A Bishop in the rain.

St Swithin was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester.

According to tradition if it rained on his feast day, the 15th July, it would rain for the next 40 days.

I don't remember if it was raining on the 15 july but it has rained on this 'Bishop' today!

Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff.'

What sort of St Swithin weather have you been enjoying?

The Butterfly and The Bumblebee...

...Oh how happy they seem to be.

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly landing on a Eryngium Giganteum in the sunny front garden...

...is then joined by a bumble bee ...

...I think it is a Buff Tailed...

...both busily feeding on the nectar in the sunshine.

Take off........Eryngium Giganteum is one of my favourite self seeding garden plants...

...it is a biennial, the seed leaves bearing no resemblance to the mature ones.

This is a first year leaf beginning to take shape...

...then in the second year it transforms into green...

...and then silvery blue Erygium Gigantium...

...commonly called 'Miss Willmotts Ghost' after the famous Edwardian Gardener who so loved the plant she use to scatter seeds when visiting other gardens.
To read more about Miss Willmott please visit Chloris Here

I think it is a plant who's life cycle is similar to the butterfly, the different stages of growth give no indication of the beauty to come.

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Tree following and Westonbirt Arboretum. (July)

The tree following Acer negundo Flamingo has put on a lot of growth since last month...

...with a lot more white in the leaves it lightens up this area of the garden and is a pleasing contrast to the trees behind...

...the leaves are very attractive viewed up close...

...some with more shades of pink than others...

...especially the young growing tip. 

Continuing with the tree theme, on Monday we visited Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, based in Gloucestershire, three miles from the Cotswold market town of Tetbury.

The quote below is from their website:

"The historic, Victorian picturesque landscape and internationally important tree and shrub collection is managed by the Forestry Commission and supported by the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum.

The 15,000 labelled trees (around 2,500 different types of tree) come from Britain, China, North America, Japan, Chile and other temperate climates. Planting started in the 1850s by Robert Holford; the rich Victorian landowner to whom the Westonbirt estate belonged.

Within the 17 miles of accessible paths and five national collections, children become young adventurers, adults connect with trees through guided walks, workshops, self-led trails or volunteering.

Westonbirt Arboretum consists of three main areas. The Old Arboretum (a dog free area) is a carefully designed landscape dating from the 1850s offering beautiful vistas, stately avenues and trees from around the world.

Silk Wood is an ancient, semi-natural woodland which has exotic plantings throughout its landscape, whilst the Grade I registered Downs hosts species-rich grassland and is a great picnicking location."

You enter through the new Welcome Building walking through the Grade 1 registered Downs...

...we walked around the Old Arboretum, Westonbirt is world renowned for its Acer collection.

Acer palmatum 'Westonbirt Red'

A. palmatum 'Hessei'

A. argutum 'Sharpe-toothed Maple'

The leaves certainly live up to its name.

Rhododendron 'Loderi Seedling'... 

...with attractive red bark.

 
The common Oak Quercus Robur, with some unusual growths on the trunk, does anyone know what they are, there was no explanation on the label...

...Taxus baccata, Common Yew, they always look so ancient and usually are...

...the Rhododendron 'Martin Hope Sutton' with its petals providing a colourful woodland carpet...

From a distance I would never of guessed this tree was...

...an Hydrangea, H. heteromalla, until you see the flowers up close...

...nor that this tree is a Rhododendron...

...R. Viscosum "Swamp Honeysuckle," the scent was wonderful, thankfully not at all swamp like.

A team was preparing this area for a music concert by McBusted on the 12th July, they now hold several similar events during the year.

I think the new Welcome Building was built with these events in mind, talking to visitors on the day it is not popular due to its distance from the picnic and cafe area making access difficult for the less able visitors.

You can read more about Westonbirt Here

Please visit Loose and Leafy Here to see what other tree followers are posting for July.

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