Birds in the garden

A few weeks ago I set up a Kodak Zi6 in the garden and left it to record the birds feeding and drinking. Its taken a while to edit but here is 90 seconds of sparrows and a couple of magpies.

Caterpillar visitor

Over the last few days I have noticed a number of large brightly coloured caterpillars wandering around the garden. I photographed one as it sheltered under a potato leaf. I was going to remove it thinking the leaves were about to be munched. Instead I left the caterpillar were it was but kept an eye out for any damage.

Later that day the caterpillar was still there with no damage to the leaf. The next day the caterpillar was replaced by a silky ball holding two potato leaves together. The caterpillar had formed a cacoon. It is now changing slowly into a moth or butterfly.

I have since found out the caterpillar is in fact a species called Lackey Moth Caterpillar. Although the caterpillar is brightly coloured the moth that it becomes is a very dull brown.

Blooming lovely

The warm bank holiday weekend weather has really brought the garden to life. For the first time in 4 years the clematis has flowered displaying a wonderful purple bloom. Each autumn I have pruned the branches of the clematis, as instructed in the books and each year I have been disappointed by the amount of growth and lack of flowers.

Last autumn I decided not to prune to see what happens and if it still did not flower it would be removed. Without pruning the leaves grew back much quicker this spring and there are a number of flower buds ready to burst open.

Also in flower now are Iris, Thyme, Purple Broccoli (was left to flower) and the Violet Heuchera.

7 day germination

Last weekend I sowed a few more seeds in the garden. Probably a bit late in the year but I should get some reward before the autumn. Most surprising was the seed at which the dwarf beans germinated - 7 days. Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised, the weather has been very warm.

Yet again I have not done very well with the tomato seedlings. The first seedlings germinated in early April. However they are still only about two inches tall. This could be caused by a combination of errors on my part. Poor soil - I have used a mixture of general purpose compost, garden clay soil and perhaps other unsuitable matter. Greenhouse - Once germinated I left the seedlings in the greenhouse. This sounds ok, but I think it may have been too dark for proper growth to start. The greenhouse cover is clear plastic with a green mesh, which from the outside seems ok but from the inside might be just a bit too shaded.

So next year I shall used proper seed compost and put them outside sooner (depending on the frosts).

Daffodil flowering time lapse

Over nine days during March this year I photographed a daffodil as it developed and eventually flowered. I was interested to see how the plant changed before flowering. I had noticed on other daffodils that although the petals looked ready to open it was some time before the flowerhead would reveal itself.



The time lapse movie reveals that the flowerhead moves from pointing skywards, through approximately 100 degrees to point towards the ground, before flowering.



The time lapse has been done very roughly as the camera was not set up on a tripod but I would simply hold the camera in the same place as best I could. As a result the background moves around but the overall effect is still good.

Purple broccoli

This Sunday we enjoyed the first purple broccoli with a roast beef dinner. I wasn't overly impressed but it was nice to see my first broccoli harvest on the plate.

The apple tree is beginning to show a fine display of leaves. I'm sure within a few more weeks the once twiggy look will be replaced with a fine bushy growth.

Carrots and lettuce have started to show in the borders and pots. I have had to put slug pellets down in these area in the hope that the young seedlings will survive.

The only other activity in the garden over the last week has been to transplant the 11 tomato seedlings and 2 leeks. 3 cabbage seeds have germinated but they can wait for another week before they are re-potted or moved to a position in the garden.

The radish and Brussels that were re-potted a few weeks ago are still in their pots. As they are still small I cant be sure which is which (should have labelled them!). I will have a better idea in few days as everything is changing so rapidly now the warmth has arrived.

The warm weather has meant that the garden has needed a watering with large cracks appearing in the soil.

First signs of life

This weekend brought the first signs of life in a number of places. The first potato broke through the surface at the weekend. Now, two days later, two others have emerged. The potatoes with planted about a week before the main seeds in the greenhouse. Therefore they have taken about 3 or 4 weeks to germinate.

The broccoli, planted last year, has started to develop into more recognisable small purle/green fluffy sprouts. However the cabbage is still just a mass of leaves.

The seeds in the greenhouse are emerging slowly. Broccoli and radish have already been repotted with tomotoes looking like the next contender. They are too small to transplant yet, but hopefully they will be much bigger by the weekend.

The garlic is still doing well. I am experimenting with carrots and parsnips sown directly into the borders as the carrots sown into pots over last two years have been disappointingly small.

The sunny weather also meant the grass could be cut for the first time this year.