HONEYBEE AND HEDGEHOG NEWS

So we walked down to the veg beds where the buddleia, pruned early in the year as usual, has exploded in flower - and it was covered in honey bees - a delight to see. I do not know where they have come from but they are very welcome. We usually have to make do with bumble bees.

We have finally had two days of sun with temperatures over 20C but now, Sunday, it rains again. Fortunately I have mown the lawns when they were dry. There are still some flowers on  the roses - mainly the Rhapsody in Blue and William Shakespeare. R keeps dead heading to try and prolong the flowering.

To hedgehogs - R had met someone from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. 

In the centre of their badge is one in a triangle with the Gardener's Friend written outside and below - Don't Squash Me! Presumably this refers to motorists. You can find them at www.britishhedgehogs.co.uk.

When we were in Wales R went into Window on Wales in Solva and bought me a new seat for the garden as seen here suspended from the green-oak beam outside the kitchen doors.

Give me the sun and I shall recline, well swing, in style.

Now to a success story - Hydrangea Annabelle - this one is but three of four years old and wonderful, the green heads expanding to plate size and turning white. Apparently if you want to fill a vase with the flower heads the stems need to be stuck in boiling water for a minute or so - the they will last longer.

I was not asked the other day what gardening magazines do I peruse so I decided to ignore that lack of enquiry and show you the main three. The Garden is the mag of the RHS, Gardeners' World is a spin off from the tv prog and English Garden is just a mag - but a good one.

So a quick veg interval - I weeded the asparagus bed. The top growth is lush and promising. One pic shows the rhubarb in the foreground.

I must go down there and give them a liquid feed, and take out the old raspberry canes, and move the suckers that have come up all over the place and . . . 

To move on to COLOUR!
Here are some good colour blasts - Agapanthus with Japanese anemones -

Crocosmia Lucifer -

Tansy -

And finally the orange Day Lily -

This is a bone of contention as, despite its visual punch, I think neither of us particularly like its colour (let alone its thugginess). I tried to dig out some in the spring and it was a Herculean task.

Just circumnavigated the garden and R took one look and said that I was to get help - no arguments - but I have some reservations - I rather like the jungle (R does NOT) - and I will get around to things - one day - probably - possibly - maybe.