Open Day

The parterre at Old Allangrange

We are busy preparing for the next  charity open garden day, here at Old Allangrange on the 1st of September.  Details are available here if you would like to visit  https://scotlandsgardens.org/old-allangrange/

In between the showers the sun has shone and there is still plenty of colour in the garden, especially in the parterre.

Preparations

The pleached lime trees have been given a severe haircut to reduce them in height.  It has been hard work as the branches are too thick for hedge trimmers so we have resorted to loppers, secateurs and much muscle power.  The aim is to be able to prune them from the ground without the aid of a tractor, scaffolding or even a ladder.  They look like shorter, neat hedges on stilts now.   Except for  one tuft which has been left to allow a defiant, stubborn pigeon to sit on her empty nest depsite her brood fledging.

Bumblebees

Carder bee enjoying the sun

Bombus magnus on the left is native to the Scottish Highlands

The garden is alive with pollinators.  We have been observing bumblebees and trying to capture them in photographs.  A few different types have been spotted.  If you have seen a few different bumblebees in your garden but are uncertain what they are, you can identify them here https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/