Up at the Big House

Looking back in my diaries, I have never experienced such weather extremes. There was a time when Spring came reliably and all my sowing and planting dates are based on that.

The underlying pattern is still the same yet when we recently spent 10 days in London it was hotter than many a Summer. The garden put on a month in that period.

Rocket, I wonder why they call it rocket, well we went off to the capital and left plants no taller than 30cm. We returned to over 1m tall plants in full flower and setting seed. Setting seed for next years crops I might add so I am not complaining.

Yesterday it was cold and wet, today high winds and again cold. I wonder if the Baby Great Tits in my nest box are feeling it. The parents were taking in more nest material this morning.

The picture is from some days ago, these babies seem to be fed almost exclusively on white grubs.
The parents are visiting my Gooseberry bushes in the early morning, the bushes have a little Sawfly or more likely Moth damage. I can find no caterpillars they have provided breakfast for the hard working parents.

Being late is easy, I have friends who are even better at it than me.

This year has been a late starter weather wise. I have been busy and away at critical sowing times and oddly it all fits. This year I decided to schedule everything late, so that we eat the best of the tomatoes for instance and not the Under Gardener whilst we are on holiday.

For this reason I don't think there is a need to post pictures and information on sowing and growing when it was all done last year. It is still there for reference.

Some time ago I voiced my opinion of modern garden writers. The television coverage of
Chelsea Flower Show leaves me colder every year. Ah well.

Now then, if I was to repeat the information and pictures this year on my blog I would be breaking my own rules. I write several blogs and for the odd Magazine, my policy, never repeat yourself for cheap and easy copy.

So many writers are guilty of it.
Going back 35 or more years is when I last took Garden News, quite the best garden publication I think.
I took it regularly without fail for a couple of years then began to smell a rat. I slipped each copy under the bed after reading for a whole year.

The next time I smelt a rat I pulled out the copy for the same date, previous year.
There it was, the same information repeated with no variation due to the current season weather and the very same photographs. Cheap and nasty. Fraudulent I would say.
Interspersed was the short, true real live comment type articles.

It still goes on, you still see pictures of Mr X in one magazine I write and for, and in his books, looking 20 years younger than his present age. The same subject will be covered by him in another magazine using the same style of presentation and the same old pictures.

If you put you self up for regular contributions it must be hard to keep the flow.
However repetition is a game I will not play.

Well the Red Mason Bees have been busy.

I also provide short pieces of Cane and Plant Stalks for over wintering Lady Birds. Stacked in my old Chicken feed housing they make an ideal environment for for Bees also.

The Red Mason Bees have adopted these as nurseries.

Having filled the whole tube with cells provisioned with Pollen/Honey and laid eggs it is time to seal the end with clay.

So there the eggs hatch feed and develop. The males hatch first so how does this operation take place?

Apparently if a male eats his way out of his cell and finds an immature larvae in the next cell he moves it and its food supply down and seals it back up. Proceeding all the way to the outside world carrying out the same procedure. Wow.

Today even in semi rural gardens there would be a problems from the 'Plastic' neighbours if one were to take up Bee Keeping. Imagine the £1000,000 Law Suits if little Johnny who suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder, Nut Allergy, Asthma and Compulsive Environment Destruction Syndrome were to get stung.

My alternative has no bright white Hives or suits and masks so goes unnoticed.

There has been lots of activity from several Species of Solitary Bee lately.

The Red Masons have capped off some holes using different colours of 'mortar'.

Not sure on this one yet, using the larger holes, she is most likely a Leaf Cutter.

More identifying to do this one is tiny with a square bottom.

Not all the homes are in Holly Wood. A Red Mason has capped off the ends of the Dried Broad Bean stalks which I have provided for free rental. Another Bee is about to enter another tube and another is exiting.