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Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 4:56 pm
by Parsons Jack
Got back last night from a lovely week in Slovenia :D

Wandering through flower filled meadows swarming with bees, beetles, butterflies etc. Noticeably more insect life then over here.

In the village, most of the gardens have a mix of flowers and veg growing madly together. Most people seem to grow climbing beans in ridged rows similar to potatoes. Never seen that before.

Visited the plot this morning and everything has been growing apace, especially the weeds :roll: Virtually no rain since I have been away either.

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 6:27 pm
by Nature's Babe
Glad you had a good holiday PJ, I would love to have seen those meadows, we had a meadow behind our last house and it changed colour with the seasons, yellow with buttercups or red with sorrel etc. Flowers and veg together looks good, some veg can be quite colourful, in my own garden I have red cabbage next to yellow nasturtium, and yellow sugar snap peas next to marigolds, purple foxgloves next to yellow courgettes. I think that's called a potager. Good plan because it encourages the beneficial insects. :)

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 6:58 pm
by Clive.
This week at work the Hummingbird Hawk Moths re appeared...busy on the Lavender and the Catmints
..and in the herb garden, on cleaning between the flagtsone paths, we disturbed some Bees of a type we hadn't seen before. A look in the books seem to suggest that they are Mining Bees...a new one on me.

Clive.

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:11 pm
by Nature's Babe
Clive there are many different mining bees, as I rarely dig except to plant I see quite a few of these, the other day I saw a tawny one in the garden.

http://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/searc ... ining+bees

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 7:29 pm
by Clive.
Hello NB,
Thanks for the link. We thought at first that we had disturbed some flying Ants but then realised that they were very slim black Bees. Almost the length of Honey Bees but really slim. We do have many sorts of Bees buzzing about the place given the massive diversity within the garden but had never seen these before. We have medium heavy clay soil but these Bees were making the most of the sand the flags had been bedded onto.

Clive.

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:54 pm
by Nature's Babe
I garden on clay with lots of compost added Clive, and I see mining bees entering holes in the clay soil too.

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:03 pm
by Clive.
..and with ref the Honey Bees in the Orchard. One Hive is now 8 sections high...I had never seen one up to the 6 that it was at the other week...but now its 8 high.... :shock:

Clive.

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 8:20 pm
by oldherbaceous
The tall peas are now cropping very heavily, Clive, and as sweet as ever. :)

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 8:55 pm
by Clive.
That's good to hear Old H'.... :)

I have had 2 reasonable pickings from those at home here given the dry early growing period. Another pick tonight...this time for tea time tomorrow rather than the freezer.

Clive.

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2011 10:17 am
by Shallot Man
Buddleia in full bloom, have yet to see a butterfly. :(

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:49 pm
by Bren
OH
I hope you will have a good holiday in Dorset and that the weather will be kind to you.
Bren

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 5:54 pm
by alan refail
OH

Enjoy your visit

Dorset

Enjoy your visitor :wink: :wink:

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 6:28 pm
by Geoff
The thing I don't understand about the "News of the World" scandal (apart from why that woman isn't on the dole) is why the abbreviation is NoW. Is it dumbing down?

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 8:33 pm
by oldherbaceous
Thank you Bren and Alan, i must admit i'm quite looking forward to it now. :)

Re: Summer bits and bobs

Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 11:37 pm
by Nature's Babe
OH, I am :mrgreen: dorset is a lovely holiday destination, have a great time.