Bumble bees, honey bees and hoverflies of all descriptions this month found our big pink Michaelmas Daisies which we brought from the allotment nearly two years ago. These insects have an amazing aerial agility in rising up and setting down, inspiration for the miniature machines that have copied their aerodynamic mechanisms. The stronger ones, those who I expect to survive the winter, buzzed rapidly from flower to flower, seeking for nectar. The older ones that aroused my sympathy, moved at crawl speed. One battered specimen in particular, its woolly back showing signs of wear, clung on to a single flower long after the others had flown.
Bees do not live for ever. Every generation and kind of bee that reappears and reproduces after the winter gives me cause for rejoicing. I hope the vigorous ones tuck themselves away in cracks, crevices and fallen logs until the warmer weather. As autumn advances I expect our daisies eventually to die down to shoot up in spring, and also our Echinacea which was yet another bargain buy from the upmarket garden centre, grown by a Yorkshire nursery and labelled 'perfect for pollinators' by the RHS. If all goes well next year, we shall split both perennials and there will be more landing platforms for these marvellous creatures, to feed themselves and to sustain life.
Wednesday 21 September 2016
Saturday 3 September 2016
Propagation, Potting and Positioning
It is heading towards the cooler seasons of year up here in the north west when thoughts turn to propagation and re-potting. In his newly-tidied shed, augmented by my family's birthday tool rack, my husband has a neat row of penstemon cuttings on the bench (my birthday present) duly dipped in rooting hormone and labelled and a terracotta pot of variegated geranium cuttings (pelargoniums) from our display at the front. According to the RHS magazine the penstemons should take about a month to root.
Repositioned next to the greenhouse are our two blueberry bushes which have been potted on into larger containers in a mixture of existing ericaceous compost and home-grown stuff. It was no surprise that the smaller of the two produced smaller berries and had much less extensive roots than the other. Both were purchased at the same time and my hope is that the weaker one will recover in improved soil.
Later on when the tomatoes have finished, we will take the parent geraniums into the greenhouse for the winter and pot them in the big containers we bought for the squashes. (Not a good year for them, unfortunately). The fuchsia I bought from the charity shop a year ago which we would ordinarily bring in, will stay where it is in the front to see if it survives outside. Back by the front porch are our bargain reduced cyclamens which spent the summer in a dry shady place. Like most superstore plants they must have been pumped full of nutrients to achieve last year's large white and pink flowers. They have now reverted to a normal striped pink and white. But they've come through a season. Throw-away gardening in our present culture is about instant display. But here, let's see what survives and thrives.
Repositioned next to the greenhouse are our two blueberry bushes which have been potted on into larger containers in a mixture of existing ericaceous compost and home-grown stuff. It was no surprise that the smaller of the two produced smaller berries and had much less extensive roots than the other. Both were purchased at the same time and my hope is that the weaker one will recover in improved soil.
Later on when the tomatoes have finished, we will take the parent geraniums into the greenhouse for the winter and pot them in the big containers we bought for the squashes. (Not a good year for them, unfortunately). The fuchsia I bought from the charity shop a year ago which we would ordinarily bring in, will stay where it is in the front to see if it survives outside. Back by the front porch are our bargain reduced cyclamens which spent the summer in a dry shady place. Like most superstore plants they must have been pumped full of nutrients to achieve last year's large white and pink flowers. They have now reverted to a normal striped pink and white. But they've come through a season. Throw-away gardening in our present culture is about instant display. But here, let's see what survives and thrives.
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