The Garden

21st March 2005

So What's New?

Although the Veg Patch is only thinking about growing at the moment, the garden is growing like there is no tomorrow. The bluebells have thrown up their leaves and will begin to show their flowers soon. It may look very green at the moment, but if you look closely, you can see a whole lot more.

The Rise of the Anemones

The Anemones were determined to join the early spring flowers and they have beaten the bluebells to it!

Almost white

Every year, the anemones seem to produce a new colour for their flowers, and this year it is the white flower with just a hint of red. It sounds like a new Jamie Oliver recipe, or a new Dulux paint colour, doesn't it?

Showing the Bluebells the Way

These little blue star-shaped flowers have sprung up amongst the bluebells, perhaps showing them how to do it? They're the right colour anyway.

Glorious Galanthus

These are the tall cousins of the Snowdrops. Their flowers are very similar and droop to the ground in the same way. There are lots of these all over the garden. You can easily recognise them as they have little green patches on the end of their bell-like white flowers.

Weeds can be Beautiful Too!

When you see these flowers of the Lesser Celandine (a close relative of the Buttercup), you know that spring has arrived. In fact, people used to call it the 'spring messanger' many years ago. You'll find them everywhere - in woodlands, along hedgerows, in old gardens, by the side of ponds, and so on. It was the favourite flower of William Wordsworth, a famous poet who lived many years ago. He even wrote a poem about it: 'To the Small Celandine'

Sound Out the Trumpets

Another famous spring flower, the Daffodil, is another exciting sign that spring has come. It is also the national flower of Wales. Also, most people have Daffodils growing in their garden. How does it have the time to do all of these jobs? Look carefully inside the trumpet of the flower - do you see anything?

Whoops!

As I got close to the flower, lots of little black beetles fell from the back of the flower and began to slide down the trumpet of the flower. These are Pollen Beetles, who, as the name suggests, are there for the pollen. I think that they have been working too hard gathering pollen, as they seemed to be unable to stop themselves sliding down the trumpet.

Bye Bye Beetles!

Some of the beetles slid down on their fronts. Some of them slid down on their backs. Some of them slid down sideways whilst turning around. If you look carefully, you can see the pollen they came for piled up around the beetles at the bottom. All the time, as I watched, they rained out of the flower with little pattering sounds, until there were only a couple left. I'm sure they'll be back though.