Black Hero

This fabulous tulip was planted in memory of our beautiful boy Zeus.  What a showstopper Black Hero is, it simply demands attention in the planting.  With the voluptuous appearance of a peony, this tulip holds its head in unusual positions amongst the surrounding foliage, taking the gardener by surprise and always eliciting a smile.
The deep crimson edging on the petals adds depth and is highlighted as the light reflects off the deep black centre.  Planted randomly amongst Queen of the Night, Blue Parrot & Allium Purple Sensation  the effect is stunning!

Garden Contemplation

 What does the garden say?

 Carpe Diem - Seize the Day.  Creativity is the life force within; learn from the past, be aware of the horizon but most importantly inhabit this day.  Ground your senses into the stage-set that is now, for it is the only thing that is real, tangible and maliable.  Look with interest at the people you meet; ask their stories, discover their compass point on the map and seek their perspective.  Dive for the pearls and age old wisdom that they carry within, offering some of your own in return.

Forget the what ifs that hold you back, the inherited conventions that are not your own.  Look on with wonder and an inquiring mind.  Look beyond the mundane for the miracles that abound. Dare to trust your intuition, let your senses be your guide, your gut will always tell you what's true.  Do not be afraid; experiment with things that are different and join the network of conscious thought that joins us all.

Bee Society

The ancients referred to life force as The Weird.  In modern times we are more familiar with the Chinese word chi which is often used in relation to the art of feng shui.  However, our ancestors used the word weird when referring to the inter-connection between all things; the labyrinth that joins us.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to view Cleo's swarm in terms of  Feng Shui.  The impact of this natural phenomenon has ricocheted through the garden.  Fundamentally, it was a spiritual experience - a cleansing of the hive.  When the colony vacated their home they re-grouped in the old Medlar whose roots run deep into the fissures in the lime stone. Here they receive cleansing from the spring water as it tracks down to The Rising from the hills above.  The hills surrounding this lush valley provide positive energy and the water cleanses, washing negativity away.  On Sunday the bees grounded their energy deep into the earth through the branches of the gnarled tree.  Refreshed, they formed a vortex above the hive, revitalising themselves using the energy from the sun. Sixty thousand bees then created a bee-bridge from the sky to their hive and in a calm, orderly fashion they began to re-populate the spring-cleansed space.

Bee society was revered by the ancient Egyptians, artifacts show that bees were worshipped as deities.  It may sound weird, but I suspect that in the natural world there is a link between our flood and Cleo's swarm!

Cleo Swarms

We have just learned a very hard lesson - bee keepers take heed - if you allow life to distract you from your hives, nature will take its course!  Turbulent weather, a flooding pond and other issues led us to miss our hive inspections for a couple of weeks. Queen Cleo, who has been laying with abandon this spring, decided that her hive was becoming too cramped.  At 11am sunday morning her pheromones instructed the colony the to 'vacate the premises'.  The bees spiralled six feet into the air above the hive as they made their mass exodus, their buzz carried across the airwaves alerting us to the imminent disaster.

The advice in this situation is to just sit and wait for them to return within the next half an hour or so.  Cleo's wings were clipped when she arrived, bee lore states that the colony will return to the hive as soon as they realise that the Queen is not with them.  She will have walked out of the hive with her nurse bees intent on starting a new colony in a location identified by her scout bees. However, finding that she was unable to fly away with the swarm she will have fallen onto the ground.

The swarm appear to have taken refuge in the branches of the old Medlar tree, and as promised about forty five minutes later a bee-tornado above the hive announced their return.  Within minutes the cedar front of the hive was covered with bees.  Donning bee-suits we approached the hive to see if we could find Cleo below the landing stage.  A huddle of bees six inches thick was suspended like a stalagtite. A gentle puff of smoke was enough to dislodge them and Cleo emerged unscathed from the middle.  It appears that the nurse and worker bees had huddled around her as protection and to keep her insulated.  I lay the blunt end of the hive tool infront of her, to my amazement the walked onto the hard steel and we were able to place her back into the centre of the brood box.

Now we have to wait a very long four days to see if the colony will re-integrate her or if in fact they will kill her in favor of a new Queen.  During the subsequent hive inspection we saw two new Queens emerge from fully developed queen cells.  It is possible that another may have hatched earlier, if this is the case it will be a royal fight to the death.  We await the outcome with trepedation.

Fields of Gold

Standing high on the hill, the landscape is a patchwork of fields - punctuated by golden rapeseed.  This glorious sight signals the stealthy approach of Midsummer, now only six weeks away.  Visually stunning, the farmer's crop of choice is not popular with the beekeepers among us.  Our bees will travel up to four miles a day, the close proximity of these glowing flowers will tempt them to travel to collect the rape-nectar.  The resulting honey sets so hard and fast that is becomes impossible to spin from the frames unless it's extracted as soon as the industrious little bees cap the comb.  We will need to be vigilant whilst these glowing fields inject sunshine into the surrounding countryside. Regular hive checks will be imperative - In this house it's not 'Fire up the quatro' but 'Reach for the bee suits!'

Rebirth Amidst Tears

The blustery showers that have coloured the first days of May seem a long way from the May Day idyll; cottonwool lambs playing on a carpet of bluebells.  But the rain is healing, it vaporises the earthy aroma of the soil for the breeze to blend with fresh green notes and heady wild garlic.  Cow parsley shoots skyward, creating a soft haze at eye level along the banks.  A perfect place to release worries to the wind and wander along the hedgerows.  A baby bee on her maiden flight is investigating the kitchen, she has flown off course in her search for nectar.  In response to her insistent buzz I open the door and send her on her way.  It is a time of expectancy and delight, in May the garden is young, fresh and energising.

Solace

In times of trouble or emotional turmoil, the peace and quiet of the garden provides a perfect retreat.  A place to rest and contemplate away from the bustle of a multi-media, global economy.  In this micro-climate time plods on peacefully, always at its own pace.  Birds fill the air with their unique compositions while apple blossom blooms catch soft thermals before carpeting the lawn with rose confetti. A gentle buzz alerts us to the presence of honey bees foraging amongst the spring flowers for nectar to seal in the comb; precious nutrition for the colony.  The longer I spend here, the more I choose to stay, to simply be ...    

The Supermoon

May's full Hare Moon is dominating the night sky.  This Moon appears larger than life because the Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned in a tight formation often referred to as a Supermoon because of it's powerful presence.  Historically, Supermoons are associated with high tides and extraordinary natural events.
For us, Thursday 3rd May is a day that we will never forget.  We found that our garden was in the path of a torrent of water as it raced down the valley from the surrounding hills. The escaping rainwater tracked its way underground, following cracks in the limestone, before surfacing in the form of a natural spring underneath our pond.  The sheer force of the emerging spring forced the liner to lift from the base as the water started to fill the tiny void beneath.  At  3 o'clock in the afternoon our waterlillies and plantlife were racing down into the fields below,together with the newts and tadpoles who were violently evicted from their sanctury.  By early evening the liner and roots floated helplessly above nature's squatter, spring water now occupying the five foot deep void.  Zeus' Weeping Birch stood marooned on an island, surrounded by the escaping water.
This is a sight that we would never have believed possible.  Considering the sheer volume of water within the pond, it is a testament to the unbridled power of nature.