There are still some tickets available for the Herm garden walk on Thursday 8th July.  The walk is part of the summer festival Floral Guernsey week and is being run in conjunction with the Royal Horticultural Society.  Join head gardener Brett Moore and assistant gardener James Cordingley for a private tour of the exotically planted gardens of Herm Island. Catch the 4.15pm boat to Herm and start the guided walk at 5pm.  Included in the ticket price is a 3-course meal in the Ship Inn at 7pm.  Please wear sturdy footwear. Prices: RHS members £30.00 non members £36.00 Book by 07/07/2010 by phoning the White House Hotel 01481 750075

If you can’t make the garden walk here’s a few photos of what’s happening in the flora and fauna department!

Dragon Arum Dracunculus vulgaris

This plant is a tuberous perennial which is fully hardy despite looking exotic. It is grown for its beautiful flower which can be up to 35 cm long and is maroon purple in colour. The flower stays open for only 4 – 5 days. On one of those days it produces an unpleasant fragrance to attract flies for pollination. It prefers lots of sun and well-drained soil as it originates from the Eastern Mediterranean.  This one is flowering outside ‘Foxglove’, cottage rooms which are part of The White House Hotel.

 

Common restharrow Ononis repens

In the days before tractors, restharrow was annoying to the arable farmer. Its matted stems and deep roots slowed the progress of a horse-drawn plough or harrow. There was another reason why restharrow was disliked by the farmers: it tainted the milk, butter and cheese. The leaves when crushed give off a strong, unpleasant, goatlike smell and cattle that eat the leaves give tainted milk!  This one is flowering near Robert’s Cross.

This puffball, a distinctive white fungus ball was spotted under some leaves at the side of The Drive.  In the UK they are most commonly found between July and November.  The fungi is a white ball shape with almost no stalk, on average 10 to 30 cms diameter although rare examples have been recorded at over 1 metre in diameter ! A large example will provide food for several people but as with all fungi must be picked and eaten while fresh, the white flesh quickly turning yellow and then green as it decomposes.  (Apply all fungi rules if you decide to eat a puff ball!)  This one wasn’t there for long – I wonder if someone took it to eat!

 Out for a walk across the common I saw this snail hanging on for its life to some bracken!  Nature is a wonderful thing and I think this selection of photos (all taken in the past 7 days) show that Herm is a good place to get close to nature!