ABC Wednesday H is for a Host of things

H is for a Host of things in my garden.


In spring there are Hyacinths . . . 

. . . and Hazel catkins . . .

Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus avellana contorta) which gives sweet Hazel nuts

Our Helleborus niger - Christmas rose - flowers in March!

Our Holly tree (Ilex'Golden King') flowers in early spring . . .

. . . attracting the Holly blue butterfly (Celastrina argiolus)

. . . here seen on Ivy (Hedera)

Holly berries are greenish-white in early summer . . .

 . . . ripening in early autumn . . .

. . . and providing winter food for blackbirds and thrushes, particularly the redwing.

Heathers, pink and white, offer nectar early in the year to provide sustenance for early bees.

Heather or Winter Heath (Erica carnea)

Before the winter, Honesty flowers and will produce transparent seed pods, attractive to flower arrangers. Honesty (Lunaria annua) is known as 'Money Plant' in South-east Asia and 'Silver Dollars' in the States.

Honesty (Lunaria annua) self-seeds freely

Honeysuckle gives fragrance to the garden and attracts many insects . . .

Late spring and summer bring Hordes of Hoverflies . . .

Hoverfly(syrphid fly or flower fly) on pyracantha . . .

. . . and occasionally a Hornet (Vespa crabro)  a large social wasp wasp that looks frightening but is much gentler than its smaller cousins.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) have been scarce this summer. Normally we see dozens at a time collecting nectar . . .

 . . . like this one on Ceanothus (Californian lilac)

Day lilies (Hemerocallis) add colour and interest . . .

 . . . and so do mophead or lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla)

My final H is for Hanging baskets, in which grow a variety of plants, from lobelia and petunias, to pansies and strawberries and tomatoes.

To see more Hs from around the world please click here.

Spring 2010

Has Spring sprung or merely gently yawned and stretched?
Last night, for the first time this year, I heard a frog calling with that distinctive rolling chirp. In 2009 the frogs started singing a full month earlier than this. There are a few individuals in our pond and the fish are swimming about in the expectation of tasty frogs' eggs though I think they may be disappointed for a while yet (not French, our fish, nor gastronomes – no taste for grenouilles). I'll feed them anyway so that some spawn may survive – if eventually it is deposited.
Spring is certainly taking its time to wake up. The Spring flowers are late. Usually the tête-à-tête daffodils are in full bloom by St David's Day on 1^st March but they've only opened in the past week. Other daffodils in the garden and in pots are still in bud, their glories yet to be revealed. Tree buds are beginning to ripen but everything seems reluctant to show itself.

Common Ninebark  (Physocarpus Opulifolius) 'Dart's Gold'

I suppose Spring always enters shyly, disclosing her beauty gradually so that we may appreciate it the more. Our Common Ninebark (Physocarpus Opulifolius) is almost in leaf – I love the bright yellow-green of its foliage and of course the hazel catkins are shaking their tails in the breeze.

 Corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana contorta)

I discovered some hellebores bravely blooming, their heads barely raised above the ground. The crocuses were late, too, and the lone snowdrop I've seen stands tall and proud – and late - in the shelter of the ninebark.

Somewhat battered Hellebore

Perhaps Spring is performing the dance of the seven veils. Maybe she always does but as I look out on this dank March day I feel that this year she is being unnecessarily coy. If the sun shines later – or ever – I will definitely feel more hopeful but for now the wind is sharpening and the drizzle is determined to grow up into rain.

SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 22

After a bright sunny day when the birds were busily feeding and the sun lit up the trees and shrubs, the early evening sky was clear and cloudless. It will be cold tonight though no frost is expected. Indeed, fog is forecast for tomorrow morning! These photos were taken in my front garden.

There are many catkins on the corkscrew hazel!

Shelley's words are most apt - 'If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?' Shelley - 'Ode to the West Wind' Thank you to the SkyWatch team for organising and hosting this lovely meme.

Click here to see beautiful skies around the world.

The first day of Autumn 2009

Yesterday, August 31st, was the last Bank Holiday the UK will enjoy until December 25th, Christmas Day. (Scotland's last one was on August 3rd.) Though many people consider that Autumn has arrived, naturally enough when the Autumn school term is about to start or has already commenced, in my mind at least it is still Summer. Yesterday was a warm, sunny, beautiful day and this morning dawned bright and breezy.
Spiders are usually an indication that the season is changing as they come inside in droves but they have been in residence all this year. I know they keep the bugs down and they also amuse the cats and dogs, occasionally nipping their inquisitive noses. This does not dissuade the cats from consuming them - in fact, it probably makes them more determined. The dogs merely flatten them.
I am not a fan of spiders - a fact I repeat ad nauseam - though I appreciate their role in the greater order of things, but an increasing interest in photography has encouraged me to look more closely at them. I admire the efficiency of their design and the intricacy of their webs though too long spent studying them makes me itch.
On my way into the garden this morning I noticed a reddish-brown spider on the galvanised wire mesh panel that slots into the patio door groove (we have this so that small people, dogs and cats are safely contained while fresh air is free to enter) The mesh is 2" x 2" (50mm x 50mm) and the spider was about 0.6" (10mm) and actually rather pretty though the close-ups made me reconsider that opinion. Such a tiny creature, so beautifully constructed, so busy! It seemed to be attempting to build a web, though the constant opening and closing of the patio door must have disturbed it somewhat. He looks as though he's about to pounce - or perhaps he's practising his conducting gestures for the Proms


This is his underside - he looks a little embarrassed or is he simply 'hanging loose'?

I later identified it as a male Garden spider, Araneus quadratus, which is only slightly less common than its extremely common and widespread near relation Araneus diadematus. Males are smaller than females. There are some stunning photographs here. In our front garden we have two Kentish cob trees, brought to Berkshire when my parents moved here from Kent thirty years ago. They produce many cobnuts which are particularly relished by the squirrels - they have expensive tastes as cobs bought from Waitrose are currently £3.99 per kg. As squirrels are inveterate gardeners we have many saplings from the cobs and also from our corkscrew hazel, Corylus avellanus 'Contorta' - this used to be known as 'Harry Lauder's walking stick' as the singer and entertainer Harry Lauder (1870 - 1950) carried a crooked stick for every performance.

While photographing the cobs I noticed, as I do every year, and marvelled at the tight little catkins that will herald Spring in a few months' time, dancing in the breeze before the leaves unfurl. To paraphrase Shelley, 'If Autumn comes, can Spring be far behind?

Meanwhile the day that started so promisingly has commenced its downturn - the wind is strengthening, the temperature is dropping, splendid clouds have massed and are now emptying their contents vigorously on our sodden ground.