Gardens and wildlife

I went for a lovely warm sunny walk after work this evening to the wildflower meadow just down the road from my house. I managed to find the herd of red Devon cows, and also picked my first blackberries of the season 😋
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Lovely photos :-) And it looks like such a nice walk. The cows didn't chase you did they? 🤣 I got chased by cows once. It seems early for blackberries, for me. Round here it's usually late August or September. I'm sure Blossom would enjoy a blackberry :-)
 
Maz said:
Lovely photos :-) And it looks like such a nice walk. The cows didn't chase you did they? 🤣 I got chased by cows once. It seems early for blackberries, for me. Round here it's usually late August or September. I'm sure Blossom would enjoy a blackberry :-)
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This breed of cows are known to be very docile. There aren’t many blackberries around yet…just a handful. I would have thought they’ll reach their peak here in the next couple of weeks. I’m pretty sure when we were kids, we always used to pick blackberries in September, as I remember wearing long sleeves and coats. Picking blackberries in July and August is somewhat more treacherous as it’s too warm for long sleeves…I’ve been stung by stinging nettles this evening 😏
 
In my quiet corner

Oh, how beautiful it is
To retreat from the world
For just a moment or two
To my quiet corner,
Putting down heavy loads,
Freed of demands,
Unfettered of cares,
Unhurried by time,
Relaxing into the silence
And spaciousness,
Screened from view,
Hidden from hustle and bustle,
The noise of earthly concerns,
Free just to be.
Lingering,
In rest and quietness,
Not wishing to leave this place of solitude,
Then emerging,
Refreshed, replenished, renewed.
These moments
In my quiet corner
Make all the difference.

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So beautifully written. Love this 😊
 
Not much growing in our little gardens at the moment. Both potentillas are in flower though. The yellow one has grown quite large now. The pinky red one is more of a dwarf version in the back. The only other place things are growing is under an old fire guard in a back corner. I made that area and planted it up last August - it’s a hamster flower bed where quite a few hamsters are resting. The fire guard was after a burial to make sure nothing got at the area but have just left it there as it stops the rabbits eating the plants! Only thing is it’s not very glamorous looking at a fire guard!

So the periwinkles have grown nicely, the chaenomoles isn’t looking that healthy but still alive. And there is another plant which I’m sure I didn’t plant! Just looked it up on my app and it’s a herb/weed called fringed willow herb. I think the purple one is a geranium I planted. The main flower bed used to be full of lovely plants but all got eaten or killed off by rabbits. I can’t really do gardening at the moment anyway so happy to have the easy shrubs like potentillas to look at.

Also our little potted Christmas tree has some new bright geeen shoots! It was bought potted last year, for Christnas - looks like it will do for this year as well as still alive. Although it’s grown a bit, it is outwards rather than upwards! So it’s still small! I don’t think I’ve seen them with pale green bits on the end before - it looks rather odd - if they don’t go darker then it might not do as a Christmas tree this year! We have another one from the year before which is still alive in a pot as well but a bit sparse and that also has new pale green bits on the end. I wonder if it’s normal or if it’s showing a lack of a nutrient maybe? It's a nordman fir and google seems to show it's normal having the new pale green shoots. Could be interesting having a two tone Christmas tree at Christmas :)

The hanging basket has some strawberries growing nicely but looks a bit sad and tired - must remember to water it!


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This is the fringed willow herb- must have blown in from somewhere. There is some in another bed as well. Apparently it's good for wildlife - bees and caterpillars.

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Your garden is lovely! The strawberries might need some fresh soil, but they are fruiting quite nicely. The little Xmas tree might have time to turn darker before Xmas. It looks very nice 🎄
 
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Nice 👌 I had a potentilla in my garden but it sadly died a couple of years ago after the summer we had with 40 degree temperatures! My wild strawberries have been flowering lots this summer but I haven’t seen any strawberries…I suspect the birds and squirrels get to them before I do! Christmas tree is shaping up nicely for Christmas 🎄
 
I love potentillas. I have a pink one. It is a funny old year. My magnolia tree is flowering. It usually only flowers in February ...
 
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That looks amazing. Looks like a very nice day out.
 
Looks lovely - late summer, early autumn sunshine.
 
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