We made it out to visit a garden this week. I did consider featuring our trip to Wassand Hall for this weeks six but there was far more than six so this has featured as a post on its own. The garden is going through the transition to late summer. The poppies have come out and a few annuals so that I can put a few more dahlias in the ground. The verbena and gladioli is almost ready to flower. The air has been filled with insects with the heat of the week. The house martins are still shrieking overhead. So much to enjoy in the garden and too hot to do much more than some light deadheading until the evenings.
1. Hebe
I culled all the hebes in the front garden last year as they had all become too leggy and they weren’t flowering much anymore. This smaller one survived in the back garden. It is not quite hardy enough though. The leaves get damaged each year so it gets a cut back in spring and spends much of the year recovering. It does, however, have pretty very vibrant pink flowers that the bees and butterflies seem to like.
The passionflower is trying to grow through it so I keep needing to unwrap tendrils and put it back on the fence.
2. New Butterflies
I’ve been grumbling the last few weeks about the lack of butterflies. I’ve not had a lot of my regular visitors but I read an interesting article saying that several species are possibly hibernating earlier. Having grumbled I have then had two species which I haven’t sighted in the garden before.
First a gatekeeper. These are fairly common locally but I haven’t seen in the garden. The caterpillars feed on grasses so an area of long grass is useful for attracting them in. After lockdown easing the locals and town council have gone a bit mad on the grass mowing cutting back areas that are often left longer. I’m wondering if this has displaced some of these butterflies.
The second newcomer was a brown argus I think. When the wings are closed they are very similar to common blue butterflies but I’m pretty certain this was brown when it opened its wings. Both of the newcomers settled on the marigolds so they are earning their keep. I still think numbers are down in the garden despite the newcomers. numbers of whites are up with the caterpillars eating my sprouts and nasturtiums but other species numbers are down.
3. Dragonflies
I featured these last week but I wanted to feature them again as I’ve managed some more detailed photos.
I have seen bigger numbers this week. There have sometimes been as many as 4 in at once. They seem to like settling on the honeysuckle. They eat small flying insects. I think this spot offers them a vantage point where they can rest and observe the garden for hunting.
4. Passionflower
The passionflower is now dominating one fence. I featured the flowers earlier in the season. Each day a couple of new flowers open keeping the bees happy.
The early flowers mean it has managed to form fruit for the first time. They might even have time to ripen this year.
5. Achillea millefolium-Yarrow
In my efforts to help the butterflies I am looking at adding a few more nectar sources for them. Yarrow is recommended as a good option. Tesco had a number at the point of death for a £1. I think this one can be salvaged. If nothing else I can collect seeds.
The second is a healthy one. This is Achillea millefolium ‘Pink Grapefruit’. It is filling out the pot nicely and the pink stands out nicely. This is part of the tutti-fruiti series that have been bred to be compact. So they seem like a good option for a pot to attract some butterflies on the patio. They need good drainage. My garden is clay. I have improved it over the last few years but I think these will still do better in a pot than in my ground. They are drought tolerant which is becoming more of a consideration each year.
6. Dahlia-Black Jack
I had originally wanted this dahlia last year and I ordered ir from Sarah Raven as part of a trio of short dahlias. However, she had supply issues and I was refunded. I ordered this year from Farmer Gracy and it was delivered this year with no issues. It’s a smallish dahlia with lovely dark maroon ruffles. I think it was worth the extra years wait.
If you’ve enjoyed my post and fancy taking part or reading more check out the participant guide. I’ve got a bit of potting on to do today and may start off a few more seeds now the mini-greenhouse is emptying out. I’m gradually clearing the patio and garden ready for the return of the builders. I hope you all enjoy your weekends whatever you are up to.
Great shot of that dragonfly. Your ruffled dahlia is a winner!
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Thank you. Getting more dragonflies in this year for some reason.
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Stunning picture of the dragonfly! Gorgeous post in total.
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Thanks. Enjoying having more of the dragonflies in. No damselflies but I think that might be down to the increase in dragonflies. Love watching their strange hovering. A little burst of prehistoric visitors.
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That dahlia is a great choice, a wonderful colour. We have given up on plants from Sarah Raven – too many not being what they were supposed to be. Farmer Gracy has been excellent to date.
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Yes, I’ve had a few disappointing plants from her. I got refunded on some but I’d rather get what I pay for her. I’ll buy seeds as she stocks some interesting choices but give the plants a miss.
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And the seeds are no better. Mary has had pink/purple “white” cosmos on several occasions so she has given up on her.
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Wow your wildlife photos are wonderful. Love that dahlia, I do like the dark ones. 🙂
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I like the dark ones. A few more still to come over the next few weeks.
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Nice shot that dragonfly!! I also like the colour and detail of the dahlia.
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Enjoying having so many dragonflies in. Great to watch. The dahlias a beauty. I do like the dark ones.
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Great photos of the dragonflies and the underside of the wings of the brown argos are very pretty. I’ve never had much luck with yarrow, though the wild one that grows in the front lawn does really well.
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I think the yarrow needs fairly dry conditions so in a pot I can control that better than the ground. A bit like lavender. I can’t grow it in the border very well but ok in pots.
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Great dragonfly photos! I can never get near enough to get much detail. That close-up one looks like it’s making quite the face!
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I have to use my longer lens for the dragonflies. Only way I can get shots.
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Lovely butterflies. I would be interested to hear whether your passion fruits ripen enough to be edible
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I doubt they will. My parents usually rot before ripening but we will see. They flowered early enough they may have time.
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You’ve got me wondering where the gatekeepers that are regulars in our garden go for undisturbed grass; there’s none anywhere near that I can think of. Pretty sure I’ve never seen a brown argus or that species of dragonfly.
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They do feed on a few types of geraniums as well and common rock rose.
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I enjoyed the wildlife photos. It’s so difficult to capture the butterflies because they won’t stay still with their wings open! I seem to do OK with achillea on clay as long as its in the dry areas of the garden. Good luck with them.
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Great photos. I’ve definitely had less butterflies in the garden this year but did have one I’d not noticed before and didn’t know what it was. Thank you for identifying it – Brown Argus. Sadly, I haven’t seen it since.
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I usually see plenty of Brown Argus on the coast around Godrevy Point, but I haven’t been there this year. I have never seen one in my garden. Lots of small brown butterflies among the bracken, could be Ringlets or Meadow Brown, as they never keep still long enough it is hard to tell! Wild yarrow grows in my garden in the walls where I guess it is very dry, but my attempt with a cultivar failed miserably. I have just bought another one, but will keep it in a pot I think. The Passionflower might be a good idea for my south facing fence. Once I manage to kill off the bamboo that is running wild along there now 😥
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Yarrow grows wild as a meadow flower in a few spots around me but I’ve never tried growing it myself. But I’m increasingly worried about these habitats being destroyed.
The passionflower is often recomended for shaded spots but I have mine in full sun. They aren’t totally hardy but being by the coast we don’t get frosts as bad as elsewhere.
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we’ve had a few dragon flies here too, although not sure where from as next door’s pond was removed. someone else must have one somewhere.
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I think they can travel quite good distances for the size. Chances are your garden is a good feeding spot with the amount of flowers you’ve crammed in. Plenty of insects to hunt. Estimated at about 3 million ponds in the UK so there is usually one nearby even if you don’t know where.
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Those are impressive photos of the dragonfly. Such detail captured perfectly. I think I will try and pot up my Achillea too as it is not doing well planted out in the garden bed.
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I don’t know that it will work better in a pot, just a suspicion that they may do better for me that way. But got the seed saved to try and grow some more.
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