The birch and the rowan that were planted out from pots 6 years ago are now sturdy trees, providing food and perches for the birds. Many of the plants have thrived, but there is one part of the border where nothing prospers. We are thinking of paving that bit.
This spring the wallflowers have been lovely; I particularly like this colour -
But the raspberry canes have suffered a disaster. Very few have grown this year, and several of those which have come up have died off. Only one end of the row is still looking healthy.
I'm now wishing I hadn't taken back the canes that were spreading into areas where they weren't wanted.
Elsewhere a strong pot marigold with several good flowers has keeled over - the local cat who lies in wait by our bird feeders is chief suspect.
On the other hand, the dwarf lilac is now looking less like a bunch of twigs and more like a bush. Here it is swamping some alliums and pressing an acanthus for space -
And this little plant, a sort of alpine thing whose name I forget, was doing poorly in a trough with a couple of other plants. Last year it was tucked into a border, and this spring the conditions must have suited it, as it has had more than its usual one flower -
P.S. Later addition - Forgot to mention the nicest surprise - there aren't many house-martins this year, but one pair has chosen to nest under our gable. Fingers crossed that we don't have a repeat of the tragedy 2 years ago, when I came home from work to find 2 tiny corpses on the drive, then the nest fell down and the last nestling perished. So far we've heard cheeping when parents swoop in, so there are chicks.
2 comments:
What a bummer about the raspberries, one of my favorite fruit. On the other hand, that Alpine puts forth beautiful little flowers. Your dark background brings out the colors in your photos very nicely.
Fresh-picked soft fruit is one of summer's treats, and we usually get enough to freeze for winter treats too.
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