Planting Finished

We have worked hard the last couple of days. Well Mike has worked much harder than I  - although I have played my part and done as much as I could.  What I could not actually do I oversaw from a chair in a patch of shade.  I certainly got plenty of fresh air.  Shall I let you into a little secret?  Well, maybe not ........still as you are all pressing me - I know that you are.........well .............for an hour I sat out there topless.(Jeannette! you daring old devil, I hear you say).  Well, I was in a place where none of the neighbours could possibly see me.  I was advised to get as much air to my breast as I could.  So I took them literally!  You would not believe the difference it has made to the redness and soreness.  So, I shall be doing it again and no there will not be any photos.

Now, nature must take over and we hope to get a colourful show of all the blooms this summer.  However, if it proves as hot as it was last summer then the flowers will go over quickly, they will literally bloom themselves into  burn out.  Hopefully we will get no watering bans.  We have planted Butterfly attracting plants as well this year such as Heliotrope and some Rosemary.  Butterflies and bees all love those.  I read something  in the newspapers about  bees being in peril, colonies are dying out.

This is quite a startling and terrifying fact.  Bees polinate just about everything, all the crops of the world and flowers of course.  Did you know that if all the bees were lost, it would only take seven years for the whole human race to die out.  The extinction of us humans in just that short space of time.  It is true.  So, Mike and I are doing our bit to encourage them into the garden.  I was happy when I took photos today to see lots of bees settling on our plants.

I also wonder what has happened to the Ladybirds (Ladybugs).  We used to get lots here.  Only saw one the whole of last summer and this year - not one.

We were very lucky in that the red Geraniums we have planted along the edge of the pond actually overwintered in the garden because it was so mild  and that is why they are large specimens.  Having tubs all around the pond does restrict the view of the fish when we are sitting down but they serve two purposes.  They deter Herons who can find nowhere to stand and they prevent Nathan and Daniel from falling in.  Hopefully, Leo as well!

Mike and I are both tired now, very achy so we are going to just chill out for the next couple of days.  Becky and family are away in Somerset.  She loaned me some books to read before she left.  So, as long as it remains dry, I shall find a patch of shade and settle in with a book and a nice cup of tea, topless of course!

I will leave you with the garden pictures I took today of the front and the back.  I hope you enjoy them.

 

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Many thanks to Sugar for tagging one of our photos.