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| The rhubarb has kept me well supplied. |
May has been quite a mixed month with cold spells, gales, rain and a few fine days reaching up to 19C / 66F (which is fantastic weather for Northern Ireland). Finally there should be no risk of frost! It's a busy time of year with weeds needing seen to, areas to be tidied, tall plants to be staked, and plants grown from seed needing hardened off before they're planted outside permanently.
Here's a little summary of the garden in the month of May...
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| The apple tree has started to blossom. |
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| Plants remain cosy in the greenhouse. Beans (French and Purple Queen) to be hardened off for a week and then planted outside. Other plants in the greenhouse include chard, calendula, marigold, courgette, squash and peas. |
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| The veg beds are beginning to fill up with plants. I've been thinning seedling this week. Seed sown in April germinated outside very well (bed to the far left). I was a bit surprised as it seemed quite cold at the time. Onion Stuttgarter and lettuce showing in bed to the right. |
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| Are these moths or butterflies? There are lots of them around (a bit difficult to spot the darker one in the photo). |
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| Aubretia grown from seed. |
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| Quite a few bees have been spotted this month, this one on a bergenia. |
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| Solomon's Seal is on display this month. |
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| And poached egg plant, Limnanthes douglasii, introduced to the garden from seed, now self seeds freely. |
Have a great weekend!
Copyright: All words and photos are property of Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden.
Hi Kelli. I like comparing our gardens since we grow about the same plants. Our apple trees are bloomed out, as are the peach and cherry. They are setting fruit. The apples will be wormy since we don't spray. We'll just eat around the worm! The little lepidoptera appreas to be a butterfly. Moths, I think, have furry antenna.You grow such healthy plants from seed. I am thinking about planting kale. Have you grown it? Our Texan friend gave me his recipe for Tuscan soup. I have to make it.
ReplyDeleteHi Ann, I've grown purple curly kale and nero di toscana kale from seed and they both do really well. I prefer eating the green nero di toscana. The purple kale is a very decorative plant and looks good. Kale is really healthy to eat. I hope you'll grow some as I think you'll really enjoy it.
DeleteHi Kelli, I love the photo of the apple blossoms (maybe a painting from that?). You have quite a lot of interesting things in your garden now.
ReplyDeleteYour plants look beautiful and I am especially envious of those apple blossoms! Love it. Jeannine
ReplyDeleteDefinitely butterflies. Butterflies have blobby antennae and moths feathery ones. Also butterflies hold wings together up in the air above their body we resting whereas moths hold them flat like a triangle.
ReplyDeleteThey look like different types of the white butterflies. The dark one could be a green veined white.
The apple tree looks gorgeous covered with it's pretty blossom. I only got one small patch of blossom on my apple tree, but it's the first year I've had it so I'll let it off.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're getting good value from that plastic greenhouse, Kelli. I don't know how I would manage without mine these days. Good to hear that you have seen some bees. There are very few around here unfortunately - just the odd Bumble Bee and one or two Hoverflies.
ReplyDeleteIt's all go Kelli - good to see the butterflies. I've seen more of them this last few afternoons than I saw last year!
ReplyDeleteYour apple blossom is lovely. You've plenty going on in your mini-greenhouse, I hope you get them all out soon enough.
Everything looks wonderful! I've never heard of poached egg plants but it's really pretty. I'll have to see if it will grow here. :o)
ReplyDeletePoached egg plants look quite charming, and they reseed freely? Bonus! I'm starting to think about where I would fit a rhubarb plant. I had one years ago at my old house, and suddenly I think I need one again!
ReplyDelete