Annual Flower Meadow

[Catherine]

These were taken at Stewart's Annual Flower Meadow at the New Forest and Hampshire Show last Wednesday.

The flowers were really lovely - and both the insects and I were attracted to the Poppies in particular!

[Chocky]

Nice collection there Catherine. Very pretty ..........And the Hovefrly

[Catherine]

Thanks, Beryl!

I love the wonderful colours of Poppies, the strength of the reds, yet the see-through fragility of their petals!

[Chocky]

I love to see flowers in a park rather than cut in a vase . some how it's like keeping a bird wild in a cage

[Eddy Lerpiniere]

Lovely, wish I could have made it there myself just to see them for real

[rolf]

Some cracking shots there Catherine, what a shame that flower meadows are such a rare sight.

[ladylouise62]

Oh, they are so beautiful Catherine!!
I agree with Rolf, that it's sad that you just don't get to see this in 'the wild' anymore. Although I'm not particularly a pink lover I am really taken by the pale pink poppy - It's a wonderful colour, a real sugar-pink... but not one solid colour.

Thanks for showing us those, Catherine.

[Catherine]

Glad you like them folks! Thanks for your kind comments!

Apparently, they tried to plant a REAL wildflower meadow one year, but it was neither as successful nor as colourful as the 'annuals' one. Yes, there ARE some wild flowers in it, but there are also many 'cultivated' annual poppies, cornflowers and lychnis, etc. It was really wonderful to see, and although I may not have shown it, was alive with insects of all kinds - Bumble Bees, Hoverflies, Butterflies, etc.

Stewart's (who run a big garden centre at our side of Christchurch) were selling their seed mix to anyone there. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of where we could possibly sow an annual meadow. Our garden is just too small.