Last week i said that if I remembered I would focus on flowers, including the wild orchids that are doing the rounds at the moment. The early ones are starting to fade, the late ones are yet to get into their stride and the middle ones are coming out nicely, so let's start with a few of the wild things.
My favourite of the lot is the bee orchid - nearly impossible to spot until it comes out, once the rosettes of leaves are hidden by other things, and it doesn't like the competition of the full on wildflower meadow, but on the edges of mown bits (and if we had rabbits and sheep to nibble things, on the edge of nibbled patches) there can be quite large clumps.
A garden that has been not exactly neglected, but which has seen fewer people visiting it than normal has a veritable lawn of orchids that in previous years we have identified as fly orchids - not as pretty as the bee orchid, in fact a little bit sinister, they are also a lot rarer.
The lady orchid is a fairly classic pyramid style orchid, with quite dramatic variation in colour on the plant itself - empirical evidence from the meadow says that they are spread by badgers running past them, although I'm sure that can't be right. The three we have are all on a badger path however, so that's how I see it. This one also has a bee orchid beside it.
The lizard orchids are not yet doing their thing - dramatic but not as pretty or delicate as these. The wildflower meadow is probably at its peak at the moment, full of ox eye daisies, knapweed, pink clover, the last fading flowers of linseed, and bits and bobs of other things, including orchids where a path has been mown, and comfrey dotted around. At the moment it is humming with insects too, but the main reason for leaving it a while yet before we mow to allow new things to come up (scabious, more pink clover, etc) is that hares and deer will leave leverets and fauns in little nests in the long, lush greenery while they go out foraging. The leverets won't move when they hear a mower and are often too small to be seen, while the fauns become disorientated. It's best to wait a month or two!
Today we went out to the garden centre Jacques Briant - normally I am not allowed there with a bank card, as the plants are so lush and lovely and I buy way too many. Today we were on a mission for one of John's clients and found their requirements pretty easily and reasonably priced too (this is not a cheap place). As we had done well with those, I was allowed to splash out on some obscenely bright petunias which were actually quite reasonably priced. But as we headed to the check out, we went past a place with single pots of petunias, but special ones and I could not resist this one, which actually looked like it was covered with glitter! Now to find a pot to do it justice and keep it away from the evil vampire slugs that are out and about at the moment at night!
Two of our regular and reliable perennials are out and putting on a fine show at the moment - the wall based campanula that seems to be rooted in a bit of dust in the wall, and the red hot pokers we brought over with us 19 years ago from Worcester. Actually they are from the allotment next door to ours, and I've always adored them.
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