In the garden – June #1

Its been a busy month, for work and for nature. With all the sun and now a good bit of rain, its bulked everything up. New flowers are starting to open, with the yellows looking to be making way for the reds, pinks and purples.

The fuchsia has come back again, funny really, I tried 3 times to grow a fuchsia, bought already flowering and everything. They always died. This one was just a stick that had been left when we moved in, not even planted, just on the ground. I didn’t know what it was but could still see green under the bark so put it in dirt. Within a few weeks, it had leaves…

The potatoes have started flowering too, they have such pretty flowers. Potatoes are just great, the Bush crickets and snails are eating the leaves as quickly as they can but can’t keep up! Its providing great shade and bushiness for the bed too. I often see the sparrows having a little hop around in there looking for food.

I have white and red carnations this year, I don’t remember planting two colours so its good to see what appears to be new. A lovely dash of colour.

Another pink strawberry flower was poking through, its overshadowed by other strawberries, the loganberries and the fuchsia, so I’m impressed its made it at all.

The nasturtiums have just started to come out as well, its been a bit quiet for butterflies this year so far, but usually these bring the large and small white butterflies in.

The hydrangea is trying, its bee moved this year and surrounded by poppies which have now been and gone so ill clear some room and maybe it will do a bit better.

Its all pink and purple poppies this year, I thought I had planted some red ones but seems not. Either way, its a superb splash of colour and the bumble Bees love them.

(c) K Wicks

New Pattern – Blue Ammonite

It’s been a while since I have created new patterns, but I finally have a new collection of nature patterns for 2021.

Starting with MKW-VN.737 – Blue Ammonite…

With over 1200 unique MKW designs, check out my shop and find something bright for you and your home 🙂

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Darling2425/shop

(c) K Wicks

It’s do as I say… (poetry)

It’s do as I say

Not as I do

One rule for them

And another for you

The more you agree

The more piss they take

Giving weak reason

Which are revealed fake

Those calling the play

Are infected with rot

With no moral compass

Just plugging the shot

Each one in turn

Is showing their hand

And what is quite clear

Is they don’t understand

Love or truth

Or having a soul

They don’t want equal

They want full control

 Money and power

Is the game they play

Compassion is not

Something they

Have the ability

To really employ

Their ultimate goal

Is to destroy

~

Or it would appear that way…

Rhyme and Reason

(c) K Wicks

Strawberries

With letting everything just grow, you get to see what things do given the chance. Strawberries will grow and spread and are very efficient at this. And because they are so pretty, attract lots of bugs and have fruit at the end of it, why wouldn’t you let them. I may regret saying that when they fully take over, but I will scale some plants back a bit now to make light and room for others.

This is how they started
This is how they are going

This box has all sorts going on in it, winter jasmine, parsley, rosemary and lots of trailing wild strawberries. I added a few poppies where they were getting crowded in my planters, and it rusn out the potatoes I grew in this box last year hadn’t all been dug up. So I have potatoes in both boxes now.

It seems I did have a pink strawberry flower plant left going amongst the others. These flowers only lasted a couple of days before they were munched!

The berries have begun to ripen 🙂

(c) K Wicks

Willowherb

I decided to let everything just grow this year and be very minimal with weeding. Nature needs all the help it can get. It’s also making me more interested in what everything is and I’m learning about each plant as it grows and flowers. Willowherb seems to cater for many insects and has super pretty little pink/purple flowers. Also the leafcutter bees have favoured this plant for cutting small holes in the leaves – making me think that’s the reason I haven’t seen a leafcutter bee before, because I kept getting rid of their favourite plant!

(c) K Wicks

Painting – Oil paints #3

I’m still trying to make time for a bit of painting, and hope I have the inclination when I do. I want to paint nature, I’m just not very good. So thought if I set myself some goals and tasks, I could improve. Without copying an idea, I just tried to paint something. Perspective is one of my issues so I am working on that. Not great, but getting a bit better.

I am still not used to the consistency of the paint, how to work it, which brush to use and many other things. And by only putting a bit of time aside on weekends, it is slow progress. I am hoping to be able to do some more this weekend.

(c) K Wicks