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HOLLY BLUE BUTTERFLY

My garden has a good population of Holly Blue butterflies.

Fact is, this species will feed on holly and ivy, and on plants such as euonymus, snowberry and bramble, of which I have a plentiful supply of.

These asters will quite happily set seed around the garden too.

A good food source for bees.

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BORAGE AND BEES

On the very few sunny days we have had this month I have noticed a lot of bee activity on the Borage which has self-seeded in a large clump in an area of my garden. To capture a bee on photo has been difficult as they tend not to hang around on any one flower for any length of time.

The herb Borage originates from central Europe and the Mediterranean. The flowers and leaves are edible with a cucumber taste. The plant is said to 'lift the spirits'.

Introduce Borage to your garden and it has a tendency to take over, so be prepared to be ruthless with much of it ending up as compost, even when it is looking at its best. When pulling up I use gloves, as I find the prickly white hairs on the stems can irritate the skin. Before composting, break down the structure of the woody stems by crushing, as I find this helps to speed up the decomposition process.

Do leave some though, as great nectar for bees, as the honey below shows.



The bright blue flowers of Borage produce a delicately flavoured honey. The bees are taken to the field and when they have finished collecting the nectar, the seeds are harvested to produce Starflower Oil. Click on Borage for all the benefits and facts about the plant.



A recipe - salad of Borage and garden flowers

a handful bull’s blood leaves
20 borage flowers
10-15 purple or pink violet flowers
1 rose, petals only
15 nasturtiums
a handful rocket (with flowers if possible)
4 dill fronds
10 purple basil leaves
1 unwaxed lemon, grated zest, juice of ½
30g parmesan, finely grated
40ml extra virgin olive oil

Wash the leaves and flowers and gently pat dry.
Place in a bowl with the lemon zest and Parmesan and season with sea salt and black pepper. Squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle with the olive oil.
Toss the salad lightly with your fingers, check the seasoning and serve immediately.

This recipe and photo is taken from the Waitrose website.

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SEEING RED

The month of August has seen a lot of rain, perfect for tumbling cherry tomatoes. The variety I have been growing for the past few years is Garden Pearl (gartenperle).

Potentilla (Gibsons Scarlet), a very pretty, clump forming perennial with sprawling stems. Likes a well-drained position, being quite happy to grow through cracks in paving. Keep deadheading for continuous flowering, and when the plant has exhausted itself, leave any remaining flowers to self-seed.

Dahlia (Bishop of Llandaff) with bronze foliage lives in a large pot, and is placed in a frost-free, sheltered position to overwinter. Preferring to keep mine in pots, dahlias are great for placing in gaps which are likely to appear in late summer, and leaves room for experimenting with different colours too.



I made the mistake a few years back of treating Antirrhinum (snapdragon) as an annual, tearing out the plants once they had finished flowering. One got away, and returns ever year to show off this blousy, burgundy red flower.

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JAPANESE ANEMONE

The three main species of Japanese Anemone come from China and not Japan. This is a great plant for late summer/autumn colour. Beautiful flowers are borne on tall stems and once established this plant will need plenty of room, width and height.

For a couple of years now I have been meaning to move my two plants, a job which just doesn't ever get done. I really must get around to it this Autumn, as although the plants are happy enough where they are, they are not blissfully happy. The aspect is good, in semi-shade, but the soil just isn't damp enough, which leads to many of their outer leaves to flop and frizzle up.

Every so often a seedling will appear around the adult plant, which means I am able to make a new plant for free, which makes me happy!