Butterflies

Today I finally divided my Sedum spectable 'Ice plant'. It's a late flowering sedum, so extends the times butterflies can feed in my garden. I don't think I've ever seen a butterfly on it, but never mind. Each year brings new hope. There's also a chance goldfinches will come for the seeds, but I haven't spotted them either. Hey ho. Water gathers among the leaves and that must surely be useful to something.

In this photo it's surrounded by last years seed heads, weeds and grass.

It's needed dividing for a few years - it spreads out and leaves a gapping hole in the middle. The (mythical) butterflies and goldfinches won't mind but they do have to share the garden with me.

I've pulled out all of last years dead seedheads, and with them come 'new' plants as Sedum is stupidly easy to grow - break off a leaf and it'll grow roots - when pulling out the stems there's usually a 6" plant attached, already rooted. In fact, some baby plants have spread themselves out a bit anyway. Last year when I pulled out the dead heads I just poked them into holes in the front garden (north facing) and they're all growing away like crazy.

Once I'd very messily divided the main plant, I put the new half back in the ground a short distance away - it's looking a bit sorry for itself as it fell on its head then Fred attacked it. I gathered up all the baby plants and put them in a hole together as well. I'm sure it will survive! I'v kept them close rather than spreading them around the garden as sometimes 'volume of plant' can help encourage wildlife that has ignored it before. It's a very forgiving plant - it's forgiven me many years of neglect, so I do recommend it for any wildlife garden.


You can see the three plants in the photo, along with the bag of waste! Normally I compost, but my heap has also been neglected, due to me moving it to a spot that is now inaccessible behind some (also neglected) clematis.

It will perk up after a while, so I hope to update with some new photos later in the year.



And as this is the tadpole diaries, here they are, mobbing together and blowing bubbles in the bath pond, and more visible as individuals in the bigger pond.