GARDENER'S WORD

Oh, how aphids like to suck the life out of new rose leaves.  By doing this, aphids leave a sticky residue to which fungi spores can adhere and cause further debilitating attacks on the plant.  While mooching in the garden today, I noticed new leaves forming on the climbing rose, Wild Eve, and they were illuminated in the sunshine.  When I looked down my macro camera lens, I noticed a small aphid there.  I'm not sure what the miniscule white insect is, some kind of mite or spider perhaps?  Aphid on new rose leaves - macro photograph New rose leaves of climbing rose, Wild Eve - macro photograph.

I was mooching around my small garden today with no intentions other than to enjoy my cup of coffee and do a bit of dead-heading while the sun was shining.  Then, on checking that the birds had plenty of seed etc., I noticed something wriggling about in their water.  It was a little bumblebee, drowning.  Unlike a real nature photographer, my first instinct was to rescue the bee, then take photographs.  I tipped the water plus bee onto a clump of Mrs Sinkins dianthus and while I fetched my camera, the bee managed to struggle to the top of a leaf.  The poor thing was weighed down with water but soon began to dry out.  When it got to the top of the leaf, it had nowhere else to go so after watching it dangling and dithering about for a while, I broke off the leaf and put bee and leaf in a better place.  The things you have to do for the birds and the bees! Bumblebee rescued after nearly drowning   Save our humble Bumblebees (internal lin...

I began a small collection of Lewisias in summer last year, and fell in love with them.  I have four different types now, all outside in terracotta pots.  The one which was labelled Lewisia 'Special Collection' was divided up this year and already the young plants have, and are, producing flowers.  Lewisia longipetala 'Little Plum' is extremely beautiful, and strong, and is full of flower, yet again; this must be the third flowering session it's had this year.  The white Lewisia cotyledon is simply amazing right now.  Lewisia tweedyi 'Rosea' is just producing some buds at the moment but is not in full flower.   Lewisia cotyledon White - macro photograph Lewisia cotyledon White Lewisia longipetala 'Little Plum' Lewisia longipetala 'Little Plum'   

I visited the Alpine House at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Gardens in Harlow Carr, near Harrogate, yesterday.  It's one of my favourite spots in the gardens as it is forever warm, full of light, and there's always something of interest going on.  Yesterday was the turn of the Gentiana family to dazzle the spectators' eyes.  Although there was a white variety or two, it is the blues which caught my attention.  Some are as bright as Ceylon sapphires.  My favourite was 'Braemar' which is similar to 'Starlight'.  Gentiana 'Braemar' in Alpine House RHS Gardens, Harlow Carr Gentiana sino-ornata, white 'Purity' and blue 'Starlight' in Alpine House, RHS Gardens, Harlow Carr Gentiana clusii 'Amethyst' in Alpine HouseRHS Gardens, Harlow Carr Gentiana 'Iona' in Alpine HouseRHS Gardens, Harlow Carr 

I went with a friend to the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) gardens at Harlow Carr yesterday for a mooch around (after having lunch at Betty's café, of course) and saw the willow Hares on Bicycles by Phil Bradley for the first time.  They are just outside the Alpine House.  Apparently Phil Bradley calls them the 'Harey Bikers' (ref: the cookery programme called Hairy Bikers)  They were in recognition and celebration of the Yorkshire Tour de France race which swept through that area of Harrogate at some point during the three day race.  I thought the 'sculptures' look great against the blue sky.  It was such a lovely day. Willow hare on bicycle RHS Gardens at Harlow Carr by Phil Bradley Willow hare on bicycle RHS Gardens at Harlow Carr by Phil Bradley  Willow hare on bicycle RHS Gardens at Harlow Carr by Phil Bradley Somersaulting willow hare on bicycle RHS Gardens at Harlow Carr by Phil Bradley Photos taken with iPhone 5s ...

I bought several new clematis plants this year and planted Dr Ruppel where the Compassion climbing rose used to be.  I had decided to get rid of most of my roses and aim for a softer, less cruel, plant to adorn my fences.  Actually, I bought two Dr Ruppels because I hadn't realised I'd already bought and planted one!  No problem though because it has turned out to be a beauty.  I'm not just talking about the pretty petals but the reproductive organs of this clematis are simply lovely.  Clematis 'Dr Ruppel' in full bloom Clematis 'Dr Ruppel' in full bloom Clematis 'Dr Ruppel' reproductive organs - Macro photograph Clematis 'Dr Ruppel' reproductive organs - Macro photograph Clematis 'Dr Ruppel' reproductive organs, after petals have fallen - Macro photograph   Clematis: Dr Ruppel and Elsa Spath Hoverfly on Dr Ruppel clematis - macro photograph

Anemone 'Whirlwind' took me by surprise today.  I was taking photographs of a sunflower and suddenly realised that it was surrounded by white flowers.  They seem to have shot out of nowhere.  I had planted the anemone, which I bought in a pot earlier this year, behind and rather close to Anemone September Charm , too close really, but it has worked out quite well.  The white flowers of Whirlwind stand taller behind the pink flowers of September Charm and have a different habit which, I imagine, accounts for its name: there are several semi-double flowers produced in a whirl at the end of upright stems. Anemone 'Whirlwind' Anemone 'Whirlwind' is perfect for pollinating insects The label says that Anemone 'Whirlwind' is a valuable late-summer flowering perennial bearing cup-shaped, semi-double white flowers on erect stems.  It adds useful height to the rear of beds and borders.  It's suitable for sun or semi-shade in any fertile, well-drai...

I really do have to toughen up if I am going to continue taking photographs of spiders in my garden.  While nipping off the dead heads of a trailing fuchsia in a hanging basket today I accidentally came across a crime scene.  I call it a crime scene because a female Araneus diadematus has captured a bumblebee and wound her silky thread around it.  I can only hope that the bee was dead.  I didn't know what it was at the time of taking the photos.   If I had arrived on the scene earlier, I would have intercepted and saved the bee.  I've got a great fondest for the fluffy little buzzers.  On the other hand, I find spiders both fascinating and disgusting; horrific, actually, and I was so upset when I transferred the photographs to my computer, where I could see them more clearly, and realised it was a bumblebee.  I felt like going out and squashing the spider and saying 'how do you like it?'   But, of course, I didn't.  I would nev...

I was just about to mow my small lawn this morning when I spotted a little object blowing around on the grass.  I believe it is a seed shell, about 1.5cm dia. but I have no idea what plant it belongs to as there is nothing else in my garden like it. Perhaps, like the sunflower, it is another gift from the birds.  I had to take a photo of it to show you but decided the photo was rather boring so did a bit of tweaking.  The top photograph is natural, the others have been radically edited. Lacy seed shell, pointy end towards camera lens - Macro photograph  Lacy seed shell, open end towards camera lens - Macro photograph Lacy seed shell, sideways view - Macro photograph Lacy seed shell, open end towards camera - Macro photograph

This plant has been flowering since I bought it many weeks ago.  It grows on a long narrow bed together with other relatively low-growing perennials and a row of Arthur Bell yellow roses.  To keep them flowering, the trick is, as all gardeners know, to keep dead-heading (nipping off the dead heads of flowers) as soon as you spot them, if you can.  It's not always easy with plants that flower prolifically but it works wonders in prolonging the flowering season.  In the below photograph you can see two or three 'dead heads' waiting to be nipped off.  Campanula carpatica 'Clips' -  Blue I have no idea why Campanula carpatica 'Clips' Blue has been given that name but the colour is lovely and just like the photograph.  I've chosen to grow alternating white and blue flowering plants along with the yellow roses.  Of course, they don't all flower at once and as they are all low growing (though some push up taller flower spikes from a moun...

This summer I decided it was necessary to prune the jasmine that faces north.  For now I shall leave the newly planted south-facing jasmines alone.  The books say they should be planted to face south, however, mine on the north-facing fence is in such a position that, on the north-facing side, it has always received sun part of the day when the sun heads west in the afternoon.  Now healthy and, apparently, happy, it's got a real grip on the trellis on top of the fence and, with its head now enjoying sun from the south too, it has tumbled over the fence on the neighbour's side.  Furthermore, it has wound its way through the neighbouring roses, New Dawn and Wild Eve, and right into the honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum 'Scentsation' which was pruned  last week.   As the jasmine was slow to get going, it has been growing unmolested for 4 years or so.   Pruned jasmine officinale The idea is to prune jasmine to a leaf bud just...

I know that Arctic Queen revival sounds like a rock group, but it refers to the white clematis that I have been growing with varying degrees of success for a few years.  The flowers are worth the effort but my climber has been moved from pot to border to pot and it has been shifted, in its pot, from one position to another until it ended up on my front porch, facing south, last year.  It did quite well then, and it was doing so well this spring with numerous fat buds ready to open; then the whole plant collapsed.  Clematis wilt is, I believe, a type of virus and I don't know if that is what my Arctic Queen succumbed to, or if I had over-watered it, or not watered it enough, or if it was too hot, or too cold, or too something.  I had covered the roots with flat stones to try to keep its roots in the shade and its head in the sun, which is what clematis plants like, and feel I could do no more!  I chose to cut the whole thing down to root level and wait to s...

I had a lovely surprise this morning when I got up and went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee; a beautiful squirrel was making its way along the fence towards the kitchen window.  I grabbed my camera which still had the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens attached and aimed.  Although the photographs were taken through a less than pristine window, I managed to get several decent shots.  The squirrel was, at one point watching me.  I suppose it was trying to figure out what the camera was.  I think it's a female, judging by what appear to be teats in the shot where she is holding onto the wooden fence-post ball.     Squirrel on my fence - 'here's looking at you, kid.' I don't know what she's got hold of but she's hanging onto it very tightly. Squirrels are very fond of acorns, the nut of the oak tree.  It's rather odd, you know, because during autumn I often seen oak tree leaves in my garden but I cannot se...

When I bought my new camera, (my only real camera, actually) a month or two ago, my eyes started to open.  I began to see not only the wonder of things through the macro lens but also I developed a different perspective. I began to notice, as I hunted for things to photograph, the beauty in things that were aging and decaying.  Of course, I should have noticed this long ago as I have recognised it in old people for many years. I've taken some photographs already of things I consider beautiful in old age and I shall add posts in this category as I go along.  Here's some for starters.  I hope you like them too. Ageing ivy leaf with Araneus Diadematus spider Rose leaves with disease Rose leaves with disease Ageing New Dawn rose Rose leaves with disease  Swingtime fuchsia in old age Ageing cut flowers  Blackberries in age Ageing dahlia with hoverfly       

As it was another lovely day today, I took my camera into the garden and was looking to take photographs of things that were dying and in a state of decay.  Although I cut back the Senecio polyodon some weeks ago as it was getting unruly and unsightly, I noticed that it was still poking flower stems through other plants here and then.  There were a couple of flowers, being visited by hoverflies, but what struck me most was the tiny buds.  They looked so insignificant to my naked eye at about 3-4mm across but when I looked down the macro lens, wow!  Such vibrant colours and hairs glittering in the sunlight.  Senecio polyodon buds in the sunlight