It is beautiful, isn't it? I would love to let it all flower, and have a carpet of starry blue flowers above the grey-green frond-like leaves. But we strimmed it. Or rather, I let my husband do the dirty deed while I turned my back and dug another part of the plot, unable to watch the carnage.
I know, I need to get a grip. It's only green manure. And it may flower again. I asked for only partial carnage, just taking off most of the flowers so that we don't end up with rampant Phacelia, and leaving a few for the bees to be going on with.
A before and after shot of the whole area would have been good, but there are times when you're working so hard that you forget about anything other than the task in hand. That's what I like about having an allotment - total concentration, even to the extent of forgetting to feed the blog habit.
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7 comments:
It does look lovely, but will give you endless extra work if you leave it to it.
I've just read back through some of your posts on green manure. Let's see if I have it right--you sow it after harvesting your food crop, cut off the flowers to compost them and keep them from self sowing, then dig in the rest of the plant to enrich the soil (which the plant itself has already helped by being a legume)--right? I am impressed by your organization and by your devotion to the soil.
You have bees? I saw a bee visiting my vitex (Texas lilac, or chastity tree) the other day. It was a memorable moment because he was the only bee I had seen all summer. Something has gone badly wrong with the bees...
I wonder if the lack of pollination is why my tomatoes and melons have lots of flowers, but little fruit. I know so little about gardening in this desert land!
It's really pretty - I don't blame your for turning your back. LOL It almost looks like something I found in my garden last year and everyone said it was Cleome but it's pink. I was so disappointed it didn't come back this year.
I can see why you wanted to keep the flowers a bit longer: they look lovely. I am unfamiliar with this plant. Wouldn't mind trying it just for the flowers.
Bees? I know where they went: into my bathroom. Thousands of them swarm into our home each year. Very unnerving, sitting comfortably and suddenly realizing that thousands of eyes are staring at you. Makes one jumpy at the wrong moment, I can tell you.
I have never heard of this plant. Clover crops and rye are plowed under for nutrients over here.
lovely indeed~
That is a pretty bloom! I keep thinking about planting a green manure crop, but haven't gotten it done. I did plant a lot of peas and green beans to add nitrogen to the soil, and thought even if I didn't get a crop, it would be good for the soil, but the rabbits ate them all down to the ground.
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