FLOWER FRIDAY

I was going to photograph just one flower - well, that’s not quite true - I was going to make one flower the subject of Flower Friday, but when I saw how beautiful the peony was looking, then found the mauve aquilegia and when I was about to come indoors, spotted the red poppy in the wild flower bed, I couldn’t resist doing a collage for today and all the shots are SOOC.

I think the peony has been the best I have ever seen it, but the various clematis plants are not doing so well this year.  The replanted long border is beginning to show good signs, but the aquilegias, which have not actually been replanted, but are growing anywhere and everywhere in the garden, including in and near the raised beds, seem to be thriving.  

Just heard on the radio about Plantlife and the “Every Flower Counts” activity - this organisation wants us to count the number of daisies (we have thousands!), dandelions, buttercups and other wild flowers in our lawns during the Bank Holiday weekend and then let them know the result.  You can find out more information here and it sounds like a great thing to do - the results will tell how many bees and other pollinators your lawn can support.  

Mr. HCB said he was going to mow the lawn today, but I have persuaded him not to, so that we can do the count - wish we had known about this at the beginning of May - then he could have left the lawn uncut for a month!

“Our research shows that people really want 
     to do their bit to help pollinators
          and one of the best ways to do that is
               to give the wild flowers in our lawns
                    a chance to flower.
It might sound wrong, 
     but by doing nothing to your lawn
          you can actually help nature.”
Dr. Trevor Dines : Plantlife