The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 2,600 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 4 years to get that many views.
Viburnum opulus
I have always believed that garden birds generally take the red berries first followed by the yellow berries, then, if they are hungry enough, the pink berries and finally, almost reluctantly, they might take the white berries.
Sorbus hupehensis
I therefore found it strange that this year the pink and white berries of my Rowans, Sorbus hupehensis and Sorbus cashmeriana are already stripped bare while the Hawthorns, Cotoneaster and Pyracantha are still laden with red and yellow berries!
Pyracantha berries
The Blackbirds, in particular, relished the white berries and performed incredible feats of balance and ingenuity to get them from the very ends of the wispish branches, bending them double and often jumping from one stem to another or taking them on the pass as they descended.
I read that flocks of Waxwings are coming to Britain this year due to the poor berry harvest in mainland Europe so I am hoping to see my first one this year. We have already had Redwings, Fieldfares, Blackcaps, Jays and Woodpeckers, partly attracted by the variety of food we put out daily, but also the wonderful feast of berries in Gloucestershire this year. Incidentally, we have found that one of the favourite foods is leftover raw pastry from the mince pies and the trimmings from marzipan.
Another idea I like the sound of is an old coconut shell filled with super-saver crunchy peanut butter (340g jar is 62p from Morrisons or Asda) mixed with birdseed and porridge oats. It’s a different take on using suet and seeds but even more delicious! Watch out for squirrels though, they love peanuts so try to make it inaccessible to them.
Yula, Yana & Lake – ‘The Girls’
No blog about our garden would be complete without at least a passing reference to our three wonderful Labradors, Lake, Yana and Yula. They are such a big part of our life that they deserve a category of their own which I will update from time to time with the inevitable highs and lows! Continue reading
Bishop of Llandaff
Probably my favourite Dahlia of the year, Bishop of Llandaff. The sturdy stems holding gorgeous deep red flowers contrast with the dark foliage and, with regular deadheading, went on for months. A really good front of border dahlia and very attractive to bees. Started from seed this year, this was grown from a packet of ‘Redskin Mix’ from Suttons Seeds.
Orange Allouise
Undoubtedly my favourite Chrysanthemum of 2012, the gorgeous buttery yellow ‘Orange Allouise’ which captivated me every day in the early morning sun throughout August and early September. Strongly recommended if you like that sort of thing!
The weather is cold and wet and so I’ve been indoors looking back over this year’s photos and deciding what needs to change in the coming year. One thing that struck me was the number of good plant combinations, some planned and some ‘happy accidents’.
Lychnis coronaria alba with Knapweed
I was pleased with the Lychnis amongst the birches and the staddlestone but had nothing to do with the Knapweed which chose just the right spot to add a touch of colour.
Purple Beech and Clematis
I have no idea of it’s name but this clematis was £1.99 from Morrisons and I decided to let it mingle with the young Beech hedge and the colours worked beautifully together. Being a viticella variety I should prune it right back to a pair of buds in February but I’m just going to let it do it’s own thing and see how it performs.
Echinacea with Ricinus communis
I wasn’t sure about this combination but the daisy flowerhead of the Echinacea mimics the large palmate leaves of the Ricinus and the colours compliment each other well.
Cosmos bipinnatus with Hesperis matronalis
The Hesperis matronalis was supposed to be the usual lilac colour but this one turned out to be pure white which acted as the perfect foil for the dark pink Cosmos.
Lychnis coronaria alba with Borage
Another accidental blue and white combination, the pure white Lychnis with the unique purple and blue of Borage.
Cosmos ‘Seashells’ with Bupleurum
These two were planted a metre apart but, as often happens, as the summer wore on they fell into each other creating an unusual but pleasing combination.
Bells of Ireland with Echium ‘Blue Bedder’
The Echium grew exceptionally well and was covered in bees all summer. I wasn’t sure about the Bells of Ireland (Molluccella laevis) but the yellow/green bracts work with the blue and the touch of bright white from the Echium.
Echium ‘Blue Bedder’ with Zinnia ‘Lime Green’ and Bells of Ireland
The addition of Zinnia ‘Lime Green’ and Nicotiana langsdorfii brought a ‘zing’ to the same combination.
Geranium pyrenaicum ‘Bill Wallis’
This is one of those unplanned but pleasing combinations where two colours of the same variety appear side by side and look good together.
I am sure all these could be planned but I am just as pleased when it happens by accident!
Those nice people at Spalding Plants and Bulbs are keen for horticultural bloggers like me to join their club and trial new products. They have kindly sent me a free gift of 100 Spring bulbs for joining and have asked me to review one of their newish plants next year. I have chosen to trial the ‘Framberry’ which is a strawberry that tastes like a raspberry!
Pineberries (Photo credit: Michael.Camilleri)
The Framberry – a strawberry that tastes like a raspberry!
How anybody managed to hybridise those two is anyone’s guess but that is not as weird as the Pineberry, a Strawberry that tastes like a Pineapple!!!!!
So, yesterday my two rooted runners arrived along with the bulbs and although it is -3° outside, they will be potted on and kept in the greenhouse until April when I am expecting great things!
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