Early June Posy

A little larger and more open than a posy perhaps, this is my bunch of flowers picked yesterday on the 31st of May.  So today this is on my window sill at the front of the house, with gentle light filtering through the various blooms.  Its been fairly nippy, but the garden is non the worse for it.  The cool weather and rain, but also days with good light,  has meant some flowers are hanging on for a good month.

Self seeded Aquiligia, known also as Granny's bonnet in pink and purple, Blue and White Centaurea Montana Alba, Phuopsis Stylosa, Lily of the Valley, Purple Erysium Bowles Mauve, seed heads of Muscari, Airy light flowers of Saxifrage umbrosa Variagata, also known as Variegated London's Pride, and Dicentra Eximia commonly called Fringed Bleeding Heart and some of their leaves, together with with strawberry leaves.

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The bees forage, this one is on Centaurea Montana Alba, and it is very nearly 'full house' as they have been very busy.  Even the larger canes are being filled and the Mason Bees are starting to use the in between spaces.  I shall look out for more bee houses for next year, but I know not to get ones with too narrow canes nor ones that are too large.

I was about to dead head some Muscari, and could not resist keeping the  'succulent looking' seed heads for the arrangement.

and on closer inspection the flowers of the Variagated London's Pride were charming,

This is Phuopsis Stylosa, also known as Caucasian Crosswort, which I bought last year, and which sounds like the name of  an embroidery stitch.   I love the flower heads and the whorls of leaves.  It was very heavily scented when crushed with a smell not altogether pleasant during the spring, but as it has matured and flowered there is no scent, so with fairly long stems, this is a winner as an unusual cut flower, as far as I am concerned.

 I am suffering at the moment, suffering from a surfeit of plants.  I have been out of control, and really there are too many pots hanging around.  I've therefore decided to sink some into the gravel, and see how things go.  This means than you have to use the stepping stones going down the garden for fear of treading on a little treasure.  Also I am reducing some of my larger clumps of perennials.

Most of the conservatory plants are also now outside for the summer.

Monday's Posy and Red Mason Bees

 A quick tiptoe down the garden this morning, and here are a few early blooms having a drink before being taken to Janice's this morning.  Several knitting friends met up and we had a lovely morning together chatting, and watching a DVD on Fair Isle Knitting.

Flowers in this one are the Perennial cornflower:  the blue one is Centaurea Montana, and the white one Centaurea Montana Alba.  I love its other name Mountain Knapweed, and the shape of the flower held above the soft velvety leaves.

A few stems of fragrant Lily of the Valley, and stems of Ajuga reptans atropurpurea,  couple of leaves of Astilbe Chinensis pumila variety, and a self sown primula complete the posy.  The vase is one my father bought during his travels in Japan in the 1960s and the Chinese terracotta soldier is one we brought back from our visit to the excavations in the 1990s.

 I had to snatch these blooms from under the very noses of the bees, 'Red Mason Bee', Osmia bicornis which are now filling up both the little houses on the wall by the kitchen.  There are many more for them to visit...the garden is buzzing, and the butterflies too are out today.