Garden Blog – Getting your eye in

Via the wonders of email I had heard about flowers on one of the tulip trees at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.  Now, I understand that this was a ‘first time event’ and presumably this was the said tree reaching maturity.  Better go and have a look.  I have seen the flowers on other trees, in other places and, to be fair, they are well worth a look.  Where’s the tree?  On the side of the Broadwalk.  Ok, we need to check that there are leaflets where there are supposed to be leaflets so we will look for the flowers at the same time.  Good idea!   When we, ie my fellow volunteer and I, got outside – in the sunshine – we decided that we would go and look for the butterfly orchids in the wild flower meadow.

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There were loads of flowers.  The yellow rattle was still there, as was the great burnet, knapweed, tiny little eyebright, clovers, thistles and others.  It was lovely.  We were told that there were loads of butterfly orchids so we expected them to leap out at us which, of course, they didn’t.  It was one of those ‘perhaps we’re not in the right place moments’.  “We just need to get our eye in” I told my companion.  Then we did and saw some of these beautiful white orchids.

Down to the entrance to Waun Las National Nature Reserve to make sure that the leaflets were in place.  There were some there although the container was on the ground.  Tim says that the cows use the sign as a scratching post and they sometimes dislodge the box.  We put it back, filled it up and went on our way.  Down to the Sculpture Garden – more leaflets (different ones) and then on to the Broadwalk.  Now I (Mrs Know-it-all) knew where the tulip tree was didn’t I; only it wasn’t where I thought it was and I did know what I was looking for.  We didn’t give up and there it was, almost where I thought it was but we couldn’t see any flowers.  Then we spotted some amongst the leaves but sadly they had seen better days and were past their best.  Later on when showing the tree to my husband he walked around the other side of the tree and there were more flowers in better condition.

Later on that day, still in search mode, I coaxed my husband to come with me to look for the whorled caraway which neither of us had seen before.  We were given good directions and off we went for our first sighting of the plant.  Could we see it? – no we couldn’t.  Not at first.  Then we ‘got our eye in‘ and it was everywhere.  We were delighted.  Everything we looked for – we found and on top of all that, on our way back to the car, we saw a kingfisher flying fast and low over the lake.  What a good day.

Pam Murden

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