Lotta Bottle, Birds and Bees

Big Wow. She's arrived.

Lotta Bottle arrived in the Artful Garden on Monday and has already caused a big impact, especially with the men. She has enjoyed the sunshine but not the rain as it has played havoc with her hair.The Bottle Babes are delighted to see her and catch up on all the transatlantic news, especially about the celebs of which Lotta is one. I think her fan base will be increasing week by week.

Lotta Bottle

Last week I made some flower arrangements for a wedding.

Wedding flowers

I have spent many hours in the Artful Garden planting up containers of various types eg. hollow tree trunks, old kitchen stock pans, troughs, gutter tops and I have started to clear a border around the orchard so it is easier to cut the grass. Next year I will plant these borders with wild flowers to encourage pollination of the fruit trees. We have had some very warm days when the evening temperature in the greenhouse has dropped to 5C.
We are now past the longest day so I hope the weather will stay bright to extend the daylight hours. I have been accompanied in the garden all this week with a little thrush, ready as soon as I turned the soil over to grab some worms. Such was his appetite that he came within touching distance.

On the hunt for worms

I have put nets over the blackcurrant, red currants and gooseberry bushes and also the strawberries. All the fruit is swollen and ready to ripen.
There is a good supply of plums on the Victoria plum tree but not so many plums on the damson tree.

Unripe Victoria plums

Unripe Damson plums

I have had great pleasure watching the bumble bees go in and out of the day lily flowers, often going back to the same flower head.

Yellow Day Lily

The foxgloves are beginning to open their coloured bonnets.

Foxgloves

This purple iris is just about surviving the rain.

Vibrant Blue Iris

Looking out of my kitchen window one day I suddenly saw a rainbow start to appear. No sooner had I got my camera, gone outside to take a photo, the rainbow had started to fade. No chance of finding the treasure at the end of the rainbow.

The promise of a rainbow

This is one of my pottery vases.

My pottery flower vase - front view

Back view

Charlie Barley has left the Artful Garden to go to the Hay Barn Health farm. He was concerned that his physical shape is no match for Lotta Bottle so he wants to come back buffed up. 

Poor Charlie - come back soon

The Return of Crazy Masie and Looby Loo

Sound the flower trumpets the girls have returned from the Hay Barn Health Farm to the Artful Garden. They had heard that there was glorious sunshine in Cumbria so not wishing to miss out on topping up their tans they got back today. There has been a big change in their absence and also in themselves. Looby Loo has decided to dress more modestly whereas Crazy Maisie found a Mexican hat and decided to upcycle it as only she knows how.

Looby Loo and Crazy Maisie

Unfortunately Lotta Bottle will not arrive again until next week. On collecting her handbag from lost property she slipped on a banana skin and broke her arm.

The weather has been red hot. I have taken the nets off the bedding plants which all seem now to have got established.

This is the back border that I was clearing earlier this year

The runner beans are starting their upward journey to the sky and I am making sure they wind themselves around the bean canes.

Beanstalks but no sign of Jack

The lilac tree is now in full bloom.

Purple lilac with such a delicate perfume

This beautiful lupin flowers week after week and is such a gorgeous shade of blue.

Bonny Blue 

This is our first cucumber. We are now getting a steady supply every other day from our 2 cucumber plants.

Yummy

Weeding a border at home I dug up some snowdrop bulbs and also a Emperor Hawk Moth. It stayed immobile on the soil where I transferred it and eventually when I wasn't looking it flew away.

 Emperor Hawk Moth

I have a bullfinch that sits on the same branch of a conifer tree in my neighbour's garden and sings all day. It's song is repeated by another bullfinch which I have not seen.

Bulfinch melody

Bonny Scotland, Bluebells and Buttercups

Last Friday was my wedding anniversary. As a lovely surprise I went on a day trip to Scotland on the West Highland line from Glasgow to Oban. The day was gin clear from start to finish, such a stunning railway journey. Most of the way it was single track and we passed many lochs, mountains (some are Munros over 914.4 metres.) The train meandered through the hillsides and for a large part of the journey it was single track. You didn't know which window to look out of, as the view in all directions was amazingly picturesque.

The West Highland rail journey

The West Highland rail journey

The West Highland rail journey

The West Highland rail journey

There were carpets of bluebells throughout the journey, vibrant yellow gorse, fresh green leaves on all the trees and vegetation, a little bit of heather, and lots of purple rhododendron.

Golden gorse

Bluebell carpets

I can recommend this journey to everyone. Oban is a delightful town with a wonderful fish restaurant over looking the harbour, all the fish is caught locally.

Oban looking towards the western isles

Oban harbour

I have been spending the week planting out my bedding plants in my home garden and also in my containers. We at last have had some rain which is very good as I have been watering the gardens as the soil has got very dry.

So much has now come into flower. This peony looks so majestic.

Pretty in pink

Dog daisies that have self seeded near my log pile.

Dog daisies sunny centres

Some local fields are full of buttercups, what a joyous sight. Do you remember as a child putting a buttercup under you chin to see how much the yellow shone, this would tell you how much you liked butter? Would it work today with saturated spreads?

A field of buttercups

I have grown a lot of herbs from seed. My pottery birds float above the bonny purple chive flowers.

Birds and chives

The laburnum trees are magnificent with the bunches of vivid yellow flowers.

Laburnum Blossom

Here are some of my pottery houses from my 'cottage garden' range. 

'Cottage garden' pottery house

Cottage garden' pottery house

'Cottage garden' pottery house

The Bottle Babes are disappointed that Lotta Bottle has not arrived in the Artful Garden this week. Her flight was delayed and then she she lost her handbag. Hopefully she should be able to join them next week. Crazy Masie and Looby Loo are still at the Hay Barn Health farm. They are on a fibre rich diet so they also hope to come back to the Artful Garden next week. 

Boozy Floozy Flounces Back

Great news Boozy Floozy has now come out of rehab. She is almost a changed woman, but not quite.

Boozy Floozy before rehab

She was given a personal trainer on fashion and lifestyle choices and she now appears to be on the straight and narrow. If you look closely you will see that she has had a nose modification due to the alcohol consumed. Her necklace is made of shot glasses and I am hoping these are souvenirs, as there was a faint hint of damson gin as I passed her in the garden.

Post rehab - check out the necklace

Her friends Looby Loo and Crazy Maisie have gone to the Hay Barn Health farm where they will reside for a few weeks. Crazy Maisie is getting advice on diet and fashion and Looby Loo is enjoying the change of scene but misses seeing all her admirers in the Artful Garden. 

The Bottle Babes are very excited. Their American cousin Lotta from Bottleville in the USA will be visiting them soon. She is sure to make a big impact on the Artful Garden as she is very curvaceous and all woman.

I am having to cycle to the Artful Garden as the road is closed, traffic lights are being installed on Lazonby bridge. In the evening there is a gentle perfume from the May (hawthorn) blossom that follows me on my cycle route. There are so many swallows everywhere, they move so fast like little darts in the sky. 

Blossom of the May

Cow parsley has replaced the dandelions on the verges, they bob and sway in the breeze.

Cow kesh on the road to Kirkoswald

A close up of cow kesh

My wild flowers which I planted on the railway bank and in the Artful Garden are just beginning to germinate.

Red campion from last years seed

California poppies so gentle and fragile that seem to grow in any crack in the stonework.

Fragile and delicate California poppies

The last of my tulips, so beautiful when they burst wide open to display their true splendour.

Ruby red tulip

Pretty in purple.

Aquilegia

All the strawberry plants are in flower. I have some in strawberry planters at home and I will soon need to put straw under those growing in the Artful Garden.

The promise of a good harvest

The snow has finally melted on Cross Fell. I have had a very busy week planting hundreds of bedding plants all home grown, in both my home and the Artful Garden. I have covered them with nets and some canes to keep the pigeons away and a good dowsing of organic slug pellets as we can get snails the size of edible snails - ugh.

Here is some more of my pottery.

Pottery tile

Pottery tile

This mother pig has her work cut out but is taking motherhood in a relaxed way.

Pigged out