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20/04/2010


my photos

TUESDAY GARDEN RAKE

I love my garden in April.

One of the plants which is looking its best right now is the yellow Primrose. The one above having the most perfect of flowers and foliage.



Thank goodness I've finally got around to moving those Raspberry canes!

Given to me by my Dad a few years back I ended up planting them in a spare patch which I had at the time. Enjoying the morning sun, they did well, too well infact and where growing high, were seriously restricting my view into the garden.

To restrict their spread underground, I'm experimenting by re-planting them in groups, in cheap small black storage containers, having drilled four drainage holes in each base.

They are now on a West facing fence, where they will get most sun late afternoon and evening.

I shall let you know how they do?



Another plant which I may have regrets in planting is Lysimachia ciliata, Firecracker. It's sure to spread like fury much the same as the two other varieties I have around the garden. I know I shall curse the day I ever saw it, but having a definite liking for dark foliage plants I couldn't resist it!

It's teamed up above with Forget me Not, another plant which once introduced to your patch, will self-seed and be with you forever onwards!



The birds in the garden are getting through food at a rate of knots! Stocks of bird food have been running perilously low.

My on-line order from Haiths arrived.

As much as I like to see Stock Doves and Woodpigeons around, I've bought Premium Wild Bird Food, a mix with no wheat, to deter them from using the birdtable.

Also, I've noticed an increase in finches around at the moment, so to attract more into my garden I've bought Native Finch, a mix containing oil rich seeds.



My garden with its ivy and high hedges provides lots of food, shelter and nesting sites for birds.

It sees many of the most common species ie House Sparrows, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Starlings, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins and Wrens, so to spot something a little less ordinary and unusual to my garden, is always a treat.

Not having a long range zoom on my camera, with it taken through a window, and being cropped to the extreme, the photo above is not of the sharpest quality. The bird with its flitting movement, I'd say is some kind of Warbler?

On two occasions this week I've spotted a female Blackcap around the garden too.

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6 comments:

Simone said...

It seems your garden is a wildlife haven Louise! You certainly have a lot of different birds come to visit. I haven't got a primrose in my garden but I think it's something I would like to introduce. x

Poppy said...

I hope you are getting more time in the garden and not working too hard!

I love primroses!

Love Lou xxx

Suburbia said...

I think the spring garden is my favourite too, perhaps it's because we are so glad to see colour after such a long winter?

Crafty Green Poet said...

primroses are so wonderful! I love your bird photo, looks like a willow warbler / chiffchaff to me

Anonymous said...

What a lovely post and photos!
My raspberries have multiplied and spread, as have the forget-me-nots.
Lucky you seeing some different birds, although I'm undecided as to what the one in the photo is!
Happy gardening and bird watching...Flighty xx

Lori at Jarvis House said...

I love Primroses. They don't do very well here, but I plant them each year hoping to see them come back. Bird watching is the best. I have many pairs of binoculars around, and my favorite is a small old pair of opera glasses that I take outside to find birds high up in trees. Today I was looking at a Flicker which had made a perfectly round hold in the large dead limb of a tall tree out back. He sounds like a turkey, and makes this odd call all day. He creeps up and down the tree and is fun to watch.