On the site once occupied by Shipley Hall, there are several large planters, tended by the Derbyshire Council and filled with various flowering shrubs. among those in flower right now, a couple caught our eye the other day. Firstly was one of the Carrot family and a great favourite with the insects. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a useful plant in the kitchen and no less useful in the herbaceous border.
The flower heads are typical of the Carrot family with large, flat-topped umbels of tiny flowers. what sets the Fennel apart from the majority of it's cousins is the yellow colour - most of the family have white ones.
The fragrant Fennel plants were only surpassed by the fragrance emanating from a white Honeysuckle plant growing nearby. The heady scent was also being enjoyed by Hoverflies and Bees.
A large-flowered Geranium was showing it's colour close by. The pale blue-purple colour of this cutivated form of Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense) made a nice splash of colour in the planters. But the bees weren't interested.
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