After a wonderfully sunny spring week, in which it felt like summer was already here, reality hit hard today. The sky is fifty shades of grey, and as if that wasn't sad enough, the temperature has taken a free fall. Where I was still sitting in the sun in a T-shirt last week, I'm now shivering in my thick sweater. Below ten degrees, seriously? It felt like the perfect day to stay indoors and keep myself busy with pyrography. And to travel back in my thoughts to that wonderful weekend.
Garden Plans
It was simply fantastic. The sun shone, the birds sang as if they had just received a bonus, and the thick winter coat could finally be put away. It's time to pick up the garden plans again! Unfortunately, our backyard is not a green oasis - it is a former farm and we rent the house, so simply pulling out tiles to reclaim a piece of nature is unfortunately not an option. But over the years we have learned quite a few tricks to get some green on all those stones.
Limiting Skipper's View
This time, however, we had a different mission. Our Skipper, a dog with a calling as a town crier, urgently needed a limitation of his view. From his favorite spot by the fence, he can see half the street and the forest path. And believe me, a lot happens there. Every passing car, cyclist, walker, tractor, or moped is loudly announced. Don't get me wrong, a dog is allowed to have an opinion, but when absolutely everything becomes a reason for a barking concert, then it is time for a tactical intervention.
Butterflies
So, off to the garden center! Once there, the thinking began: we needed something that grows quickly, grows tall, is resistant to drought, and preferably also produces some flowers. While we were racking our brains about the ideal plant, I was distracted by a beautiful peacock butterfly sitting on a deliciously smelling flower. What kind of plant it was, no idea - but the price of 90 euros ensured that we quickly passed it by anyway. Fortunately, I was able to take some nice pictures and I was once again happy with my new shiny toy that I bought a month ago when my old phone battery died.
One Buddleja and Two Miscanthus'
Our final choices? A butterfly bush in a deep red color, zebra grass, and sedge. For those who like Latin names: Buddleja Royal Red, Miscanthus sinensis Zebrinu,s and Miscanthus Sin Red Chief. If everything goes according to plan, they will soon grow to a height of one and a half meters and form a green barrier for Skipper, limiting his view - and hopefully also his urge to bark.
A Present For Skipper
Of course, we couldn't leave the garden center without also taking something for Skipper. He had a hard enough time with the fact that he couldn't come along and had to stay home alone. So as compensation, he got a bar of dried meat that he could eat outside in peace. And a ball of string, so that we could play together for a while.
All in all, a productive weekend, with hopefully a bark-free (or at least bark-limited) result soon. And now let's hope that the weather will be nice again soon because I'm done with this autumnal time and I'm longing for much more spring!
These sunny days are really welcome! My Japanese maple is already blossoming and the fruit trees are to follow next.
Lovely that you have bought plants to attract butterflies. Last year I didn't see a lot of them in my backyard although I also have a Buddleja and a couple of Oxeyes.
I'll also sprinkle some bees and butterflies wildflower mix in some spots again.
Hopefully there will be more insecte this year because I like photographing them as well.
Oh, our Japanese Maple only has buds, no leaves to be seen yet. We have all sorts of things for birds and insects in our garden, usually not much for butterflies because we also want vegetables and fruit in our garden and then butterflies are not really that handy. The caterpillars eat our cabbage, lettuce, and sprouts. We had that experience once and we don't want to repeat it. But on the other hand, we do want birds in the garden, and birds just love caterpillars. In addition, a Buddleja is just very beautiful to look at, and it can grow high. That was what we were looking for to block the view for Skipper. It will take a while before it happens ... but a start has been made.
More insects this year? ... As long as the agricultural sector here is so generous with the poison, there will sooner be fewer insects and biodiversity in the Netherlands has been declining for years. That will not change this year either, little has been achieved in this regard, and far too little is being done to preserve and expand nature and therefore insects. I fear that it will only get worse ...
Really? From enjoying the sun in a t-shirt to freezing in a sweater in just a week. My goodness, we're still on the road to summer in full force here.
That's what makes your dog a dog, by the way! haha!
Hope the weather will be nice again there. :)
In the Netherlands it can change from spring back to winter very quickly. Lol... Yes, last week 18 degrees Celsius, now only 9 degrees Celsius. It happens.
LOL. I know barking makes him a dog... but come on, seriously, he doesn't have to bark at literally EVERYTHING that passes by. Barking when something or someone comes into the driveway here is fine. Nice even! That's part of his duties. But that doesn't have to be extended to the neighbor who comes home, or the students who cycle past on their way to school and back home, farmers who go to work their land, a jeep that drives by, a truck that drives by... walkers or joggers on the forest path half a kilometer away. That's unnecessary barking, and that's why we bought a shrub and a few types of tall growing ornamental grass to block his view a bit. And let's be honest, it's also just a good excuse to go to the garden center and buy something new for the garden so that we have something nice to look at again when it grows well. LOL
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