Round and round the garden

Our garden, like many others, is full of colour and interest at the moment. Most of the colour is provided by flowers, although not necessarily in a conventional manner.


Our Clematis x cartmanii makes an attractive sight, but a closer look shows that it is the long carpels that are providing the display. The tepals (the plant has no true petals) have fallen weeks ago but the show goes on.

Clematis x cartmanii is still producing a lovely display.

Our back garden, Stefen Hill, 15 July, 2019 

Our rose, 'Benjamin Britten' has disappointed. It isn't the fault of the plant but it is in a tub, which I have probably under-fed. However 'Claire Austin' is in a raised bed and has flourished, with some enormous trusses of flowers.

This David Austin rose, 'Claire Austin', has produced wonderful trusses of

very fragrant flowers. Our garden again, 14 July, 2019

Our pears have developed what I believe to be Pear Blister Mite and will have to go. In fact one has gone already and I have replaced it with a specimen of Eucryphia x intermedia 'Rostrevor'. I have admired Eucryphias for years but have never seen one offered for sale. However, I found one at John's Garden, a fine plant centre near Kingswinford, not far from Dudley.

I am hoping that this Eucryphia x intermedia will flourish backed by our

garage wall. Stefen Hill, Daventry. 15 July, 2019

Fortunately I had some garden vouchers with me, kind gifts for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I snapped it up. Eucryphias are members of the Cunoniaceae, a rather small family confined to the Southern Hemisphere. It may be a foreigner but bees have already shown that they like it.

Speaking of insects, some of the garden colour has been provided by butterflies such as this Small Tortoiseshell here visiting our thyme.

Small Tortoiseshell butterflies have so far been less common than in

previous years. On thyme in our front garden. Stefen Hill, 14 July, 2019

Equally common but usually overlooked is this tiny but very pretty moth, photographed on one of the lavenders. It is the Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata. Mint, lavender and thyme all belong to the Lamiaceae Family, so not surprisingly this purple and gold species commonly visits gardens.

This little Mint Moth was a welcome sight on our lavender.

Stefen Hill, Daventry. 15 July, 2019

Also on the lavender were two or three specimens of Scaeva pyrastri. Many hoverflies are black and yellow or black and orange; this species is black and almost-white and is known as the Pied Hoverfly.

The Pied Hoverfly is back with us, enjoying our lavender.

Stefen Hill., Daventry. 13 July, 2019 

I was pleased to see it because the species seems unable to survive British winters and (don't tell the Daily Fail) its presence is due to migration from the continent. Annual numbers vary but in some years the species is extremely common.

In the open countryside some insects have been alarmingly low in numbers. Fortunately our gardens can act as oases for some, if only to re-fuel.