Shirley Sampson
Hi All,
I had such a lovely hour at the garden last week doing the insurance check – made even sweeter knowing that it might be my last for a while as it’s likely that I will be furloughed.
It was warm and sunny, and the crab apples along the main track and in the orchard are all blooming beautifully! I noticed some wood anemones (planted by us a few years back) blooming on the banks to the right as you enter the garden, as well as an unusual RED cowslip! The honesty is also in full bloom, as is the borage, growing like a thuggish cabbage in the Sisters’ Garden!
The wildflower bank behind the Sisters’ Garden was absolutely buzzing with lots of small solitary bees, dozens of them, and the Wall for Wildlife was also very busy with at least 2 types of solitary bee, one the red mason bee which is fairly familiar, and another a large black bee which seemed to be burrowing into the cob. I also saw orange tips and peacocks on the wing. There were a few small snatches of blackcap song from the big field maple out the back, it must have arrived in the last day or so.
I had a look (with some trepidation) at the area we planted over the winter, the Spring Garden, as it is now called. The lovely pale daffodils Narcissus ‘Thalia’ are all blooming beautifully, but much of the rest of it is now terribly dry already. A problem, as the plants have not yet had time to establish. I require you all to do a rain dance please! The plants in pots at least are all doing well, nicely looked after by the sprinkler / timer system
I hope this update from the garden finds you all well, I hope staying home is not proving too much of a strain.
The blog will continue via other contributors so please keep checking in.
Best wishes to you all!
Shirley
Shirley Sampson Warden - Flatford Wildlife Garden