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