you find the time to water the garden? Thanks Anne.xxx
Wow, Dina, the gardens look fabulous. I am sorry, though, for the damn flies plaguing your paradise; we’re getting ready for our annual assault of Japanese Beetles. Pick-and-drown, which unsettles me no end, but asking them to leave hasn’t worked. I’m trying all kinds of things with the slugs this year, but don’t want to hurt the good guys in the fight, so it’s tricky.
I LOVE all your roses. They are beautiful, Dina.
Glad some of the baby shelducks were saved, and hope the crow will fare well.
The family photo of all three beautiful women is beyond precious. Hallie is a photographer’s rock star, but it’s obvious that this runs in the family! LOVE this!
Blessings on your week’s end and coming gardening/lifesaving adventures.
Oh….there are so many pests in the garden at this time of the year, lily beetles are my current problem. Hope you sort those Japanese beetles! Yikes! The roses are doing really well here but the leaves are a right mess with black spot! Ahhhh, thanks for your heartwarming comment, as always. Love and hugs to you all.xxx
Your garden areas are looking good. I’m sure you’re pleased to have the paving and the raised beds. The design is interesting and I expect the trees give you shelter in the back garden. It’s nice that people passing by the front garden can enjoy the roses. Sweet photo of Hallie and the one at the volunteering awards event is fab.
Now the back garden is paved it makes life so much easier, and I have so much more space for plants, I wish I’d paved it years ago! Yes, the beech trees are wonderful when we want a bit of shade. Thanks Linda.xxx
Lovely post and pictures. As you say the garden sure is looking lush.
I’m glad to see that your award ceremony went okay, and grandbabe’s expression in the last picture has me smiling. xx
Thanks Flighty, the rain is certainly bringing the plants on, long may it continue, although in small bursts with a little sunshine thrown in. I am enjoying all granbabe’s expressions, every emotion seems to show on her face.xxx
Awww, what a beautiful photo of Hallie and I love the one of the three generations taken together at your award celebration too. Your garden is looking fabulous, everywhere is so lush right now. I wish I could keep hostas in such good condition, the slugs always find mine! What a sad tale about the ducks but at least some of the babies were saved, nature can be very cruel.
Thanks Jo, Hallie is such a content and smiley baby, every smile I get makes my day! I love all the rain we’ve had, I’d much prefer that to the drought we had this time last year. I am surprised the slugs haven’t had my hostas yet, but then there’s still plenty of time. Nature certainly takes no prisoners! The remaining shelducks are doing really well, thankfully.xxx
I love that last photo – grandbabe’s expression is priceless! Your garden is looking fabulous – all those beautiful roses. Poor ducklings and crow; he really does look like a magpie at first glance. Congratulations again on your award – not a dog costume in sight!! xx
Thanks Veggiemummy, I’m remembering how expressive babies can be, every emotion shows on their little faces. Shame about the dog costume though!xxx