Wordless Wednesday: Swallowtail

Old World Swallowtail



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In a Vase on Monday: Lovely Jubbly!

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For readers not familiar with the term ‘Lovely jubbly’, made famous by the lovable Del Boy in ‘Only Fools and Horses’ back in the 80s, it simply means really lovely, fantastic, great! The origins of the phrase go back further apparently (see this article for more details) but I only know the more recent use of it. And that is the best way I can describe the Zinnias, Calendula, Dahlias and Echinacea I used for my vase this week. These colours, all put together, simply make me happy! The zinnias I planted out in the garden have struggled, since I rarely water the flower beds and it has been such a dry summer. But growing them (and dahlias) in containers or pots has worked extremely well; they were put next to my tomato plants which are given a drink daily, so I could not forget to water them too. And this is the reward. Lovely jubbly! The Echinacea (and Calendula) on the other hand are fine in the flower beds and have proved themselves to be extremely drought-proof. In ...
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In a Vase on Monday: “Days of Joy”

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Spring has sprung, and we have had some beautiful sunshine and warmth. Crocuses, Primroses, Dwarf Iris and Hellebores are starting to flower, and a few shoots of other early spring bulbs are showing. One of the Hellebores was the inspiration for my vase title, as I join Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for her weekly meme. Hellebore ‘Days of Joy’ (Very apt for this time of year!) After looking up this hellebore, it doesn’t appear to exist, so I wonder if the label on it was just a promotion strategy to sell an unnamed variety… The pointed petals are a dark pink on both the inside and outside – most of my other pink hellebores vary. This makes it quite unique I think. I added another pink Hellebore to my vase (name fails me right now), a couple of Iris reticulata, and some Primulas. Just to show how blue the Iris really are, I photographed them next to the purple crocus outside. The little blue vase was originally intended for snowdrops, but since they won’t grow for me here ...
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