Kitchen Garden Forum

Sat enjoying the day next to my eighteen by thirty foot nature and bee encouragement area and I'm unable to count the bumble bees because there are so mamy zooming from flower to flower. Four out of ten species in flower now; rose "Graham Thomas" , Elecampane, and two I'll have to upload a picture this evening.

Sounds cool Peter, it only takes a little effort to please our buzzy little friends, and it's so nice to hear the life in a garden. Lots of butterflies here today too.

So that's where all my Bees have gone.

Time for a counter plan, an even bigger wildlife area in Milton Bryan.

Dear Nature's Babe, you are quite right, it does only take a little effort, but the rewards are more than worthwhile, forthe wildlife and us.

Hi OH, I looked at a sattelite pic of our local area and most gardens are concrete gravel and lawn, dead areas for the wildlife, which is sad, all out to work I guess, then my heart lifts, in the next lane, there are a couple of old fashioned cottage gardens just spilling colour everywhere,we always slow to admire them.

As threatened here are the photos.

I would be grateful if anyone can positively identify the two plants shown in closer-up picture.
The White flowered one in the forground grows to around 4 to 5 feet and flops over, as can be seen over the path on the second picture, the flowers tend to lilac.
The dusky grey/green one behind it is about 7 to 8 feet tall, produces these stems like rockets and the flowers are tiny, around each velvety leaf cluster.

The Elecampane is down on smell this year, normally scents the whole area with a warm honey fragrance.

Any chance the one in the front might be a tufted vetch - vicia cracca - maybe variant alba?

british-wild-flowers.co.uk

and here and here

Dear Peter,
the tall one is artemisia absinthum (I think, please check wikepedia for the species as the picture is not clear enough for an exact identification).
the short one is galega officinalis or goat's rue.
Regards Sally Wright.

sally wright wrote:the short one is galega officinalis or goat's rue.

Seems to make a lot more sense than my suggestion:-)

If it helps I put a big picture in General Chatter in this thread.