Monday 22 June 2009

Butterfly Border

There's a border beyond the swimming pool which I tolerate (just).

It's filled with senecio and santolina planted by the previous owners and I don't quite have the heart to dig them out. They're tough grey spreading shrubs which cope with dry hot weather so in theory are low maintenance. They are bossy and fight for space with the pale blue spring irises and the late summer deep blue agapanthus. They also both briefly produce masses of yellow flowers, which then quickly go brown in the heat and flop everywhere. So all the dead flowers have to be pruned right back to allow the shrubs to recover their shape. The pruning takes ages and yields barrow-loads of scruffy stems.

But today, I forgive them everything. Their yellow flowers are smothered in Painted Lady and Peacock butterflies.







1 comment:

  1. That's wonderful. You have a butterfly garden. That is why I leave the milkweed and thistles here.

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