Echinops is the flavour of the day here now, they are crazy for it. I don't know what it is about them but they seem to get almost drunk on it compared to other plants. It also seems to be a favourite spot for them to expire overnight!
The windfall apples are a big hit with wasps at the moment, we've got 3 wasps nest in the roof this year, so I leave the fallen ones alone as it seem to draw them away from anyone having a bite to eat outside
Jellyfire: there is a plum tree on an abandoned allotment near mine the fruit is not quite ripe yet but the wasps are having a field day shame cos by the time any are ripe I think the wasps will have been at most of them Can you pick plum's early and ripen at home does anyone know ??
"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
Yep you can ripen them off the tree @Hampshire Hog, it speeds it up if you pop them in a paper bag, and also I believe having a ripe banana in there also speeds it up, but never tried that myself. Something to do with the chemical in the skin that causes ripening from memory. Dont think Ive ever actually eaten a plum from one of our trees, between the wasps, peacock butterflies (who also love them) and fungus they never quite get that far!
The bee season in my garden has been dominated by the numerous Mountain Cornflowers which still show no sign of slowly down now I know about deadheading! My recent additions of Lesser catamint, Echinacea and Scabiosa have also been a hit.
One that's been a nice surprise is a red argyranthemum I stuck in a container. Although uniformly ignored by the bumble and honey bees, it does have a decent amount of traffic from the smaller hoverflies and, when the sun is at it's most blazing, it seems to attact a tiny miner bee I haven't yet positively identified.
This year bumble bees seem to be loving the fuchsias, especially double ones, surprisingly, even though it causes them extra bumbling to get in and out of each flower.
They're all going mad on both my Alstromeria at the minute. They have to do some fertling around inside but they seem to enjoy it. Though their buzz turns in to a higher pitched wining!!
Gardening. The cause of, and solution to, all of my problems.
Liatris are the faves at the moment,but i wonder if they see colours or shapes? As two tried to pitch on the leather flowers on my sandals! Feet up having a cuppa at the time,very near to the Cosmos,which they also love!
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
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The windfall apples are a big hit with wasps at the moment, we've got 3 wasps nest in the roof this year, so I leave the fallen ones alone as it seem to draw them away from anyone having a bite to eat outside
Can you pick plum's early and ripen at home does anyone know ??
Dont think Ive ever actually eaten a plum from one of our trees, between the wasps, peacock butterflies (who also love them) and fungus they never quite get that far!
One that's been a nice surprise is a red argyranthemum I stuck in a container. Although uniformly ignored by the bumble and honey bees, it does have a decent amount of traffic from the smaller hoverflies and, when the sun is at it's most blazing, it seems to attact a tiny miner bee I haven't yet positively identified.