The red European poppies were flowering in the fields on road verges for most of last month, but I’ve posted about poppies every April and May, here and here; this year there is something else red flowering in the fields all around the house. Do you remember that a few years ago almost every show garden at Chelsea had red clover (Trifolium incarnatum)? The farmers here must have been inspired (I jest – this has always been a planted to improve the soil and I think make good hay for the sheep and cows (not absolutely sure about that).
Trifolium incarnatum with Vetch
Trifolium incarnatum
ploughed soil and a line of clover
St. Bernard’s Lily Anthericum liliago
This delicate looking plant was growing wild in my friends garden; if it were in mine I’d move some to a border where they could be enjoyed.
Above and below:
While visiting a friend’s garden I saw a plant I’ve heard of but never seen before, Cerinthe major is well known in its purple form but the wild yellow form is never planted in gardens as far as I know.
Cerinthe
With all the rain this year so far, I’m thinking of renaming 2013 as the year of the snail! I have many more than normal in my garden this year, but nothing like the number my friend has in hers; these are all gathered on one poor rose bud.
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Isn’t it nice something so good for the soil can also be so attractive. I saw a nice field of red clover adjacent to a nearby farm where I bought strawberries in April and had to just stand there and admire it.
I’ve been taking this road to enjoy the view whenever possible. Christina
Such a beautiful red, particularly lovely in swathes across the fields.
I’d never seen the yellow form of cerinthe before; lovely and fresh in the wild like this.
I have some ornamental clover in my garden, they are even self seeding discreetly and with my pleasure. We don’t have wild clover that deep coloured and big flowered like those in your pics, they are a real show!
Totally agree with you about snails, if ever the heat and drought of the last two years had decreased their ‘population’, things have definitely changed since last fall. Fortunately I have to admit I didn’t see as much slugs as snails, if I ever had to chose I’d pick the latter.
I suppose I would choose snails over slugs too! Christina
Wild flowers en masse are so beautiful and are a joy to drive past. The clover looks wonderful, much nicer than the lurid yellow of rape seed which we have to put up with!
Mi consola il fatto che qualcuno apprezzi ciò di cui io farei volentieri a meno….
Non uso veleni contro le lumache, ma i rimedi naturali non sono serviti a nulla.
Sono troppe!!! Anche due volte al giorno devo fare il giro del giardino e rimuoverle manualmente!
Anna Maria
Devi insegnare i ragazzi a farlo! Christina
Many blushing fields around here, too. I had less success in trying red clover as a cover crop so now I just enjoy it on drives through the country. The snail shot is downright scary.
The snails are just terrible this year, after all the rain. Christina
That red clover is so beautiful, it is another plant I want if I could only find the right space. I know at least one online retailer that sells Trifolium incarnatum in pots for gardens.
I don’t imagine that it is difficult from seed either. Christina
Yuck, those snails! Wonderful to see massed clover like that.
The red clover looks beautiful in your photograph. I’ve never noticed it like that but I will look out for it now. I’d love to try some yellow cerinthe in the garden as the purple stuff is lo popular with the bees.
I’ll try to get some seeds, if I do I’ll send you some, Christina
Thank you. I would love to try some in the garden – Amelia
OK, I’ll try to get some seed for both of us. Christina
ugh Christina those snails, my ‘like’ of this post is minus the last photo, we don’t get snails here aparently because there is nothing for them to make their shells, get very big ugly slugs though!
I thought I would do the worst first, love the clover and the wild cerinthe, I get a different red clover the one with the purple flowers much loved by bees and things, which I engourage,
the lily is beautiful and like you I would move to a border and encourage, like I encourage my wild purple orchids, Frances
I ‘encourage’ the red clover not engourage it!
I’ve never thought about there not being snails in certain places because of the lack of material to make their shells, that’s very interesting. My soil isn’t chalky but I have a lot of snails and some huge slugs, but not so many. Christina
Christina, I hadn’t thought about it until I moved here, it’s so different in many ways and for people here who move south on the mainland it’s the same in reverse if you get me, Frances
I always thought that sluga and snails needed moisture to be able to move around – more about this in a post soon! Christina
The fields are breathtaking, but,oh, dear! I didn’t look close at first, and I was wondering what sort of plant produces such odd, striped buds. I have never seen a cluster of snails like that!
That clover is so beautiful, now I want to grow it. Have grown the purple blue cerinthe but the yellow is lovely.
The fields are beautiful…I’m not seen any red clover grown in New England. I heard of problems with snails but a cluster like that can cause so much damage to a garden.
This year there have been so many snails! Christina
Oh all those yucky snails…poor plant. that red clover is lovely. I grow white and tall pink and not ny choice…hard to get rid of these but the critters love them.
I don’t know if it would be easy to irradiate the red one if you didn’t want it. Christina
Sheerly beautiful imagery of red clover in the field. So enjoyed experiencing them. Kudos, my dear.