Birds and Bees.!

Lovely blog Sandra, yes we are saving our grey water too. And we have been surprised and pleased to see bees drinking on the edge of the birdbath … great!

Thank you Sheila, so glad I saw that tip,it isn't something I'd have thought to do. At least they won't drown,standing on a pebble :o)
I've always saved grey water,as these days,we don't seem to have anything greasy,as we used to do.The plants don't seem to mind,anyway. :o) .

Lovely pictures Sandra! What a great idea t put out water for the bees! They obviously appreciate it. That's a great one of the tired one with his feet up... Your borders are looking fantastic!

Thank you Sue, I was hoping that little Bee would stay long enough for the photo ..:o) Did you notice a cutting of your Fuchsia 'Lena' ,in the pot in the 2nd photo,with the yellow Bidens,? It isn't very clear,to be honest, as it was too sunny,but the original is in the 5th photo,,next to the Chimney pot ? . So glad they are both doing well..:o) .x

Great idea! Cosmos are notorious for flowering late in the season. I like their Lacey leaves (the flowers are just a late season bonus) and I plant them in large planters supported by trellises that fit in my planter. I find them a good alternative to ferns which would not do so well in the full sun location I have the planters in which are on either side of an old garden gate.

we often find bees and wasps sitting at the edge of a lily pad drinking from the pond. So your pebble 'watering hole' is brilliant.

looks a lovely garden Bloomer

Your garden looks lovely Sandra, that is a very good tip to make sure the bees can get a drink, I'm okay here as they drink from the ponds, I was saving my waste water but we have had some much needed rain this week at long last, in fact it rained steadily for over 36hrs, one of the waterbutts was overflowing so I drained some into my cans and transferred it down to the other butt behind the garden shed..Some of my Cosmos are very spindly but others are doing well, only grouse I have is the fact that none turned out to be white even though I had saved seeds from last year, need a new packet of seeds for next year.....

Sandra, you've a smashing garden, it's so full of bright colour too. I've seen this idea for the bees before, it's always a useful tip. The bees that visit our garden often drink from the water sat on the lily pads in the pond.

Loosestrife,thank you.. I love the foliage too,and they do fill a gap in that border,soI'll just have to be patient,and wait for the flowers.:o)
..........
Glad you liked the pebble pool,Eileen :o) I bet your Lily pads have been such a life saver for the Insects ..x
............
Thank you Paul,hope you are well..I bet the wildlife in your garden are well cared for too.. :o)
...........
Thank you Sue,and Kate.it seems Lily pads are very popular amongst Goy friends :o) I'll have to make do ,with only having a small back garden,but as long as it helps in some small way,I'm happy. :o) x

Good idea Sandra!
Your garden is so colourful still! I love it!
I also had problems with tall Cosmos not flowering, so haven't bothered since!
I love your begonias too! Mine have suffered this year as they were getting too much sun.
Lesson learned!

Sandra, your photos are beautiful, especially the first one. Great idea re the pebbles in the water ... methinks I must do the same. I had Cosmos with loads of foliage and very few flowers one year ... struggling to remember the variety though. Possibly 'Early Sensation'?

Thank you Rose,
A shame when that happens with Cosmos,as I do love them.I've never had this happen before.. The begonias were a pack of three,in a packet,when Wilko's were selling them off half price,and although it was a bit late in the year, I stuck them in and hoped for the best. One didn't survive, it,but I love these two .The pink one struggled,but it made it eventually. These wall baskets are North facing,but get sun from the East in the mornings, so always seem to do ok there. not bad for £1.30p :o) xx.

Thank you Shirley,I'm glad you liked them,and the bee bath :o) I just keep it topped to just below the level of the pebbles, when I'm filling the Bird bath,which is very often,with it being so small,as it evaporates so quickly in the heat.
It's not only me then,re Cosmos ? I seem to remember the name'Early Sensation',so I will check it out ,and if it is that variety,I will avoid it ,if possible. I'l tell my neighbour too,as he won't want to sow it again either.. So disappointing though .:o( ..x

Sandra, I managed to find some pebbles yesterday (as you do!) and placed them in a small dish of water... told Michael when he got in from footie and he said "Have you told the Bees?". Honestly, what I have to put up with!!!

You need to give Michael a serious talking to,Shirley !.Doesn't he know all about the Birds and the Bees yet??? .:o)) xx

To which he replied, "What I used to know, I've forgotten" ha, ha, ha!! :o)))x

Ha ha, brilliant. :o))).xx

Such delightful pictures of your lovely gift to the bees. It looks so very pretty and will attract lots of them I am sure. Wonderful colour around your garden still - ours is starting to look a little tired now!

A great bargain Sandra and I should know by now that begonias are happier in the shade!

Sandra your garden is looking fabulous despite the temperatures. However do you manage it.
I've put some pebbles in the birdbath to try and help the bees etc as well as the small birds.
I love the colour of your Cocosmia, much nicer than my Lucifer, which I've decided one clump will be replaced.
Enjoy Scarborough.

Hello again .Just back from a lovely few days in sunny Scarborough, so feeling refreshed .:o)

Thank you Chris,and still lots of colour to see on our return,thanks to my lovely neighbour,who kept the pots well watered :o)
........
Rose,the Begonia's are still looking good, and hope they last for a good while yet,in the shaded area.:o)'
......
Thank you Julia, I feel lucky I have kept most of them going,but some of the Lobelia and Nemesia,didn't fare as well,with them having small roots, but there are still a few in flower,after dead heading earlier on..
I prefer this Crocosmia to Lucifer too,which were all finished so early this year,and are ready to split,as there are far too many now. I shall dispose of quite a few ! Sorry,I can't remember the variety of the smaller ones.