Hay Meadows, Bobby Barley and Harvesting

Last Saturday I had a superb walk at Kilnmire Farm, Ravenstonedale near Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria. I walked through several traditional hay meadows. What a glorious sight, fields flooded with golden buttercups and large pom pom shaped red clover. Depending on how the light was shining the colour and tone of the buttercups varied as you viewed the back or the front the flowers.

Stunning Hay Meadow

Beautiful buttercups and red clover

Joyous

Looking down into the hay meadow flowers

Wonderful ragged robin.

Red ragged robin

Walking through a meadow we found this little frog who was happy to be in the limelight for a little while.

Hopping frog

There were some interesting and very old field barns that we passed on our walk.

Field barn within the hay meadow

A bank barn built into the hillside

The purpose of these is a mystery can you solve it?

This stunning lichen was on one of the barn walls.

Wow

When you looked down through the buttercups there was eyebright, marsh marigold in great big clumps, yellow rattle and many more rare species of flowers.

Sheer natural beauty

You can dry buttercups by tying them tightly in bunches and hang them but not in direct sunlight. When drying they do not lose their petals or their colour.

Bonny buttercups ready for drying

 During the walk we saw a hare and there was a moth specialist on the walk who identified for me the moth I had dug up in the garden. It is an Emperor Hawk moth and the caterpillar can retract it's neck and also has an eye on either side of it's head all designed to fend off predators.

Emperor Hawk Moth

The honeysuckle in my home garden is now in full flower and at night the perfume fills the back garden, it is always buzzing with bees.

Captivating perfume

The delphiniums are all majestically coming into flower. They look so regal and sophisticated.

Dashing delphiniums

The Sweet Williams one of my favourite flowers are all now in bloom.

Sweet Williams in the Artful Garden

The wild roses are now appearing in the hedgerows.

Delicate pink wild roses

We have had some cold wet days so I have spent my time creating new art work, a giant dragonfly.

My giant dragonfly flying high in the orchard

I am now harvesting cabbage and perpetual spinach.

Home grown cabbage, delicious

I have now started digging in the orchard. I am making a border around the outside edge where next year I will plant wild flowers. You never know what you will find when you dig.

A land tile, rusty chain and the sole of a shoe

Charlie Barley looks super dapper except he is having a problem with his neck. He is hoping the Hay Barn physio will see him over the weekend to resolve the strained neck. His time at the Hay Barn Health Farm has paid dividends and he has returned slimmer and he has also brought his nephew with him Bobby Barley. Bobby is keen to make friends with Looby Loo who he has heard a lot about. Since he arrived the two of them have never stopped talking.

Charlie Barley

Looby Loo and Bobby Barley

Stop Press
All the characters in the Artful garden are very excited as yesterday as fame beckoned, they were visited by the judges for Cumbria in Bloom, who were most impressed. Charlie and Bobby were gutted as they had just arrived in the car and missed the photo opportunity.

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.