No cherries, no pears

Each year we have cherries and pears on our trees. The birds get most of the cherries but we get good pears, that is until  this year.

We had a lovely display of blossom. The cherry and the pear tree blossomed first. Early in spring. Lots of flowers, pink and white. But I was worried because it was cold and wet and windy and I didn’t see many insects (and we don’t seem to have had birds nesting either). A couple of weeks later the blossom had faded and petals showered the ground. Then the apple tree came into blossom. The sun shone and bees arrived. Now I have no cherries, I saw the little stalks with tiny pips all over the ground, and no discernable baby pears. It’s so sad. It’s like they have given up now hubby is gone.

My only consolation is that there are lots of apples on the tree. But it hangs over into my neighbours yard and I am worried they will cut it back, and as there is a trellis fence in the way I can’t access the fruit. Drat!

Wild plants and flowers

Walking through the middle of Stoke today, there is a small patch of land next to a car wash that was seeded with wildflowers a few years ago. Every year I walk past and I’m amazed with what springs up. I think the local bees must be happy. Just down the road from there another patch of land in front of a large billboard has become overgrown with buddlea and grass and amazing clover flowers. I hope they don’t get cut down!

Added shade

I added shading to a rose painting I started a couple of weeks ago to give it more depth. It is one of those blush roses, with pink and red on the edges of the petals and some yellow further down. Roses are beautiful flowers, but the simplest of them, like wild roses, Rosa rugosa, are better for insects to pollenate and collect nectar. That is because the petals are open and the central part of the flower is easily accessible.

Unfortunately a lot of flowers are now being bred to have twice the petals (doubles). They look beautiful and interesting, but they make it hard to pollenate by insects like bees and they are frequently infertile so they don’t produce viable seeds.

Look for bee friendly plants if you are looking for flowers for your garden.

Sad marigolds

Marigolds in a bag, something seems to have broken the flowers off. I’ve got to get them planted but yesterday the rain fall was stupendous. Today the weather was better, but I am very tired. Tomorrow could be the day they get planted. Meanwhile, the forecast is for more rain and cold winds coming from the north. June seems to be below par for the time of year. But I’m determined to get my garden looking good instead of full of overgrown weeds!

Dorothy Clive garden

Wondrous garden in the countryside on the borders of Staffordshire, Cheshire and Shropshire. In Willowbridge I think? Every spring my hubby and I would go to see the rhododendrons in flower in the Quarry garden, sometimes they were fully in bloom, other years the blooms hadn’t opened or were going over. Today they were perfect. I just wish my hubby was here still to see them. I’d been to the hospital for more tests so this was a treat for my sister who had come with me. She held onto me on the steeper slopes. Today it was very blustery and overcast with a cold wind but at least it wasn’t snowing like it had been in some previous years.

Mahonia

Mahonia with it’s spiky leaf

Tinged with winter frost

Brushed bronzes

Of Autumn colours

In the Spring.

But orange tints

will be replaced

As soon new life

Engulfs the place

Bright greens and pinks

Yellow flowers

Full of dew

Red, orange, blue

Then colours of

a summer hue..

Till autumn and then

winter comes

And the seasons round

Begins again.

Can’t wait for spring

This is a potbank shaped planter I bought from a company called project 2000 and that I hand painted a couple of years ago. I varnished it with yatch varnish and it has stayed in good condition. It has a small space at the top and I will try and grow either geraniums or pelargoniums in the top. Or maybe nasturtiums later in the year. I want to start preparing the yard and garden. I can’t just ignore it but we might get a bit of snow later this week The design is based on a local pottery symbol nearby. I think it was called the falcon works.