Friday, 7 January 2011

July Flora Update 2010

July, the corn flowers I sowed earlier are now out and prooving popular with butterflies and other insects.  The colour of this "Blue diadem" strain is superb.

2010_07_06_Cornflower Blue Diadem

Also flowering now are the Acrolininium.  The centers seem to stay yellow untill pollinated then turn brown.  Those ones won't look so good dried but I should be able to save some seed this year.

2010_07_13_Acrolinium

As an experiment earlier this year I sowed Crimson Clover as a ground cover / green manure  on areas that would not be planted out till later or not at all.  This included the courgette / pumpkin patch and between the legumes and brassicas.  Around the squash I kept a foot clear all round as they grew, they seemed to benefit from the extra nitrogen fixed by the Clover.  In retrospect I would cut the clover to (or close to ) ground level once the main flowering was over as most of my squash developed powdery mildew much earlier than usual due to the decreased air-flow around them.  This did not affect the peas and the clover choked out most of the weeds that would have otherwise grown between / under the rows.  The brassicas also seemed to benefit from the nitrogen.  Aparently cabbage white butterflies look for green plants on a brown background so the ground cover plan seemed effective as a disguise compared to my neighbours decimated sprouts.

2010_07_13_Crimson Clover 2

Another area flowering well and looking good is the bit of border beside the green house.  The Achillia (Summer Berries) i planted last year is now flowering well and mixing to good effect with Ox Eye Daisy, Knautia and Cosmos.  Is proving a bit of a nectar bar for the insects.

2010_07_20_Achillia

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