Lots To See

My three word gardening post finds us in the height of food production but slowing down on the flower side. I find it really tricky to have late summer flowering in the borders. I must look up how I can change this for next year.

There are however enough blooms to pinch a few for my table vase challenge. It has been going well this year and there has not been a day when I haven't had flowers in a vase on the kitchen table since XXXX The pink selection is from early August: pink roses, the first of the cosmos, cerise godetia, Gaura stems, a knautia scabious and the fuzzy flowers from a shrub called Sorbaria which I really grow for the foliage.

Things are a bit hotter last week with mini Rudbeckia, honeysuckle from the hedge, the my ever flowering Alstromera and some wild yellow toadflax.

This week I have more scabious, some sweat peas, fairy rose and a few rejects from Beth's wedding cutting sessions. I watch her cut from the field she uses at the farm - then I go out and pick up all the ones on the floor with bendy or short stems. I guess flower farmers only select the best blooms but the rest are good enough for me!

Most of my patio pots are fading now but I have one with a stunning Fuscia in which is adding a splash of colour amongst the herb pots.

Veg wise we are still eating lettuce. I have been quite good at successional sowing this year with hardly a break between varieties. We are on butterhead lettuce and sorrel leaves for salad at the moment. I sowed some more today and also ordered some winter salad seeds to try and keep going.

 

In the greenhouse things have improved. The peppers have been potted on and this has helped them to bulk up on the fruits.

Other improvements include reducing watering frequency on the tomatoes which has stopped the rot I was getting on the bottoms of the fruits. I have removed most of the leaves now so that the sun can get to ripen the trusses.

I had a few tomato plants I couldn't fit in the greenhouse so I took a punt and put them outside. They have fruits - fingers crossed for some sunshine to ripen them. On the down side lots of my veg has mildew due to the damp weather. Courgettes always look a bit sad towards the fruiting part of their cycle but the courgettes keep on coming...of course they do!

We are onto Autumn Bliss raspberries now. I highly recommend this variety, it is prolific and the fruits are fabulous to eat or freeze.

In other areas of the garden I have some new favourites. These Asters are showing their pink petals which are brightening up the front of my studio. I was given the seeds by my aunt and I am glad I spent the time pricking them out.

To complete today's garden tour lets move the front of the house. The hot bed is still looking good and the grasses are doing quite a bit of the heavy lifting here.

I have started a gravel garden around the edge of the main bed. I don't want to do lots of watering especially if the weather is going to be so erratic - I thought I would choose plants that don't need watering. It looks a bit bleak so far but as the plants spread, seed themselves and naturalise I think it will start to frame the border nicely. They need watering at the moment to establish root growth but by next year I should be able to let them do their thing.

Keeping the bed hot and fiery are the rudbeckia and a second flush of flowers on my golden celebration rose.

On the wider scale of being a small holder, Bloke has cut his hay but he is nervous. The forecast continues to warn of showers and that is no good for drying hay. Hey ho!

That was more than I thought! Hope you are enjoying the garden, maybe eating the fruits of your labour or just sitting a while with a cuppa in your favourite space.

 

Jo xxxx