Garden
Especially for Rustic Pumpkin here are the weeded herb pots! Courtesy of OH who decided to tidy the patio.
The herbs I ordered by post from the National Herb Centre and planted in the border are doing well as are the three lavender plants I bought.
Monbretia will be flowering soon.
No idea what this small shrub is but bees love the flowers. Thanks to Edward Evans - this is a variety of Spirea.
I have had a Passion Flower clambering over an arch for years and some of you will remember that last year it flowered for the first time. This year it is covered in buds and the first flowers are appearing.
Passion flowers have become a symbol of Christ's passion over the centuries and were, therefore, often planted in monastery gardens. The flower symbolised elements of the Crucifixion:
Five anthers represent the five wounds
The triple style represents the nails
The centre of the flower represents the pillar of the cross
The filament symbolises the crown of thorns
The calyx symbolises the halo and
the ten petals represent the ten true apostles
First garden blackberries
Rowan berries are forming.
First turnips from the garden. I made turnip and tater pie which is basically mashed potatoes, carrots and turnips put in a dish in layers covered in grated cheese and put in the oven for 20 minutes. We ate the turnips straight after being picked and they were delicious.
Herefordshire
We paid a brief visit to the caravan in Herefordshire at the weekend - just stopping one night. The main purpose of the visit was to take more food and kitchen items and to show it to D as he hadn't been before. We came back early afternoon on the Sunday as we wanted to watch an important Villa match late afternoon.
Early Saturday evening we walked down to the pool and meadow.
I've started keeping lists of the wild flowers, birds and insects I see on the site.
Thistle (exact species of thistle I am not sure of - still working on it!) Edit this is Marsh Thistle thanks to Edward Evans via comments.
Self Heal
Clover
Rosebay Willowherb
Herb Robert
Greater Reedmace by the pool
Tiny yellow water lilies are coming into flower.
Wild arum berries are forming
Ragwort
I am still trying to positively id this little yellow flower but think it may be Yellow Pimpernel? Edit - thanks again to Edward Evans confirming this is Yellow Pimpernel.
As mentioned before we have inherited a little garden from whoever occupied the plot before and there is a little apple tree. First of the apples to be picked has been commandeered by Timothy!
Although some way away but viewable from the dining table I am going to watch this tree througout the seasons.
The night sky is very clear at the site and around 11.30 p.m. we looked for the comet which we could see just below the Plough. D tried, without success, to get a photo.
I took a feeder and fat balls for the feeding station and I spent a lot of time sat at the back of the caravan watching birds come to the feeding station.
B has reclaimed the bird bath which was lurking at the back of the garden, given it a clean and filled it with water.
Long-tailed Tit and House Sparrow on the feeders. Blue tits were regular visitors too.
Sunday morning a short walk along the lane
Normally we travel down the M5 and get off just south of Worcester and cut across country via Bromyard to the caravan site. But there are massive roadworks just after you get off the motorway which can create long delays so we decided to try a different route home cutting across country to Ombersley and Witley and then getting on the M5 at Drotwich.
Oast House
However, we got lost! and ended up in Tenbury Wells
It didn't really matter as we were able to get A roads to Ombersley from there.
Fields of Hop Bines in Worcestershire.
We got home in time for the Villa match and results went our way so thankfully Villa stay in the Premiership next season.
*D Photos taken by my son with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera
Rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera
Reference: Discovering the Folklore of Plants by Margaret Baker (Shire Classics)
18 comments:
I think you are really going to enjoy your caravan breaks, whatever time of year. It looks lovely there and thank you for sharing your wild flower photos especially.
Isn't Tenbury Wells where they have the Mistletoe Sales near to Christmas?
Bovey Belle - Thanks so much. Will look out for more wild flowers on next visit.
Yes, I think you are right about Tenbury Wells and mistletoe sales. The caravan site is usually closed end November to beginning of March but this year in view of the closure for several months they may be open in December. Tenbury is only about 15/20 minutes from the site. I've always wanted to go to the mistletoe sale.
The exact thistle species is Marsh Thistle. I agree with Yellow Pimpernel and the small shrub in garden is Spiria (or speria not sure on spellong). Any wildflowers and moths I can easily ID for you as I am v experienced.
Stay safe
Edward
Edward Evans Thanks so very much re: the thistle - I will edit the post and also id of Spiria and confirming Yellow Pimpernel. Also very grateful for offer of id help. I haven't been putting my moth trap out much this year but I always struggle with pugs and many carpets! So thank you.
Edward Evans - So sorry have tried to edit the post but I have been lumbered with the new blogger and I can't work out how to do it! Old blogger was much easier!!
Edward Evans - have reverted back to old blogger and have managed to edit now - thanks again :)
It looks like you have found a perfect location for mini-breaks to enjoy throughout they year :-)
Is it me having a faulty memory or the berries very early this year?
Thank you for showing your weeded pots, I had to smile. Also, interesting that history of a Passion flower, I did not know that. I had great success once with home grown swede, which had a delicious mild buttery flavour, but they never grew as well in later years. Timothy looks well chuffed with his apple. I think your caravan is going to prove a blessing, especially if today's news is anything to go by. My montbretia is nearly over already.
Lovely photos of both your gardens you are going to have lots of lovely family times at the caravan and you can get there quite easily whenever you feel like a break, the ideal place for these times. How wonderful to have a passion flower they are very unusual and so pretty. I love the sign for the Hereford hens:)
CherryPie - Thank you - yes it is lovely there. I fell in love with the site after visiting the website. I think berries may be early. Would need to check diaries to be sure though.
Rosie - Thank you. One of the advantages is that it is only 90 minutes from home so easy to get to and from home fairly quickly. Ones by the coast are far more expensive and so are site fees and sites tend to be bigger and more crowded. Also would have taken a lot longer to get there!!!
Rustic Pumpkin - Thank you. Yes those swedes were super - smell when I was preparing them and the flavour later delicious :) Just hoping no more lockdowns such as locally which will stop us getting there! I wouldn't fancy a self catering seaside holiday this year so it is going to prove a real blessing. I'll go a walk in the garden later and see how my monbretia is doing :)
I have the same variety of Spirea, it's taking over a bit though! Turnips are not my favourite but this dish sounds yummy especially with the cheese! That's a good idea to keep a record of the plants you find at the site, it really is a lovely spot. Maybe you could take a photo of the tree from the same spot at the height of each season and do a little comparison post of it over the year? :)
How unlike you to get lost............ :p
Pam - Thank you. Our Sprirea can't really spread as in a bed with a lot of shrubs trees and plants! Good idea re: the tree! Thank you.
lol! re: getting lost! We got lost going as well! as we tried to cut across country then as well. Unfortunately atlas was in boot and os map at caravan. Just had my written instructions to rely on!!!! :) In the end we went round in huge loop and ended up in Bromyard after we put sat nav on! We went a long way out of the way!!!!
Thank you, RR, for letting me know that the pink flower head is from a type of Spirea. The Leaf-cutter bees in our garden find the leaves make perfect discs which are then carried to the insect hotel. What a lovely idea to keep track of all the wild flowers around your new home-from-home. Like yours, our Montbretia is just coming into flower and I'm hoping our Crocosmia won't be blind... no signs yet of any buds, but I know these plants have a way of concealing them somehow until the last minute! Timothy looks so happy! Thank you for your kind comments... I'm a bit puzzled over the Purple Hairstreak as I guess there must be an oak nearby. We always get Jays, Magpies and Grey Squirrels planting acorns in what was our lawn (now 'micro-meadow'), but I don't know where they get them from!
Caroline Gill - Thank you - we have Edward Evans to thank re: Spirea :) Although it turns out my husband knew along - I should have asked him! I haven't seen many leaf cutter bees here this summer - usually there are loads. Hope Crocosmia flowers for you - plants in the garden seem to have flowered profusely this year but perhaps that is because I am spending more time out there and noticing more! Purple Hairstreak was a super garden "tick" - there must be oaks somewhere nearby you. We have loads on an area of common land about an eighth of a mile from here - I really had ought to check them more to see what is about.
Oops lol! Well it's always nice to take the scenic route............
Pam - thanks and lol! I suspect arguments next time as I thought OH had decided that next time if we go that route we will take the A roads to Tenbury Wells then cut down but oh no he has announced he knows the several wrong turns we took and plans to try cutting across country again! :(
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