Monday 23 May 2011

A drop of rain

After weeks of dry weather we have at last had some rainfall. Not enough to please the farmers, but at least it has washed the dust from the leaves. The lake is looking an unhealthy green and the fishermen have been trying to aerate the water for weeks now with an electric pump. Years ago the lake was a solid mass of water lilies but the fishermen have cut back the plants to create as much open water as possible.

The wild flag iris are in bloom around the lake edge

and flowers are also colouring my garden.











But to dispel any ideas that I have the garden under control, here is an image of one of my beautiful iris being threatened with choking from that miserable and all too healthy weed, convolvulus. It rampages about my garden along with that other great nuisance, ground elder.
And don't get me started on the state of my lawn. A green sward is supposed to be every English gardener's pride and joy. 
Take a look at mine, green and lush only in curious little circular patches. I'll tell you the secret - dog pee.
My lawn is beyond all hope!


9 comments:

  1. Hello Rosemary:
    You must be so glad to have some rain for the garden as, from what we hear, there has been hardly any to speak of for so long. A shortage early on in the year is not good, for when the spring is so dry one worries about what it will be like by August.

    That said, your garden continues to look so fresh and colourful. We love the native flag irises, and used to grow them in damp conditions where they would spread rapidly, also to the point of becoming a nuisance. But we always found it hard to remove them.

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  2. to me everything looks perfectly english. that's what you should have named your blog rosemary. our lawn is awful too, hopefully one day i won't have one. just flowers.

    xo

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  3. I love all the lovely blooms. I would love to grow poppies, but I'm just a tad to far south. Hugs!

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  4. Oh good gracious those circles...
    and perhaps crop circles...
    and to think that they are from man's best friend!

    You might be experiencing a drought but you are spot on in the humour department!

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  5. That's strange - Grouch has just been complaining about dog pee leaving round burnt patches on his lawn! Do you think that your green rings are likely to be fungi, Cher? Some of the old ones grow to hundreds of feet across.

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  6. Love your flowers, especially the Iris'.

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  7. Here in the Dales we are still desperately short of rain and the wind has played havoc with tall plants over the past two days.

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  8. Sommats up folks, I seem unable to send a comment!

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  9. Sorry for the delay in replying to you all but my site has been playing up, not giving me access. Those patches are dog pee, a small burnt patch in the centre and then a ring of healthy green growth due to the ammonia turning to nitrogen. Don't wish fungi on me Tom, I seem to have everything else!
    Iris are real favourites of mine, Connie.
    Dear Weaver, we have had the same battering wind and the ground is still longing for some serious rainfall. (It will probably rain throughout July and August!)

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