pleasure in watching the bees

There is a lot of pleasure in watching the bees on the traditional ‘cottage garden’ plants. I also love that many of these plants loved by the bees -

the fox gloves, aquilegia, holly hocks, borage etc. need no particular care, happily come back year after year and can grow on the borders and spaces in the veg patch.

Sadly there are fewer numbers and types of bee in my garden that I used to see as a child.

 The first buds are showing on one of the dark orange Heleniums and I'm impatient for the pleasure they will bring when they open. There is also a salvia in the most glorious shade of dark blue and I've set it so that it can be seen just beyond the Heleniums. Fire and sparks, I call those colours and I love them. Later, a 2m tall pink salvia will join the mix and clash wonderfully. Lots of colours, all of them at once is how I like it. Some may call that vulgar, to me it's unfettered joyfulness.