Friday 7 August 2020

Matinee or evening performance, this play goes on and on.....

 




      Our pond has settled in very nicely and now we are really reaping the benefits!

      On a sunny day, we have the added bonus of the reflections of the sky, 
      the trees, our house and anything else that might happen to be, ‘in the vicinity’!




      On a dull day, the pond takes on a different persona, the colours change and the 
      mood darkens, but not in an unpleasant way. The greenery is enhanced and it’s 
      almost as if we are watching a new act and scene of a play. The ‘performers’ 
      play their part to perfection...it’s addictive, it’s mesmeric and it’s even enchanting!


                     

            Who needs to book expensive theatre seats when we have all of this...

            right on our doorstep? With an ever changing stage, new backdrops, 

             new characters, tweaks in the lighting...and not forgetting the variety 

             of sound effects that change  throughout the year, we are well set up; 

             the curtain is permanently raised. No need for encores, either!

                         



      For something that is only 4 months old...or young...it’s amazing how, 
      in such a  short space of time, our pond has evolved. I love all that it offers.
      However, I have to admit that I’m very much in love with Frogbit, as well 
      as the Water Soldiers. Frogbit is charming and behaves impeccably...as do 
      the Water Soldiers. And they seem to live well together, in perfect harmony.




     Frogbit acts as shelter for so many small insects and their larvae. 
     Water Soldiers stay submerged for most of the year but during the summer, 
     they will surface and display white blooms. Their function is the same as the
     Frogbit’s ; it offers shelter and  a resting place for so many aquatic insects. 

     The beauty of these two plants is that they are free floating. 

     In the winter, the Water Soldiers sink to the bottom of the pond where they remain 
     in a dormant state until the spring. With Frogbit, it is the buds that will drop to the 
     bottom of the pond, in autumn and they will remain there throughout the winter.
     In summer, the Frogbit will return.


     And so will I return, at a later date, with more ‘ponderings’ and further updates.
 





Tuesday 4 August 2020

Have you got the Thyme?






If you could only choose one plant for your garden, which would you choose?

For me, it would have to be Thyme.

Thyme loves a sunny, well drained, dryish spot, in which to thrive and
show itself off to its best.

In the photo above, this one is growing just inside my garden gate
and it seems to have gone from strength to strength since I planted it,
a couple of years ago.

And the bees love it!

Apparently, it was the Romans who introduced Thyme to Europe 
and it is thought, for two reasons:

i) to add an aromatic flavour to cheese and liquers
ii) to purify their rooms

Over hundreds of years,Thyme has become, and remained,
a very popular plant to grow.

Nowadays, there are many varieties from which to choose
and don’t forget that you can also propogate by taking cuttings
as well as saving the seed..

That’s if....you have...the...Thyme!

Three cheers for Thyme!