Ghost Bees

Last night we inspected our bees, recording their progress and checking for disease. 6pm was late as the sun had moved round to the west and the hive was in shadow, making it difficult to see through the netting of the bee suit. The bees were in a good mood and gentle so we only smoked them gently. We removed a new Queen cell to protect Aphrodite's position within the colony. We found Drone cells and stores of two different types of pollen, one pale lemon and the other bright orange. We haven't a clue which plants it comes from! At the end of the inpection a coating of icing sugar was applied to the brood chamber to protect against the Veroa bug which mutilates the bees. The sight of ghost bees flying in and out of the hive is surreal.
Today the beautiful "roseraie de l'haye" opened her first cerise flowerhead at the back of "The Smoking Room". I love these free-spirited shrubs which flower profusely filling the air with the scent of cloves. They have rough crinkled leaves and are not too precious. The vivid flash of colour at the back of the planting draws the eye up to the edge of the woodland. Planted alongside, under the canopy of the apple tree, is Geranium "Mourning Widow". This unpretentious plant is tolerant of dry shade and its deep claret,almost black,flowers add delicacy. Planted alongside the rose is the sweet shrub "Carolina Allspice". Its unique flower heads start off as chestnut buds before opening into wine red flowers with the fragrance of wild strawberry. What a delicious start to the day!

Rhapsody in Blue

After yesterday's rain the garden is fresh and verdant. This morning walking through the "Lazy Hazy"planting I spotted the first flower on the beautiful rose "Rhapsody in Blue". The flowers are a violet purple when mature but appear almost pink when the buds first open. This rose was the muse for this section, which has the soft palette evoking the relaxed style of "George Gershwin". The colours are a melange of blue/pink through lilac to mauve and black. "Rhapsody" is in the forefront of the white wall created by "Snowden" and "Nevada" whose arching stems are now laden with double and semi-double white flowers. Amongst this heads of the ethreal Aquilegia "William Guiness" sway on the breeze. The flower heads remind me of happy days in Dublin drinking guiness! They have almost black sepals edged with a white frill. Just like a Granny's Bonnet!
I was thrilled to spot " Astrantia Roma" showing her branched heads of pincushion flowers surrounded by a ruff of greenish claret bracts. This delicate flower is unexpectedly hardy and is surviving well in the steep hillside planting. It looks like Sir Percy at the court of Lord Blackadder! I must remember to cut back the flower stems when they turn brown to encourage a second flowering. The aquilegias Blue and Black Barlow are creating refined structure with their plum/purple and black flowers. I notice that they have started self-seeding,I found a couple behind the bees in the white wood. After yesterday's rain the bees were out early today collecting pollen from the Hesperis and Dames Violet.
Alerted by squawks of indignation, I've just seen Elvis, our resident pheasant, running towards a shakey take off over the pond, with Isis, our white shepherd, in hot pursuit!

The Bee Patio

Aphrodite, our Queen Bee, and her girls live in a hive on their own patio facing east. They like to wake to the warmth of the rising sun before setting out for a hard days work! This is the first year that they have lived in the garden and they are a joy to watch. This morning they were up and about early, taking off through the cow parsley and medlar blossom into the valley below. Behind the hive The White Wood is planted the with scented, white Hesperis Matrionalis and the perrenial, blue forget-me-not, Brunnera. The bees at the front of the hive are always on the look-out for intruders. We observed them at a distance and ,whilst standing quietly, were delighted to spot our first dragonfly of the season!

Dew on The Alliums

A beautiful summer's day with a clean fresh breeze. At 7 am this morning the alliums were covered in dew, sparkling like diamonds in the early morning sun. Today, the roses in the white wall , which form a diagonal break across the new planting have started to burst their buds. The fragrant,arching "Nevada" with it's parchment semi- double flowers is inter-planted with David Austin's "Snowden" Rugoa Rose. The fragrance is pure and arresting when it touches you as you walk by!

L'Heure Bleu

What a difference in the last two weeks. The firework display of tuilps has given way to a river of blue iris punctuated with red poppies in the "L'heure Bleu" section of the garden. Deep purple and white aquilegia sway maestically against a backdrop of leaves from the flamboyant rose "Nevada", whose white flowerheads have opened for the first time today. In place of the deep red and lilac tuilips, amethyst alliums on delicate stems draw the eye upwards. Their heads dance with the royal blue iris creating a vivid optical mix.

Welcome to my Garden

Welcome to my new blog! Enjoy your visit!