You may recall my referring to Gilbert White in
a previous blog. The nature writer and diarist. A hero of mine. I wonder what
he would have made of this late spring. An almost non-existent spring. Winter
became summer. Finally, with not much in between. Pity really, there’s nothing
quite like the warm spring sun in March waking the bees from their hibernation,
but that didn’t seem to happen this year. Now in the second week of May, the sudden burst of greenery announces summer’s arrival. There are, however, still elements which seem to
reflect the effects of the long winter. Very few bees; one or two honey bees,
one or two bumble bees. This may be simply a reflection of the lack of goodies
on offer in my garden or more likely that it will take time for their numbers
to build after the freezing weather that lasted long into March. As there aren’t
maybe other insects flying around either, this would certainly seem to be the
case. I did see a zebra spider today; I don’t know if that’s their name but
that’s what I’ve called them since I was a kid. Small black and white spiders
that jump about.
Thankfully there are
some good signs from the herbs. My thyme, chives and rosemary are in flower.
And my parsley, although not in flower is in rude health, as they say. Barely two months ago they were covered in
snow. I think amongst my favourite
flowers are herb flowers. I’m not sure why? Maybe it’s the Quaker in me, the making
the most of our talents principle. Or more likely it’s their subtle beauty, a
simple beauty. Nothing too ornamental. Whatever it may be, the sight of an
edible herb flowering is a soulful thing. Bees are very keen too. I’m hoping
the imminent bounty of chive flowers coming to bloom will encourage them to
visit.
In bird terms, things are relatively quiet, the
birds are working hard preparing their nests, I suppose. One unusual visitor
has given pleasure, however. A pair of greenfinches, easy enough to recognize
as they’re green, the male more so than the female, with an unusual call; a
kind of nasal ‘tsweeeee’. In my early birdwatching days in Glasgow,
greenfinches were always around. I’ve rarely seen them here in two years. The
only finches we have regularly are the goldfinches, which probably only come
because I bribe with with nyger seeds. Another
welcome sight has been the odd swift. Swifts are the ultimate symbol of summer
in the city and one of the last to manifest. Screeching through the air like fighter jets. Extraordinary birds, they spend most of their life in the air.
You’ll only see them if there’s plenty of insects, hence a sign of summer but
for now, just the odd one.
The perennials are beginning to thrive too,
after six months of winter torpor. The roses are almost in bloom, the
anticipation growing. We’ve only had the roses for one year, but already I’m
understanding the appeal. To me what was previously a romantic cliché for Valentine’s
day losers has become one of my favourite plants. The jasmine foliage is
looking healthy too which bodes well for its flowering this summer, for the
first time, hopefully. The buddleja is
looking good too. Ironically our neighbour was getting rid of it as it was
struggling and we weren’t that bothered as we had a very healthy one. A year
later, ours is dead and the neighbour’s one is thriving. Hmmmm...Buddleja are an odd
one, you’ll see them on waste ground, next to train lines in great swathes, swaying in the wind. Thus places where
they’re often left uncared for, they tend to invade but they’re great for the
garden; bees and butterflies love them. Get yourself one, they come in all
colours. One anomaly, is the lavenders. My attempt to prune them in order to
encourage growth has had not had quite the required effect. They are budding
well, like miniature purple Sideshow Bobs but aesthetically, it's a shambles. The lady of the house is not happy with my
inadvertent sa
