Garden in the rain…

The Poppies had been fully opened for the last few days…today they are closed and hanging low with the weight of the rain. Love their colour…so vibrant.

The leaves of Escallonia are super shiny in the rain. The forecasters say it is to rain all day today and tomorrow then nice again for the weekend. Fingers crossed they’re right.

Usually the Foxgloves are having lots of Bumble Bees visiting…but not today.

Lady’s Mantle is of course well known for how it holds the droplets of water. It also has medicinal use…it is astringent, styptic, tonic and vulnerary. Culpepper says that “It is proper for those wounds that have inflammation, and is effective to stay bleedings, vomitings, and fluxes of all sorts.”

Hostas also hold the water on their leaves. With all the dry weather we’ve had the slugs have’nt had a chance to devour them this year…so far.

The little pond in the big polytunnel is full again. I had to fill it fill it from the tap for the last few weeks as it was almost dry. You can’t see them in the pic but there’s loads of tadpoles in there…did’nt want them dying. Frogs are great for keeping the slug population under control. These seem to be at the tadpole stage for ages. Anyone know how long it takes for them to mature into frogs?

The Wildflower Meadow.

Back in May as part of the gardening project at a local school I planted a wildflower meadow with the help of the children. A local farmer turned the sod and each child scattered a handful of seeds onto the bare earth. Four months later this is the result. Fab!

                                                                                               Earlier in the week Andy strimmed a path alongside the wildflower area to create a pathway for the children to walk among the flowers which have grown tremendously since the children got their Summer holidays at the end of June.

The kilo of seeds was meant to have 16 varieties of native flowers, as you can see this has’nt materialised, nontheless it makes a great impact. The white flowers are Chamomile, they can be dried and used to make a tea which relieves nausea and indigestion. A decoction can be used as a hair conditioner.

The yellow flowers are Corn Marigold, as far as I know they have no use as a herb. The benefit of wildflower areas like this are enormous for wildlife. On Wednesday evening when Andy did the strimming the flowers were buzzing with insects, Hoverflies, Bees and Bumble Bees the most common.

Among the yellow and whites there are also Poppies and Corn Cockle (above). When seeds form they will be collected and used to extend this wildflower area next Spring. The children will be involved in the seed collecting and drying. The area will then be strimmed and the cuttings taken away so as not to over fertilise the soil. Wildflowers do better on poorer soils.

Back at home and the Tomatoes are ripening at last. It was been such a weird weather year that everything has been slow. Even Lettuce was problematic, it just came up and went straight to seed. These are Moneymaker Tomatoes which a lot of people say have a bland flavour but when grown organically I do not find this to be so.

Friday Musings from Prospect Cottage.

Eupatorium purpureum or Joe Pye Weed as it is commonly called is a hardy perennial which likes a sunny spot with a moist soil. Its common name was derived from a Native American who was said to have cured typhoid fever with it by inducing extreme sweating. It was also used as an antisyphilitic. The plant is also a benificial for bees and butterflies.

A bowl of Pot Marigolds, 70 heads to be exact, these ones were used to make an ointment which is excellent for any skin problems. An oil can also be made by covering the heads with sunflower oil, placing in a sunny place for a few days then straining off the resulting beautifully coloured oil. Again an excellent treatment for any skin problems.

This Lysimachia with the variegated leaves will hopefully spread like the plain leaved one. I was careful to plant it where its rapid spread can be absorbed. It too likes a moist situation. It can be divided in Autumn or Spring every 2 or 3 years.

The recent heavy rain has played havoc with the Poppies although they continue to produce masses of new blooms.

I think their seed heads look rather attractive anyway. I wonder if the seeds of these Opium Poppies can be saved and used in cooking? Anyone know ?

The Grapes are slowly starting to ripen in the polytunnel. They are in dire need of some sun which has been very scarce this Summer. Typically the forecast is good for next week just as all the children return to school.