Well, you didn't think I could keep away, did you? If my poor old plants can struggle on despite having their roots practically rotting whilst their buds whither from an almost continual bashing by heavy downpours - well, I can at least tell you about them, can't I?
Let's do all the bad news first.
The potatoes are nearly all suffering and I know when we dig them up each spud will have a coating of scab. The peas, who usually love the rain, are yellowing up because they are totally waterlogged. This year's crop of raspberries has been very poor - of course it doesn't stop the chickens hopping up and down in brave attempts to dislodge those red jewels from their settings. Many a time I've seen Mrs Bun pull half a raspberry from the stem and then hop up again to break off the remaining half and wolf it down. We've always shared the raspberries with the hens because I think it gives them some interest as well as a little exercise so the bottom few have been the property of the chickens whilst anything from 15 inches up has been human fodder. However, I'm finding that the few we have just don't want to ripen up very well and then they seem to get mould on them within a day. I've not had enough to make a summer pudding again but there are a couple each day ripe for the picking.
The alpine strawberries have not been touched by the chicks; not sure why but they have been allowed to come to fruition and are scarlet dots in amongst the lush green leaves of the plant. The red currants are taking forever to ripen although they are slowly getting there. The new cherry has withered and died but the apple, bought the same time but placed at the top of the garden, is doing well.The box edging around the herbs is filling out nicely and so far, touch wood, Luke's tomatoes have resisted the blight although I do not know how long they will hold out for - it seems inevitable.
The hens are enjoying being in the garden though, we've enjoyed a good few bird visits here as so many young birds use the peanut and seed feeders as a ready source of energy. How does this benefit our girls? Well, the wild birds are messy eaters so our four hang about underneath the feeders and have the crumbs from the feeders. Very canny. We've had three sightings this afternoon of an august russet breasted Bullfinch. What a very handsome visitor he is and I'm transfixed each time he makes an appearance, clinging to the rose stem or perching on a plant.
The roses continue to produce a mass of buds although many of the flowers have dropped off without being able to open - just a cushion of soggy petals bound tightly together before they fall.
This morning, before the latest downpour which had me running to collect the week's washing from the line before it was completely soaked, I planted up Luke's favourite Salvia; Paten's Blue. It's a rich, bright blue and startles people with it's bold, almost gentian colour. We had a lonely spot in what used to be the monochrome corner before it kept surprising me with stray random pinks and purples. Now I just am grateful if anything pushes through the bog-like soil.
Having visited a lavender farm yesterday, Luke returned home with three new lavenders for the garden. Lavender should be the easiest thing to grown and cultivate but I seem to kill everyone of my lavenders if I get anywhere near them. I am thinking of just keeping them for a few years without cutting back as, no matter how frugal my trimming is (and I never cut into the old wood) I seem to finish them off. So I have a huge one in the front garden that I will try to take cuttings from before pulling it and it's woody stems up in a couple of years and a lovely butterfly one by the greenhouse door that should see me good for a few more years. The knives though, are not out for this plant. I shall let it keep it's head and spread itself freely before replacing with a newer plant once it's got too straggly. Look how good the field of lavender looks though....
Beautiful, isn't it?
They also had a wild flower meadow which put my teeny patch to shame. Here's how it's done!
I am so envious!
We did have a very quick wander through a field down the bottom of the hill from us. Within minutes the weather had turned and we had to nip back pretty sharpish to the safety of the car.
Most of the plants I bought earlier this year are now half price in the sale because there is so much unsold but I'm fine about paying full price for my feather Bronze Fennel. I'm always pleased to reacquaint myself with the Giant Scabiosa - a tall, bobbing yellow flower head on a long bendy stem - the flowers are as tall as I am. Sadly, my plant is pushed into a corner and is not expanding but I may well buy another and leave that one where it is (but that is for next year).
The gypsophilia around the large agapanthus is like a froth of cappuccino foam and really brightens up that little bed. I lost two of the plants I put there but this one plant makes up for any disappointment.
We have lots to do in the front garden although the two wooden steps down from the elevated decking to the grass have both split and cannot be used now. The beautiful, Crown Princess Margarita roses are doing me proud (I bought them as a tribute to my father after he died and they always make me think of him when I see their bright apricot flowers grouped together.) My plan is to remove the misshapen and half dead conifer one side of the decking entrance and to replace it with a mirror image of the planting on the other side; a honeysuckle, rose and lavender although with this temperamental weather this will almost certainly not be happening this month.
On a more optimistic note I have today removed the electric blanket from the bed. I am currently wearing a woollen jumper and there hasn't been an evening without the wood burner going but I am hoping we are getting towards more seasonal weather. Well, you've gotta have hope, haven't you?
Let's do all the bad news first.
The potatoes are nearly all suffering and I know when we dig them up each spud will have a coating of scab. The peas, who usually love the rain, are yellowing up because they are totally waterlogged. This year's crop of raspberries has been very poor - of course it doesn't stop the chickens hopping up and down in brave attempts to dislodge those red jewels from their settings. Many a time I've seen Mrs Bun pull half a raspberry from the stem and then hop up again to break off the remaining half and wolf it down. We've always shared the raspberries with the hens because I think it gives them some interest as well as a little exercise so the bottom few have been the property of the chickens whilst anything from 15 inches up has been human fodder. However, I'm finding that the few we have just don't want to ripen up very well and then they seem to get mould on them within a day. I've not had enough to make a summer pudding again but there are a couple each day ripe for the picking.
The alpine strawberries have not been touched by the chicks; not sure why but they have been allowed to come to fruition and are scarlet dots in amongst the lush green leaves of the plant. The red currants are taking forever to ripen although they are slowly getting there. The new cherry has withered and died but the apple, bought the same time but placed at the top of the garden, is doing well.The box edging around the herbs is filling out nicely and so far, touch wood, Luke's tomatoes have resisted the blight although I do not know how long they will hold out for - it seems inevitable.
The hens are enjoying being in the garden though, we've enjoyed a good few bird visits here as so many young birds use the peanut and seed feeders as a ready source of energy. How does this benefit our girls? Well, the wild birds are messy eaters so our four hang about underneath the feeders and have the crumbs from the feeders. Very canny. We've had three sightings this afternoon of an august russet breasted Bullfinch. What a very handsome visitor he is and I'm transfixed each time he makes an appearance, clinging to the rose stem or perching on a plant.
The roses continue to produce a mass of buds although many of the flowers have dropped off without being able to open - just a cushion of soggy petals bound tightly together before they fall.
This morning, before the latest downpour which had me running to collect the week's washing from the line before it was completely soaked, I planted up Luke's favourite Salvia; Paten's Blue. It's a rich, bright blue and startles people with it's bold, almost gentian colour. We had a lonely spot in what used to be the monochrome corner before it kept surprising me with stray random pinks and purples. Now I just am grateful if anything pushes through the bog-like soil.
Having visited a lavender farm yesterday, Luke returned home with three new lavenders for the garden. Lavender should be the easiest thing to grown and cultivate but I seem to kill everyone of my lavenders if I get anywhere near them. I am thinking of just keeping them for a few years without cutting back as, no matter how frugal my trimming is (and I never cut into the old wood) I seem to finish them off. So I have a huge one in the front garden that I will try to take cuttings from before pulling it and it's woody stems up in a couple of years and a lovely butterfly one by the greenhouse door that should see me good for a few more years. The knives though, are not out for this plant. I shall let it keep it's head and spread itself freely before replacing with a newer plant once it's got too straggly. Look how good the field of lavender looks though....
They also had a wild flower meadow which put my teeny patch to shame. Here's how it's done!
We did have a very quick wander through a field down the bottom of the hill from us. Within minutes the weather had turned and we had to nip back pretty sharpish to the safety of the car.
The gypsophilia around the large agapanthus is like a froth of cappuccino foam and really brightens up that little bed. I lost two of the plants I put there but this one plant makes up for any disappointment.
We have lots to do in the front garden although the two wooden steps down from the elevated decking to the grass have both split and cannot be used now. The beautiful, Crown Princess Margarita roses are doing me proud (I bought them as a tribute to my father after he died and they always make me think of him when I see their bright apricot flowers grouped together.) My plan is to remove the misshapen and half dead conifer one side of the decking entrance and to replace it with a mirror image of the planting on the other side; a honeysuckle, rose and lavender although with this temperamental weather this will almost certainly not be happening this month.
On a more optimistic note I have today removed the electric blanket from the bed. I am currently wearing a woollen jumper and there hasn't been an evening without the wood burner going but I am hoping we are getting towards more seasonal weather. Well, you've gotta have hope, haven't you?
No comments:
Post a Comment