They say it never rains but it pours, whereas in the last two or three days the rain has been waiting until late afternoon before bursting out of the heavens, which meant I could get some time out in the front garden.
I had to clear all the gravel away a couple of years ago and then remove roots coming in to the garden from two massive trees on the grass verge outside. There were more roots, from fibrous to thick, which had to go as well to allow anything I planted had at least a few inches of decent soil.
Left over from last year’s garden were a host of forget-me-nots, a few primula and and a couple of cowslip, some bluebells and foxgloves and, finally, some charming ornamental grasses to edge the pond.
After digging it over, and the addition of a few binloads of sieved soil as well as a couple of buckets of horse manure, the garden was ready for the broadcasting of wildflower seed, mixed with sawdust, covering a wide variety of plants suitable for bees, butterflies and other insects which are good for pollination.
In the last few days I have been adding a few extra plants from the main back garden to provide some height and now I will be concentrating on raising specific plants from seed to fill out any gaps that may be left when the broadcasted seed makes its appearance.
It’s been quite an effort but this year I feel my endeavours will finally offer that cottage garden/wildflower meadow that I have been working towards over the last few years.
Here’s to the summer with the bees buzzing, the butterflies fluttering and a random group of wildlife flora and fauna adding to a peaceful garden haven.
For those of you who do not recognise the name Arthur Askey, and are unaware of who he was, then let me tell you, he was a diminutive comedian born in Liverpool, home of my grandfather, my mother, my brother and myself. In almost every performance he would sing his Bee Song*
Oh, what a glorious thing to be
A healthy, grown-up, busy-busy bee
Whiling away the passing hours
Pinching all the pollen from the cauliflowers
I'd like to be a busy-busy bee
Being just as busy as a bee can be
Flying around the garden, sweetest ever seen
Taking back the honey to the dear old queen.
Bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz, honey bee honey bee
Bzz if you like but don't sting me
Bzz-bzz-bzz-bzz, honey bee, honey bee
Bzz if you like but don't sting me
It continues for another two or three verses plus choruses but all the time he was singing he was also prancing, leaping and running around the stage and if you think of the size of a stage such as that at the London Palladium and Arthur Askey’s slight lack of height you have to admire him for his energy as much as anything else.
Robin's Nest 