Inspired by
Jon's very fine photos, I went out to check on our white lilac, which is coming along nicely.
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| Syringa vulgaris "Madame Lemoine" - regular as clockwork, but blink and you miss it. Some way to go yet, but if the rain stays off it should be good. |
I also observe that we have an unusually good show of blossom on the whitebeam trees, in the wood behind our house. Not very spectacular, to be sure, but pleasing, and I usually manage to fail to notice them altogether. The whitebeam (
sorbus aria) is a relative of the rowan tree, and produces red berries which are much prized by our local wood-pigeons; I understand these berries can be eaten by humans as well, but the pink pebbledashing of my car each Autumn by the pigeons rather puts me off the idea.
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| This, of course, is really a photo to show off our clothes dryer, but in the background you might just make out the whitebeam trees in the wood, swamped by the big sycamores behind, but bravely showing off their blossom. Two years ago they produced a remarkable crop of red berries in September, so maybe we'll get that again. |
I enjoyed my afternoon in the sunshine - I must work on that (mental note). I can manage to keep busy during lockdown with no problem at all, but sometimes whole days go past and I hardly notice.
Looks like the Spring is unaware of the problems we are having!
I have a problem with plastic glues (fumes) so getting into the open air of ‘The Great Outdoors’ is seeing me get through a load of sprue stuff ......... it doesn’t get it painted though!
ReplyDeleteI thought of taking some of my modelling work outside, but today's "crop" of insects is some very large brown flies, so I decided against it!
DeleteBeautiful garden photos, Tony! Although I do not know the genus/species, our white lilac looks very similar to yours. Ours are either at or near peak bloom so they will be gone soon.
ReplyDeleteBeing commoners, our two plants are likely the Common White and Common Purple varieties!
Thanks for the inspiration, Jon - I seem to spend a lot of time sitting thinking what I could be doing if I weren't sitting thinking!
DeleteYou are welcome, Tony! Time spent thinking is time well spent!
DeleteThat’s very pleasing Tony. Good for the soul isn’t it?
ReplyDeletePst! The bird bath needs filling up.
It dries out very quickly at present. Unfortunately the pigeons and doves drink from it, bathe in it and defecate in it, which is very poor behaviour indeed - don't their mothers tell them anything? I have a hosepipe handy, so a swill out and a refill is easy enough. Sorry about that - can't get the staff.
DeleteDefinitely not a tree known to any degree in the US that I am aware of; had to look it up. It did mention making the berries into jam...
ReplyDeleteI hadn't realised that - yes, the whitebeam is mostly a European native. Its name, by the way, is supposed to come not from the white blossom, but from the fact that the underside of the leaves is very pale, so when the wind blows the tree changes colour.
DeleteActually, I was pretty bored just writing that - apologies all round.