Smooth Hawksbeard

There is a grassy area along our entrance drive that has been a sea of lemon yellow of late and when the sun shine is on it the effect is amplified. I have to admit that it was an area I had not got around to mowing and now I'll intentionally delay mowing it for a little longer.

The dandelion-like flowers are about a foot high. This group of plants I find quite difficult to identify because they have many similarities so you need to inspect them in some detail to be reasonably sure of their identity. They are easy to ignore because most of them are very common. The group includes Hawkweed, Hawksbeard, Catsear, Hawkbit and of course Dandelions. 

My conclusion (I might be wrong) was that the flowers in the photograph are Smooth Hawksbeard. Common but with its own distinct identity which is worth taking the trouble recognising. For good measure I have added an arty moving image.

Mock Orange moment

The last two or three weeks I have been enjoying the powerful jasmine-like scent emanating from a huge philadelphus (Mock Orange) bush. It is at its strongest in the evenings and at this time the flowers stand out even more. The flowers are very attractive, pure white with yellow stamens. Each year the philadelphus flowers profusely for a few weeks about this time of the year.

Our shrub is about 20 feet long, 10 feet wide and 15 feet high and stands alone on a grassy area to the side of the house. I have cut it back with a hedge trimmer a couple of times, a rather indelicate approach admittedly,  but otherwise have left it to its own devices. Given its size it provides a useful screen to the house. 

If the philadelphus is pruned it needs to be done in the Summer after it has finished flowering, taking out some of the older stems. Winter pruning will result in the loss of the following year's flower buds. In a border or garden situation judicious pruning is needed to contain the shrub and promote flowering. Our one has the space to be allowed to free range.

When it is not in flower the philadelphus is a bit on the dull side so perhaps not the first choice in a small garden. There is a golden leafed cultivar, 'Aurea', which might be more garden-worthy. But if space allows the philadelphus offers a delightful few weeks each year to enjoy it.

Sheep shearing with Jess

Our Wiltshire Horn sheep are back from a nearby farm where the farmer lets me have some extra grazing for a couple of months each year. This is very helpful as it allows me to rest our own fields and gives time for fresh grass to grow.

Wiltshire Horns are a self-shedding, primitive breed of sheep so shearing them is not usually necessary. However, we have a few sheep in the flock that don't fully shed or are very slow to shed. The best ones in this respect will fully lose their fleece within two or three weeks. However, with our increasingly hot Summers and the ever-present risk of fly strike, I decided to have them sheared this year, or at least those that hadn't already shed.

I called on Jess who comes from a livestock farming family not far off. She is the youngest of three sisters who offer sheeping shearing services at this time of the year. Jess has only just finished agricultural college but is demonstrably experienced at handling livestock. She did an excellent job with our small flock.

Another litter

Another litter of piglets born today, coveniently at 1pm. A smaller litter of six, so all done by about 2pm. All went smoothly with no need for any significant intervention. I checked on progress during and after birth at regular intervals while doing other jobs about the smallholding.

As soon as they are born piglets will instinctively search out for one of its mother's teats to suckle. In large litters this can be a bit of a scramble with one on top of the other depending on whether they have located a teat on the 'upper deck' or the lower.

The photo below is of one of today's pigets about 15 minutes after birth, firmly latched on.

Cheery marsh marigolds

Halfway through June and all in all things are a little behind because of the cool weather. Even the courgettes in the vegetable plot, which normally take off once planted out, seem to be at a standstill. The potatoes, however, have grown exuberantly and are already beginning to flower. They have taken advantage of  the wet Spring.  

In the flower borders and odd corners there is always something to catch the eye. For me at the moment it is the Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris) which edge part of our small pond. So bright and cheery in the overcast conditions we have been experiencing recently.

Twelve little piglets

A litter of 12 British Saddleback piglets born a few days ago. They are still at the stage of staying tucked in next to mum or in a single heap in a corner of the farrowing house under a heat lamp. I don't normally use a heat lamp at this time of the year but it has been a bit on the cool side with temperatures dropping overnight. They are all doing well as is their mother. We also have another sow who is due to deliver any day now.

Poppy fields

Despite the rather overcast and relatively cooler weather we have been experiencing poppies are popping up everywhere. Not far off there are some fields full of poppies which, covering such a large area, look very impressive. The timing could not have been more prescient. 

I was unable to stop and take a photo so here is one from the year before last of a nearby field of perhaps 10 acres with the same effect. It had been ploughed during the Winter after a crop of wheat and then left fallow the following season. Seemingly out of nowhere a field of poppies appeared. 

Problematic pigeons

One of our most problematic pests when it comes to vegetable growing is wood pigeons. They are here in abundance probably because we are surrounded by arable land which provides them with a field day. But they are astute enough to spot choice greenery. It is not possible to grow any brassicas without protecting them with netting of some sort. 

The last two seasons they have also taken to shredding newly planted dwarf French beans, leaving bare stalks behind. They were never previously a target. After sowing, growing, potting on and eventually planting out the French bean plants, to see them disappear in a day or two you can't help but feel a little piqued towards the pigeons.

This year I was going to net them but instead I made a pigeon scarer. At least that is the effect I hope it will have. I cut out a rough shape of a large predatory bird from a piece of black plastic and attached it to a pole with a length of stiff wire. This keeps the 'bird' gently hovering over the French beans even with barely any breeze. I'll soon know if it works.

 

Gustav Klimt, Beth Chatto & Geometry

The Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) is perhaps most well known for his stylised portraits of females, including sometimes using gold leaf in their composition. He also painted many landscapes in the second half of his career and I am quite drawn to these.

I was recently looking (online) at Bauerngarten or Farm Garden  which he painted in 1907. It captures the natural, colourful beauty of a meadow which modern farming practices have more of less extinguished. Like his portraits Klimt's use of strong colours and patterns is evident. 

Bauerngarten Gustav Klimt

One aspect of this patterning which is discernable is the central triangle formation. When I saw this I was reminded of one of the planting principles of the late Beth Chatto. Anyone who has a keen interest in gardens and garden writing will be familiar with Beth Chatto and her famous garden in Elmstead Market near Colchester which is still going strong under her posthumous guidance. She was particularly noted for her 'ecological' approach to plants and planting so that the plant's natural habitat is the primary determinant of where it should be planted in order to thrive: 'right plant, right place'. 

Another of Beth Chatto's planting principles was the asymmetrical triangle with taller plants at the rear and a medium sized and still smaller plant on either side in front. This pattern is repeated in a bed using staggered planting triangles of different dimensions and plants of different textures and forms. I should think this approach is now common currency for flower arrangers and garden designers.

One of Beth Chatto's flower beds displaying variations in form and texture. This photograph
looks to have been taken in late Summer.
Photo source: Archive of Garden Design at The Garden Museum https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/

It is no coincidence that earlier in her gardening career Beth Chatto was an innovative flower arranger, and in much demand for giving demonstrations to flower clubs and other organisations. She was also  influenced by the Japanese ikebana approach to flower arranging so knew a thing or two about effective plant combination. She was skilled in translating the geometric principle to the garden which was in fact noted for its naturalistic style. Just like the Klimt painting.