The weather has been quite strange today. It began with a cloudy grey morning that a few hours later brought a steady drizzle. It was very different later on.
Both of us were up early as Peter wanted to be down at the boat by 8.00 for an early morning row. A departure for him as he generally prefers a much later start to his day.
After breakfast I went straight out to the garden where soon the drizzle began. It wasn't cold so I carried on, the drizzle eventually stopped and things just got hotter from then on. I planted out the hardy geranium my friend had given me yesterday and then got to work cutting back the inside of the tall hedge. I'm not a fan of highly manicured hedges but that one would soon grow out over the raised beds blocking the light from all the plants there. So up I climbed and hacked away at the hedge with my secateurs whilst balancing on the stone walls. Not the neatest of jobs but it serves its purpose.
I got the pretty plant below at the Cae Hir plant fair and have forgotten its name. To me it looks like a fancy garden variety of chicory. I thought chicory had blue flowers though apparently it comes in purple too but nowhere can I find a picture of one with a dark centre and the leaves are narrower than wild chicory.
When my back had had enough of gardening I came inside and baked some peanut butter and chocolate cookies to take with us on a visit to a friend later in the week. The other job done today was to bring the orchids from the utility room to the sitting room windows. Being north facing is much better for orchids as they get burnt in direct sunlight. I had got fed up with the woolly aphid infestation but repeated treatments seem to have done the trick. To make sure, after wiping the dust off every leaf I gave each plant a good spray with insecticide before lining them up on the floor inside the windows.
Then, as hot sunny afternoons are few and far between I got out a sun lounger and simply enjoyed reading in the sun.
Just a few extra photos from yesterday.
We had gone to a spot where beautiful demoiselles (large dragonflies with black bodies and dark green wings) have been seen. I soon saw a couple but wasn't able to take a photo. I thought I saw a hornet sitting on a bush but when I took a photo it turned out to be a female or immature libellula (broad bodied chaser).
2 comments:
I think that your flower is a wildflower called 'Cupid's Dart' (Catananche), it's very pretty.
Thank you. I've looked at some pictures and you are right. Better write that name down.
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