"Behaviour is the mirror

in which everyone shows their image"

Johann Wolfgang  von Goethe
17.49-1832
German writer and stateman

On the last weekend of term the school garden was opened to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme which donates monies to cancer charities each year.  With the continuing hot and dry spell the group were hopeful that there would be something to show visiting members of the public.

 Sunflowers are always appreciated by members of the public and the many insects which visit them.  This year a wide and colourful range of flowers were planted.

After flowering the ripened seeds are welcomed by both Greenfinch and adventurous squirrels

Large White butterfly on the verbena

The flower rich insect attracting beds

The sensory area in the grass garden

Tree ferns enjoying the sunshine

The Ginko tree is thriving

Tetrapanax reaching up to the sky.

A Jurassic scene!

A welcoming entrance!

The WW2 garden complete with washing and artifacts

Enjoying the moment!

During the afternoon there was a bit of excitement as the air ambulance passed over the garden twice then landed on the sports field to attend a nearby emergency.

The canna plants were late flowering this year but a couple managed to turn up trumps for the weekend.

Evidence under a fern frond of the moth Pachyrhabda steropodes. The moth is just 6mm long  and the larva activity can be seen amongst the sporangia

Larva activity under the fern frond

Hummingbird Hawk-moth feeding on the verbena

Bee enjoying the teasel head

Purple Loosetrife by the pond- a great insect pollinator

This will be the final blog entry as the school has decided to disband the garden volunteers.  They will be replaced in September by a school led initiative.  The garden group has been in existence since 2008 and has over the years turned what was once waste ground into an enjoyable place for learning.  We wish the new initiative well.

 We finish with a quote

"Your best teacher is your last mistake....... "

Ralph Nader

"Do not let the behaviour of others

destroy your inner peace"

Dalai Lama

Several months after the severe cold winter snaps the garden has responded quickly and having feared the loss of the bananas, cannas and gingers we were delighted to see green shoots as soon as the weather warmed up.  Now the bananas are four feet high and looking good.

The tree ferns have also produced new fresh fronds and enjoy plenty of water

The chain ferns are much slower recovering but they are starting to grow.  Hopefully there will be some new fronds before the NGS weekend in July.

Blue is the colour at the moment and the masses of flowers are magnets for bees.

The very small campanula bee is recorded here.  At around 5 mm long it is a delight to watch as it flies from one flower to another.  At the end of the day it is often possible to see several of these bees in one flower where they spend the night in safety.

Campanula Bee

Red-tailed Bumble Bee

Bees huddled in the flower

 

 

ornamental Banana plant

Canna leaf

Banana leaf

The ornamental banana plant is thriving in the warm weather and grows a new leaf each week.  The decorative canna alongside it has a matching design.

The herb bed is doing well and the thyme attracts many bees to the small purple flowers

The newly planted bed at the back of the garden has many insect friendly plants in it and is maturing well.  The wall has recently been repaired and the workmen were careful where they put their feet and we thank them for that!

The potato crop is doing well. 

The rambling rose has produced many flowers this year

The ox-eye daisies were grown from seed three years ago and this year they have flowered well.

The garden group meet most sunday afternoons and are always looking for extra hands.  Even just mowing the grass would help at this busy time.  The children use the garden at this time of year enjoying outdoor lessons in the willow classroom and a chance to be with nature- be it a bug hunt or pond dipping! 

"Hatred is an affair of the heart;

contempt is that of the head"

Arthur Schopenhaur- a German philosopher 1788-1860

 The recent poor weather gave the garden group a chance to tidy the sheds and clean up the tools ready for the 2018 season.  All the various nuts, bolts, screws and fittings were all sorted into compartments for finding quickly when needed.

Sorting out the various nuts, bolts screws and fittings

A clean and tidy shed

In the back corner a very large spider was disturbed- probably one of the Tegenaria species.  It did not stop long enough to clinch identification

A large Tegenaria spider

The potatoes had been left to chit for a couple of weeks and were thought large enough to plant.  Early varieties of Desiree and Maris Piper were chosen for this year.  Compost was dug into the trench before planting to hopefully enhance yield!

The red Desiree potatoes and the Maris Piper potatoes below

 The potato patch all planted up and labelled.  Hopefully we can deter the local black cat from scratching about in it!

Our potato patch

The daffodils have done well this year and two varieties in particular have excelled.  'Jetfire' bulbs were planted in pots and 'Sailboat' bulbs which were planted directly in the new bee friendly bed at the back of the garden under the wall

'Jetfire' variety

'Sailboat' variety

The crocus flowers were late appearing once the snow had melted but this year very few bumble bees were seen feeding in them.. Hopefully the bees were not lured out by the previous week of fine and warm weather only to succumb to the cold.  Last Sunday though queen Buff-tail and Red-tail bumble bees were seen in the garden so hopefully most have survived.

A ring of blue crocus flowers

delightful cream crocus flowers

The raspberry canes were thinned out and weeded with just twelve plants replaced. 

The revitalised raspberry bed

The soil has been too wet to do any digging and still too cold to think about planting any early vegetables.  With April approaching and hopefully warmer weather these  jobs can take place.

The garden group always welcomes new helpers.  The small group who tend the school garden for the enrichment of the lives of the children (be it mini-beast hunts or looking for the signs of Spring) meet most Sunday afternoon.  If you are interested please leave your details in the school office so that we can contact you.