Mahonia Charity

One of my winter jobs is 'shaping up' some shrubs. I am waiting for the leaves to fall. Your mahonia looks good.

Thank you Ange, I am pleased with how it looks this year. I pruned it in the summer and did wonder if it had time for the flower spikes to form and they're really lovely..
Yes, time to reshape. I had to take the long loppers to Bobby James the rambler...It was reaching everywhere, I didn't want it!

Really super flowers. I love the perfume it reminds me of lily of the valley flowers.

Yes that's right Linda, it does..:) a skein of geese have flown over, I love to hear them..

Lovely Janey, we get them over here too. We walked by the river earlier and saw about fifteen in a v shape. It makes the flying easier with the air flow between them.

You have a wonderful mahonia, Janey! What a specimen! Lovely yellow blossoms too.

Thanks Kate, I love it and this is a shady corner, so it really lights it up..:)

That's right Linda, and they take turns don't they? We used to have geese, the domestic ones, they were great companions and guards especially for me.
Being near the Humber now and the clay pits that are filled with water as reserves, there are so many water birds...Love to see the oyster catchers when the tides out, and boy does it go right out, leaving huge mud flats for half a day..

Yes they do Janey and it never ceases to amaze me how far they fly and how they navigate. Lovely to hear that the birds have places to feed and rest. We had one Oyster catcher at our river gardens one year, all on it's own. Must have lost it's way. Didn't stay very long.

They do, it's incredible, built in instinct and as you say they fly so far...like a lot of migrating birds. Yes, its a lovely area and so nature friendly. It must have, hopefully found a flock it could join..:)