24th, inexplicabilities

Midsummer slowly gambols its way into the month of June. It is like a wraith, a ghost, a magical creature that swirls itself into every nook and cranny. It presents itself in unexpected places and as much as people have tried, over the centuries, to explain it the only answer ever offered from the wisest and knowledgeable to the eccentric and slightly touched is ‘it is the faery folk.’

Much as we like to scoff and pretend that this is an ordinary time in an ordinary month we are always proved wrong.

This morning, I awoke to a pond that had suddenly plummeted in its water depth. Yesterday it was almost to the very brim with everything freshened and re-born in the recent rainfall. Now it reminds me of the sea shore when the tide goes out.

 Midsummer’s day water pond drop

My beautiful snow white floribunda Iceberg roses have suddenly changed into blood spotted nightmarish versions of the usual perfection.

Up above my Iceberg rose on Midsummer’s day with its pink and blood red spots and stripes

Iceberg rose … what it usually looks like

My Goji berry bushes have developed a Midsummer plume of mildew.

Midsummer Goji berry bush sprinkled with mildew

Of course, there are rational explanations as to why these things happen all around the same time in the middle of Summer, after all we all know that it isn’t the fairies, pixies and goblins … don’t we?

 

Lazy daisy

A large proportion of flowers in the world are part of the daisy family. From early childhood, the daisy brings us something that is difficult to define other than perhaps a familiar, friendly reassurance with its bright, gay, smiling countenance. The daisy, in one of its many forms, is essential as part of the garden family. It is, however, one of the most difficult plants to acquire – at least in the regular common ‘dog daisy’ form. Nurseries and Garden Centres are seemingly bereft of the bright yellow eye trimmed with a wheel of sparkling white eyelashes of the common form of garden daisy. This is the ‘old fashioned’ variety that everyone’s Great Great Grandmothers had dancing below their windows that neither frost or draught could ever kill off.

The origin of the name daisy, at least in the English language most likely arose from two early Anglo Saxon words ‘daes eage’ which translates into ‘day’s eye.’ People would notice how the daisy flowers would close up their petals tightly when twilight fell only to open them the following day just as dawn arose.

When a person gives a person either a daisy, a bunch of daisies or a daisy plant it holds special meanings … new beginnings, loyalty, purity, trust and dependability. This is probably the reason why years ago many brides chose daisies for a wedding posy as they instantly showed her intensions of becoming a good wife.

Cottage garden – Dog daisy

The Dog daisy … common Cottage garden daisy

My original daisy, which was a dwarf variety died off during the long very cold Winter that we had. After searching and searching I came across the above daisy which I am hoping is a traditional ‘Dog daisy,’ this week. I purchased two out of the remaining four plants which sat on the shop shelves and now I have my fingers well and truly crossed hoping that this is indeed the sturdy, hardy, traditional daisy that withstands everything that Nature can throw at it! Only time will tell but optimistically I am calling it ‘Dog daisy’ after the daisy that dwelt in my mother’s garden for well over forty years and for all I know is residing there still.

Strife

There is nothing quite like tall, elegant border plants to attract the bees. I have had Purple Loosestrife in my garden for years but this year one plant has changed into a beautiful champagne pink … it began to toast the bees as soon as the flowers opened. I have neither heard of nor seen this colour variation before and wonder whether it could be a new variety that nature has suddenly presented me with.

There are a few types of Loosestrife, those that belong to the Loosestrife family and those that belong to the Primrose family. Loosestrife, the purple variety is known as Lythrum salicaria. If mine, is in fact a new variety then I shall name it Lythrum pollykloggers. Lythrum means loostrife and of course pollykloggers would indicate the new variety.

I think it is very pretty …

Loosestrife – champagne pink … (possibly a new variety and if it is then I shall name it: Lythrum pollykloggers)

Lunar

Last night there was a lunar eclipse and in many areas of the world a deep red alien moon, peered down upon the Earth. Here in Worcestershire our sky was covered in cloud … our moon wasn’t even ‘tossed upon cloudy seas!’

It will be December before having the chance at such a moon gaze once again.

Potted ladybird

Ladybirds are probably the only beetle that children instantly fall in love with. Avidly pursued on flowers and leaves and gently placing tips of fingers up to the fronts of this lovely spotted beetle to have it race up hands and onto arms. Feeling the pitter-patter of tiny, tickling black feet which brings out squeals of joy just as it has done for generation after generation. So with such nostalgia how could I resist the temptation of a pottery ladybird?

Potted ladybird

Pigeon pie

There is something of the majestic about the Wood Pigeon. Its feathers are always smoothed down, well groomed with an elegant soft sheen to them. It holds its head high with discrete awareness and has the look of a ‘dowager duchess about to perch a pair of spectacles at the end of its beak’ about it. The eye is sharp, a bright gold, slightly green tinged ring around a jet black centre. It is the largest of the pigeon family and measures some 40 Centimetres in length. It’s song, which is a roo-ku-koo … roo-roo-ku-koo, whether distant or near is very haunting but at the same time reassuring like a persistent nursery rhyme that is lulling, especially on a hot Summer’s day.

Wood Pigeon – Columba palumbus

Weekend rains

Spring has been very, very dry. The heavy clay soil of Worcestershire formed tiny crumbs, almost sand-like in appearance in places whilst parts of the garden borders separated into deep fissures and cracks. The leaves of soft stemmed plants have been softly flopping in the middle of the day.

The weekend brought showers followed by steady rainfall and for the first time in my life I felt an inner joy as the rain washed over everything. It was a deep primitive feeling that swelled up from within – as sort of relief as the ground quenched its thirst. Never have I known such a dry Springtime!

I noticed a spider sheltering under a rose umbrella …

Red rose and the spider umbrella

Siamese poker

The fiery red hot spice flowers of the ‘Red Hot Poker’ plants are now in full bloom. Magnificent, magical, bright and exotic in appearance – they have always been one of my most favourite of garden plants. Spikey, green, pointed leaves that fall in every direction but are razor sharp to the touch like well-sharpened scythes they form a nest around the thick stems that hold the vibrant red and yellow flowers.

On one of my poker plants there is a magnificent Siamese topped flower. These dual versions happen every so often and help to create the illusion of yet more flowers on each plant.

 

Siamese Red Hot Poker Flowers

Red Hot Poker flower with bottom dew tips

To create more Red Hot Poker plants – simply ease up one of the small circle of leaves in either late Autumn or preferable early Spring. There should be a few small white roots showing … simply dig a medium size hole the size of a mug. If possible place a handful of sand and a little fresh compost in the hole before firming in the new poker plant. Water well in and leave. These are fairly resilient plants that take two to three years to reach maturity. Flowers usually appear on either the second or third year after planting.

Rosewater

Splashing a shower of water over some new plants that I purchased the other day, left me with a pleasant surprise on an old favourite, my rose cutting. This has now formed into a most beautiful floribunda bush.

Red rose floribunda produced from a cutting without any grafting

Rose cuttings

For those brave enough to try to grow their own roses from a rose plant cutting, never be put off by what the text books say which is usually along the following lines: ‘Roses require grafting onto wild root stock.’ Roses are one of the easiest plants to root, however it is wise to take up to ten cuttings of a favourite rose as it is not guaranteed that the rooted rose will produce offspring identical to the parent plant each time. There is a chance that some of the cuttings will become single petal flowering plants.  Always find a fairly long stem and use either secateurs or sharp scissors to cut the stem below a new forming shoot (these are the small knobbles that appear along each stem usually half a finger length apart). Gently strip off the bottom leaves so that you have a clean bottomed stem. Dip the stem into a little water then into either hormone rooting powder or if none is available a little sand or fine grit. Make a hole with either a long wooden stick or dibber or fine ended trowel as deep as possible. Push the rose stem in as far as you can a good two to three inches (5 – 7.5 cm) in depth then firm the soil around using your hands or feet so that the cutting is cemented into the soil. This should be watered frequently for the first three months during which time new shoots and roots will form. In early spring, cut off the top leaves and give the young plant some dry fertiliser pellets or add fresh compost around where the roots are forming. My plant above is far more healthier than the parent plant has ever been. It is strong, sturdy and even in growth and produces blooms identical to the ‘mother’ plant. As it is a cutting and is not grafted onto wild root stock, it is free from ‘suckers.’

Da Vinci code

Leonardo Da Vinci was born illegitimately to a peasant woman called Caterina in a province of Florence, in Italy, called Vinci. His father, Piero Da Vinci, was trained in the law. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of this humble background he developed into a genius in every quarter. Eager to learn, he built up a knowledge in maths, science, biology and art. His mind was electric and he allowed it to wander unfenced into every domain which gave him the freedom to become an inventor and an artist of the utmost perfection.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s portrait in red chalk of ‘The Bearded Man’ an unknown character that years ago was believed to be a self-portrait of Leonardo but has since been dismissed as not being a replica of the artist’s facial features.

The Da Vinci Code

Most of what Leonardo Da Vinci knew was self-taught … he was an inspiration to us all and his legacy lives on as though he has left part of his very core, part of his spirit, behind. Leonardo, if he were alive today, would most likely think that we waste so much of our time when we could be learning, creating, developing and achieving so much more as we all have had greater advantages than he ever had. So …

• ‘Try and learn at least one new thing every day and then pass on your knowledge to someone else – do not keep it to yourself; do not waste it; knowledge is information and information is power – it takes us to new horizons and makes the world a better place to live.’

Hawthorn–family Rosaceae

There are several varieties of Hawthorn in England, all of which will happily cross-pollinate and create a large amount of variations of the parent plants. Midland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) grows to no more than 10 metres in height, thus making it more sort after as a garden plant with its tidy and even growth in either a tree form or, if lopped, it will form a perfect bush. Its flowers also come in a wide variety of shades from deep cherry red through to blancmange pink and on to pink cream and white or white tinged with pink. These flowers also vary from single petal, double petal and tightly formed rosettes. This hawthorn therefore makes a perfect candidate for creating a bonsai. The next variety is slightly more untidy and is known as the Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and grows to a height of approximately 15 metres on either a single, sturdy, stem bole or from a crown of thick branches. There is an Oriental hawthorn (Crataegus laciniata) 10 metres tall with an encroaching habit spreading in all directions. The smallest of the family is an Azarole hawthorn (Crataegus azarolus), which at the most grows to an 8 metre tall plant that tends to have twisting branches with a habit of spreading and lastly, a Various-leaved hawthorn (Crataegus heterophylla), which is usually around 10 metres in height. When all of these varieties are found in close proximity to each other, all kinds of variations occur. The haws or hips are gathered by birds and especially loved by doves and pigeons and so the seeds are dropped and scattered over a very wide area and readily germinate.

These are a few hawthorn leaves gathered locally ranging from Common, Midland, Azarole and various hybrid species

Hawthorn comes under the name Crataugus all having thorns and all bearing similarities. This particular grouping of small trees and shrubs all will form good stock-proof hedging which can be shaped by cutting out all of the dead wood during the Winter months. The hedge layer will then usually hammer Hazel sourced from a coppice at intervals to steak out the hedge. Once this has been done a cut is made at the base of the trunk of each stem just enough to allow the rest of the stem or branch to bend. The idea being that the whole branch will thrive and produce more leaves and branches making the hedge more dense. The bottoms of the trunks or stems are known as pleachers these are folded so that they are supported by the Hazel stakes. The top parts of each pleacher may then be pulled through to one side or crossed either side  this is then held in place in neat rolls with strips of wood, which are sometimes known as hethers. This is a wide-spread method of safely keeping boisterous and robust animals from breaking through from fields into open country lanes especially in England. 

Semi-cut and plaited hedge laid down during the cold Winter months before the sap has begun to rise

Hawthorn or May blossom

Old Hawthorn saying: ‘Don’t cast a clout until May is out’

Meaning: Never cast off your Winter clothing until the Hawthorn blossom is open on the boughs.

Slim code of life

Many years ago, I knew a lovely young woman. She was independent, happy and very slim. At the time it was very rare to see anyone obese but most women dieted from time-to-time to maintain a reasonable weight. One day we were discussing both weight and diet. She looked at me very profoundly and said:

• “The difference between you and me is – that I eat to live, whereas you live to eat.”

She explained that she would never have a problem with weight, no matter what age or what circumstance because she never had enjoyment of food. She was neither anorexic nor ill and ate three meals every day but she never thought about food, lusted after food or saw someone eating food and thought that might be nice I wonder what it tastes like? Therefore, she was right – she was slim and she would always be thin!

I have heard this statement many many times since and it surely has a ring of truth in it; those people who eat to maintain life will always be more slender than the rest of the population!

Cats’ whiskers

Every animal has secrets. Probably one of the most intriguing of a cat are its whiskers. The purpose of a cat’s whiskers is for the cat to determine whether the rest of its body can safely climb through a space. However, this is only relevant if the cat is of normal weight. A vet may, therefore, use the width of its whiskers as a useful guideline to determine whether the cat is of a healthy weight, prior to placing it on the scales.

Although a cat has very sharp eyesight whilst looking for objects (especially those of potential prey – in other words creatures that move), it has difficulty focussing on anything that is close by and is heavily reliant on its whiskers to see if it is in bumping range of things. Its whiskers are therefore essential and should never be cut – they are as necessary to a cat as a blind person’s stick in order for the cat to feel relatively safe. Whiskers, like all forms of hair on mammals, are made up of keratin but are set deep within the face of the cat and close to bunches of nerve endings making them both useful and sensitive to movement.

Domestic short-haired cat, DSH, Felis catus

My cat, is now thirteen years old. She has not lost any weight which according to my vet is a good sign as many cats may become thin and struggle with health issues once they have lost weight. She has a varied diet: she enjoys fresh, roast chicken and jelly, canned tuna, Felix senior (as good as it looks dinners), Sheba delicious morsels with chicken & turkey, Iams adult light 1+ years sterilised proactive nutrition – roast chicken flavour (these are biscuit like and very tiny and easy to digest) I have tried her on other dried foods and find that they are too difficult for her to chew. She also enjoys an occasional two or three Thomas treats … Apart from the treats and the roast chicken, the other items in her diet are eaten by her every day …… yes, she eats more than me!! She gains a little weight during the Winter months and loses it when the warmer weather arrives … the ideal scenario for any living creature.

A mite tiny

Life is fascinating. The fact that we are built up of millions of cells, each having their own purpose and lifespan - and miraculously those cells are held together to form us … a unique individual, is magnificent. We in turn, are little planets that supply nourishment to a series of creatures most of which are not visible to the naked eye. One of the most intriguing is a tiny, thin creature that is called a follicle mite or Demodex follicarum. These often live at the base of our eyelashes. In measurements that we can understand this tiny mite is approximately one hundredth of an inch in length. It has a fierce mouth with needle sharp cutting devices and minute clasping claws. It uses its claws and mouth to bury itself deep inside a hair follicle and remains there its entire life for it can only move in one direction and that is forwards. It is, however, one of the most efficient creatures on the planet as it makes use of the entirety of its food supply (us) and has no need of an anus as it produces no waste. When it eventually dies it harmlessly dissolves and leaves the hair follicle remarkably clean. Not everyone will home this little creature and as yet it appears there is little knowledge on how it travels from one person to another … but if you do have them they are it is alleged, entirely harmless.

Follicle mite,  Demodex follicarum

Head and legs of the Follicle mite, Demodex follicarum

The sun daisy

One of my most favourite of daisies is the Dandelion. Round, soft, golden yellow, a spit of petals that is in fact a composition of tiny flower heads, which eventually all create their own separate seed head and feathery parachute which forms a delightful round, white, silky pompom. The flower head often faces towards the sun and usually closes as evening approaches keeping the many flowers safe in the darkness. There is wonderful advice in a saying about dandelions ~

• ‘Blow the clocks near fields of crops.’

It has long been known that dandelions are the gold mines of the garden; they help other plants to crop more heavily and if allowed to grow around orchards and berry bushes, the fruits are said to generally ripen more quickly.

Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale

Dandelion clock or seed head

Dandelions have always been used as an extra salad vegetable. Their leaves (the youngest and most tender) make a wonderful addition tossed in a salad. The flower heads are often used in the making of wines and soft drinks. The roots are sometimes roasted and crushed – hot water is then poured on to the root to make a type of coffee. They help to clear the body of extra water but should never be eaten or drunk whilst taking medicines.