Yesterday when I got home from work I took the camera out into the garden, which is looking extremely jungly as we near the end of "No-Mow May." Here's some of what's happening at the moment.
The bees have seemed a bit reluctant to come out, given our low temperatures and all the rain. But things are supposed to warm up now, and we've been seeing more and more of them, like this one on green alkanet and creeping buttercup in our wildflower garden.
In fact a couple of days ago a bumblebee the size of a ping-pong ball flew into our living room and clumsily bounced itself off the windows trying to get out again. Olga was alarmed! We finally had to lift it out the window on a magazine, and it flew away unscathed.
An old leaf on one of the pelargoniums, looking very autumnal with all that pigment!
The lupines are sending up new blossoms, despite the aphid invasion. This plant, which I rescued from the supermarket last year in a sorry state, has seven flower stalks! It's a variety called Persian Slipper, as I recall. The red Beefeater lupine also has flowers coming, while the pink Rachel de Thame has some smaller flower stalks -- it's running a bit behind because of its aphid problem.
And here's our lily-of-the-valley, growing in a shady spot beneath one of the hydrangea bushes.
So things are blooming, but we are significantly behind this year. There are no roses yet, for example, and there are no poppies. The brook thistles are still tight buds. Last year, all of those were blooming in profusion by now.
Finally, here's our battle-scarred Chinese banana tree. As you can see, it survived our winter freezes but it's going to take a while to get back to its former voluptuous glory. (Probably just in time to freeze again!)
32 comments:
Poor banana palm! The lupine photo is exquisite. Here, as you can imagine, there are colors and blooms everywhere you look.
You would not have all these horticultural concerns if the garden was paved.
So much to see just yards from our doors - huge bee in my garden this morning; astonishing creatures.
I can just see the bumble alarming Olga - ha! I love them.
The lupine is majestic!
That bee is working it!
Love seeing the flowers and that lupine is truly beautiful.
When flying critters come in the house they always head for the windows to get back out. So, I keep an empty jar and a post card to do my daily catch and releases.
Gorgeous shots, but that leaf is everything!
Absolutely Amazing There Brother Reed - Thank You So Much For Showcasing Your Decompression From The Day - Very Peaceful Post
Cheers
P.S. Slip A Just Because Treat Under The Pink Blanket From Uncle T
Now THAT's a big bee! I posted lily of the valley and other blooms today too. It feels like it's taken a long while, doesn't it? Love the lupine!
That delicate little lily of the valley is what drew my eye. It was my mother's favorite flower and growing up in Illinois, we had it growing in the shade of several shrubs in our yard.
I'd never heard of lupine and it looks beautiful. I love bumble bees; they're like flying pandas. I don't think I would like one that big in my house though.
Our spring has been unusually cold as well, and the only bee I've seen is one that came into my work office through the door. It had no sense of direction and was pretty sluggish, so all that was needed was to open the door and guide it back out. But while it was big - huge, I thought - it had nothing on yours!
I love that shot of the lily of the valley. Since they're the flower for my birth month, May, and they are so delicate and pretty, I've always had a soft spot for them, but I've never grown them. Do yours have much scent?
Lovely flowers. That banana tree is in trouble!!
The huge bumble Bee was probably a Queen looking for a nest site...
What's the story behind no-mow May? I think I missed it. Jungly can be good sometimes.
Just a short time ago I spotted two big black bees floating belly up in our new bird bath. I guess I should have warned them about going in the deep end.
I'm sure you guys are well on your way to summer by now!
Ha! That's true. We could rototill the whole thing and blacktop it. Charge to park cars here.
They ARE astonishing. I'm always amazed at how many different kinds of bees there are.
Yeah, she was NOT happy. Red alert!
The lupines are really beautiful flowers.
I do the same. I even try to shoo the houseflies outside, although they're especially difficult sometimes! (Being not too bright.)
I liked it too! There's clearly a lot of colored pigment in the plant beneath all the chlorophyll.
I did indeed slip Olga a treat in your name!
I checked out your post -- beautiful flowers! And as I said there, your peonies are way ahead of ours, which are still tight buds.
Oh, and I might have been slightly exaggerating about the size of the bee. :)
When we planted it, Dave thought it would spread like wildfire. But it hasn't -- we still have the same five plants we put in the ground years ago!
"Flying pandas" -- I love that! So accurate! :)
OK, I confess ours might not have been QUITE as big as a ping-pong ball. But it was huge, to my eyes, anyway. Maybe they look bigger when they're indoors! Our lilies-of-the-valley are underneath our hydrangeas and I can't reach them to smell them!
I know, it looks terrible, doesn't it? I think it will bounce back, though. Our cannas look awful too.
No-Mow May is promoted by a charity called Plantlife UK -- they urge gardeners not to mow their lawns in May to allow bees and insects to emerge. I like a bit of jungle but honestly we're getting TOO jungly.
Oh no! Maybe you really DO need that rock in the middle?
somehow I missed this post. your banana tree needs a bigger pot or better put it in the ground. that lupine bud is amazing.
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