Wild Orchids

Dave and I were up with the lark yesterday morning, my lift to work being on holiday, so we decided to walk the dogs at a local park on the way to Norton Conyers before he dropped me off. Imagine my delight to come across hundreds of wild orchids, they are Dactylorhiza maculata, the heath orchid and they really got my day off to a good start. Meanwhile in the garden everything is looking splendid, especially after the torrential downpours of the last few days, when I left work last Monday the plants were looking decidedly crispy so it was good to see them having drunk their fill and practically doubled in size since last I saw them. We contented ourselves with weeding and pruning for most of the day, this being the ideal time to shape the shrubs that have finished flowering for this year, if you give them a good trim now they still have plenty of time to form strong new growth and good flowering potential for next year. It never ceases to surprise me just how brutal you can be taking out the old wood, and although admittedly things look a little scrappy for a while it takes no time for new growth to kick in, so don't be too timid!

"Wisdom is often nearer when we stoop than when we soar"
William Wordsworth