Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'

I love these.

beautiful

Lovely. I can't find mine. Don't know if they have survived or not.

I planted one in too shaded an area, a couple of years ago - it didn't reappear.

The slugs love these in my garden - I keep just one in a pot now.

Don't forget that I don't have slugs - only snails. They seem to stay on or near the stone walls. That's why my Clematis on the walls keep being munched! :-(

However, I have a thrush at the moment, and I keep finding empty shells! More power to his/her beak! :-)

I have snails as well, Spritz but the thrushes do help with those. The hedgehog doesn't have a chance of keeping up with the slugs.

You are SOOOO lucky to have a resident hedgehog. I haven't set eyes on one here!

Very rarely see it, sometimes hear it, often find its calling card - like little black cigars!

Does it Squeak? Warble? Sing? Squawk? Talk? Shout? Yell? or maybe just scrabble about? LOL.

They make a heck of a noise when they eat Spritz. Sounds like pigs. Perhaps that's why they are called hogs?

The only noises we get at night are owls, and the sheep in the field over the fence. Nice friendly sounds. What a difference from Kent and its traffic. :-)

I would like a grunting hog, though. LOL. I must investigate the Rescue Centre - I heard that they let you 'adopt' a hedgehog...

This is a link for the hedgehog rescue centre in Gloucester.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4862970.stm
This is the Blurb:

Sanctuary needs hedgehog helpers

Yvonne Cox has saved more than 750 hedgehogs in seven years
A hedgehog rescue centre is appealing for "foster parents" to help care for the animals.
Hedgehog Rescue was set up by Yvonne Cox at her home in Yate, South Gloucestershire, seven years ago.

Since then, she has saved more than 750 of the creatures, and won awards for her work, but now she needs more volunteers to share the load.

There will be a meeting for would-be hedgehog helpers at the Jubilee Centre in Bradley Stoke at 11am on Saturday.

Thanks, Toto - what that doesn't say is whether you take the hedgehogs home, or if they want people to go in and help?

We have a rescue centre up the coast a few miles. I might track them down and find out. Gloucester is a bit far from here.

I didn't know that you had one close Spritz. I only sent the link because I thought it might be a starting point for you.

Thanks - I've seen it on the local news, and know approx. where it is. It's quite near Louise, so I'll ask her if she knows about it.

Good thinking Batman.

I think she's gone off out - I'll ask her later. I hope she doesn't get blown away, that wind has just crashed our back door open. I dread to think what damage there'll be outside!

Send out a search party or perhaps the life boat may be more appropriate. I'm off now to wash the car as the weather here isn't to bad at the moment.

The wind is our problem now - something slid down the roof - I don't know what! Not a tile, it sounded like something wooden. Yikes! What could it have been? The rain has all but stopped... for the moment.

I'll check up on Louise later...

All okay here Spritz !
The wind has been bad but the torrential rain was worse, it's still a bit windy but it sounds like you had it worse than us here.

It's STILL blowing a gale, Louise, but the rain has stopped. :-)

Back to the Echinacea..lol......Mine are about to flower...cant wait, had a bit of trouble with the slugs when the plants were young.......Yours are lovely Spritz...:>)

I've got E. Elton Knight and it's nowhere near flowering :(((
Why is my Echinacea so far behind ? :(