First Garden Daffodil

 First daffodil flower in the garden opens on February 20th 2021.It is very wet day today with a fair breeze (about 10 km/h) and moderately warm (11 ℃). To avoid getting wet myself, I've photographed this from an upstairs window with zoom (Lumix FZ38). &nb...

They're Tough Up North

 Temporary rules for Richmond Golf Club (Yorkshire) during World War II. We know it's 'grim up north' but they also breed 'em tough as well. Mind you, coming from the other side of the Pennines, I reckon those Yorkists are a bit soft. To be fair, they definitely think the same about those of us...

Wildlife Sightings in the Garden 2020

Earliest butterfly sightings:March 2nd: Peacock on tulipMarch 23rd: Small Tortoiseshell on buddleiaMarch 27th: CommaApril 9th: Small WhiteApril 10th: Orange Tip and Holly BlueApril 11th: Speckled WoodApril 15th: Large White on wallflowerApril 16th: Green-veined WhiteJuly 28th: GatekeeperAugust 6th:...

What's Flowering in the Garden (4/2/21)

 It is early February 2021; I thought I would have a walk around with my camera phone to record which plants are flowering at this time of year. In the front wall the pansies are putting on a colourful display along with a yellow wallflower.In the main garden there are snowdrops and ...

Honey Fungus

 Unfortunately, it appears I may have a honey fungus issue with my old redcurrant bush. The bush is about 15 years old and situated close to a north facing wall. Redcurrant bushes don't seem to mind too much whether they are in a shady or sunny position. It has been a prolific source of redcurrants...

Loofah Saga - The Final Instalment

 Our attempts to grow loofahs (luffas) this year has been a bit of a rollercoaster; see here and here for Parts 1 and 2.The Good: germination was excellent and the first seedling was planted out in the polytunnel towards the end of April (warm and sunny).The Bad: the first seedling was very slow...