Fire, Ice and Time

Normally i view "time" as a peculiar and abstract concept but all the same this fascinated me. The frost shows the area of shadow cast by the paths brick edge at local noon and the shadow shows the relative movement of Sun and Earth. If i'd had a watch and tape measure i would have been interested to see if i could figure out how fast the allotment was tracking Eastwards.

Lunaria

I have planted a clump of this so I can sit on the allotment steps with the sun setting behind it and the Chinese lanterns.
Being a biennial I have sown them here for two years and it looks like they should now self sustain. Unless of course the Cabbage White caterpillars do for em! I was surprised to find them on there but at least it may save some of me brassicas.

Straw Flower

I was amazed how late these went on flowering last year, well in to October. Asyou can see this was handy for late foraginf Bumble bees as well as Peacock and small Totoiseshell butterflies. In future i shall see if i can get a patch of these to self sow.

Aster

This is a Nova Belgi aster , i love the colour, especially in September. unfortunately most years powdery mildew gets it and i see no flowers. Anyone know of a healthier alternative?

Stop, Enough!

Courgette flowers are incredible. To reduce the chance of innundation start picking them the minute the first one reaches 4 inches.

Chick Chick Chick Chick Bantam

Here are the four just hatched chicks hatched by "Brightee", our adopted light sussex X bantam last August.

Ughaslug

As far as my identification skills go this fine example (10cm) found behind a bag of sand is a Limacus flavus. Fortuneately it seems not to prefer fresh veg. Click the title for further details

Chamomilezzzzzzz

Both beautiful and useful. Not only does it have the simple daisy-like flowers i love but the flowers , picked every 3 to 7 days through the summer provide a calming tea.

Immaculate Germination

These opium Poppies appeared on the plot entirely of their own accord a few years ago. As they are so pretty I will usually let them self seed a bit before dead heading. The next year I leave any that are not competing to hard with the veg.

I Spy with my Ox Eye

Always bright and cheerful and a great attraction to benificial pollinating insects.

Liquid Silver on Leaves

I find the beads of rain after summer showers as beautiful as any frosty scene.

Marjoram

I think this particular plant came from Susie Whites the walled garden at Chesters. Like memories of all my other visits there over the last 20 years I treasure it. If you can visit before it closes for good this Spring.

Slugfest

By last May the slug & snail survey was well underway. The end of spring term holiday provided the opportunity for some twilight expiditions and we may have discovered the ideal slug disposal unit.

Jacobs Ladder

More formally known as Polemon this perennial has a quite strong scent that is certainly attractive to Bumble bees. To me it seems familiar but i can never quite place it.

Poached Flies

Maybe a little brash but otherwise a cheery little plant. Like the Cerinthe i sowed this a cople of years ago and just allow it to self seed then thin out or transplant as necessary. It does an excellent job of attracting in lots of benifical insects such as the hoverflies whose larvae will munch up my green fly as the season goes on.

Cerinthe

This Cerinthe (Major purpurescens) is another one the bees seem to love. Those I had growing last year where only those self sown from 2008. As i write this some of these are now again showing signs of growth which is pretty good for an annual that stood buried by snow for 4 weeks

Borage for Bees

The bees love this. Although its an annual we pretty much have it here on a perennial basis. To favour the Bumblers i just remove the ones that are crowding the veg. The kids like to eat the flowers too.

Bloody Leaved Sorrel

Visually prettier than the plain leaved type but just as good in salads providing picked when young.

Sugar Spice & Snails

Much to the delight of some of the larger creatures found on the allotment we assisted Gardem Organic with a slug and snail survey as part of their 2009 experiments. Click on the title to find this one.

Chinese Lanterns

These are pretty non-descript when in growth; vaguely similar to a small potato plant. In the autumn however, and especially with the light behind them, its a different matter. Will both self seed and run underground once established.