Here is my bowl of flowers for Monday. I floated these Hellebores in water and added a few Heuchera leaves (Midnight Bayou) as there are still not many hellebores flowering. I think the leaves will probably sink but they look nice for a short while.
The hellebores last a few days in a bowl like this before they collapse and you have to scoop out the soggy remains. It's certainly the best way to show off the gentle colourings.
The bowl is pale green, frosted glass and is another charity shop/bric a brac find.
I managed to organise my son to set up the camera in the polytunnel (he'd borrowed it from work to test). It has a motion sensor which, when activated, takes a picture, there is then some delay before the next is taken. You don't get a continuous film of all activity but photo every so often, I'm not sure how long the delay is. We got a fair few on the first night. I hope you can see the culprit here. Eyes shining brightly at the back of the photo.
There is no way of telling how many critters there are, I think I can see two in one photo, but mice are rarely solitary, as we know! It's either one with a large appetite or a whole family. This used to be a spinach plant which was about 30cm tall.
The next day there were no photos but I noticed he/they had move onto the purple sprouting broccoli in a different corner. We set the camera up again and sure enough:
I hope you're impressed by the addition of an arrow! However, I'm not impressed that he/they are eating my psb. I only left it in there as a trial and it has grown huge and sprawled all over the place. I'm so looking forward to an early crop.
I know there is no way of keeping them out so I'll have to find deterrents and ways of keeping small things safe. Things grew pretty well last year so I hope I'll get most of the crops. At least it isn't rabbits!
Because of the mess of broccoli and other sprawly plants, my second, somewhat belated, year's resolution is - I will stake my plants properly.
I'm very bad at it. It's quite hard to stake well, I find. Unless you want to spend a small fortune on fancy supports. There are ways to do it, though, and the earlier the better before the plants flop so I will do it!
For interesting and creative vases from around the world visit Cathy of Rambling in the Garden - In a Vase on Monday.
Your Hellebores are gorgeous, I never tire of seeing them, especially as I can't grow them here. I'm very impressed by the photography, useful to know who the enemy is! I only began staking properly in the last couple of years and it does pay dividends. When I begin for this year I'll post about it. My methods aren't difficult or expensive. I'm about to do the peas and broad beans so the post should be later this week.
ReplyDeleteI'll look forward to your posts about staking and hope to learn from you. I've been collecting lots of twigs and prunings to 'weave' into supports.
DeleteI love your hellebores as well and can't hope to grow them in my garden. Armadillos are driving me mad here.
ReplyDeleteLol, well I suppose that puts it in persepctive.
DeleteI love to see hellebores displayed this way. And your photographic evidence is wonderfully conclusive - well done for rigging that up between you! Now you just need to decide what to do about them...
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is much I can do. If I remove one, by fair means or foul, another will move in I expect. Thats what happens in the kitchen! I won't tolerate them there but the garden is different. We'll see how far I am driven...
DeleteThe Heuchera leaves make a lovely accent for the lovely hellebore flowers. I've got about a half a dozen hellebores myself but only 2 have ever produced flowers. The same 2 have buds now so I'm hoping to see them flower again this year. As to the mice - grrr! Like my miserable raccoons, I know they're just doing what comes naturally but one has to wish they'd choose less attractive targets when they munch or, in my case, dig.
ReplyDeleteGardening is a battle. Slugs are eating the snowdrops and primroses already, then there will be aphids, whitefly, caterpillers and birds but still we keep on!
DeleteWhat a creative idea to add heuchera leaves to the floating hellebores - perfect combination! I'm impressed with the addition of the arrow to your picture as I haven't the faintest idea how to do such a thing. As for your critter visitors, have you considered a cat or two?
ReplyDeleteI impressed myself with the arrow but don't know how to change the colour yet.
DeleteIt may come to a cat!
Your bowl display is stunning; and I must say your sleuthing skills are quite impressive too!
ReplyDeleteHehe thank you.
DeleteBeautiful hellebores - it's a lovely way to display them in a bowl too so you can see them properly. :)
ReplyDeleteYes it's the best way, I think.
DeleteHi Alison, your display of your beautiful hellebores is a lovely way to show them and I do like the bowl - another fabulous charity shop find. I had to enlarge the photos to spot the mouse - like you say, at least it's not rabbits! I'm not good at staking either - I usually only think of it when flopping has become a problem - in other words, too late!!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like me all over.
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