Nature Blog by Jenny Bourne

Suddenly there seems to be so many butterflies about; I counted four if not five Peacocks on Flora’s lovely dark purple buddleia the other day. Many sightings of Red Admirals as well as the usual Large and Small Whites and Meadow Browns,

Pollinator Patch is now flower full and attracting bees and other pollinators at a rate of knots. Certain plants are particularly attractive at this time of year – the allium sphaerocephalon aka the drumstick allium is abuzz, as is marjoram, a top pollinator plant.

It’s rained approximately seven times in the past two months, and it’s interesting to note which plants do best in semi-drought conditions. In Pollinator Patch there are very few flowering annuals and perennials that have needed watering, apart from the sunflower seedlings; most of the established perennials seem drought hardy and have been blooming profusely.

What a torrential rainstorm on Monday; it was like being in a monsoonal deluge as the rain lashed, the thunder crashed and the lightning flashed! After what felt like a month’s downpour in an afternoon

Seasonal and interesting advice from RHS about how to manage lawns and grass in a period of drought: “Grass growth will start to slow down in dry conditions, so mow less often and raise the cutting height to let the grass get longer, which should encourage deeper rooting. Close cutting in dry weather can weaken the grass and make it more vulnerable…