Rats, runners and the first cyclamen
There's so much going on I'm not sure where to start. Here follows the bullet point approach to blogging
- tomatoes: usual story, plants pressed against the roof, some but not many tomatoes
- runner beans: a glut beyond gluttony
- carrots: large, firm, carroty. A collection of worthy contenders for Blackadder's 'most offensive carrot' competition
- peppers and chillies: lots, but still green and I want them red
- pumpkins: defeated the snails, but still small (I planted a baby variety - what do you expect!)
- sunflowers: where's there survival instinct? 7ft high and still no flower. Come on guys!
Other stuff:
- shade tunnel: ground clearance is complete, weed control sheeting is down. As the pictures show I've moved the plants in already, but the tunnel is interestingly absent...
- behind the wall: OH wants a 'garden furniture shed'. There's posh
- the 2" diameter tunnel that's appeared under the box hedge is a rat tunnel, by common BBC gardening MB consensus
- the cyclamen are flowering amongst the leaves of the geranium striatum that I bought earlier this year. A perfect case of the flower 'borrowing' the leaves of another plant.
The first cyclamen of autumn, dressed in borrowed clothes from geranium striatum
The shade tunnel in progress
Proper wet...
Another 18mm today - that's 37mm in three days. It's dropped cooler as well, and the crab apples have coloured up on the tree next door, giving the first hint of the reds and yellows of autumn to come.
Our summer of exam stress is over - H1 got into Manchester University and H2 got the GCSE grades she needed and is into Winstanley College - along with all her close friends. Joy - and relief.
Much needed rain
We had half an inch of the wet stuff overnight. Would have been absolutely fine - except that we left out a load of garden furniture and the rear seats from my car which are soaked through.
The second big garden party for this summer has done its worst and there are now three near bald patches on the lawn. I don't really care - it will recover over winter.
Dee from the BBC Message Board has very generously sent me three packets of seeds to try out; Freesia laxa, Papaver atlanticum semi-plena and a Dierama - possibly trichorhizu. All three are plants I've never grown so something new to look forward to for next year.
And, finally but importantly, I am booked to do my RHS General at Reaseheath College on day release from September. Can't tell you how much I'm going to enjoy it.
Aerial view
Not of our garden but of the Wales/Cheshire border from a friend's microlight. Had an hour's flight tonight, so no gardening, but a great way to see into other peoples' back gardens. So many trampolines!
Cheshire from 1500 feet
Great for the garden, shame about the cricket
Over an inch of rain here yesterday - so the garden is lush and green. Just a shame Old Trafford got exactly the same. Question is, can England bowl the Aussies out in one day. Touch and go...
Seed exchanging
I've sent some meconopsis grandis 'Lingholm' seeds to 'Dee' from the BBC Gardening MB and have a lucky dip to come by way of exchange. I like this idea - never done it before. I'm going to start keeping a list of seed I have and invite swap suggestions. Must have a look at the html on this blog and see if I can figure out how to add it on.
Mood change...
The garden feels like it's at a turning point. In the borders, everything that is going to flower this year has now done so, though some will repeat for a few weeks yet. All that remains to come anew are seeds, leaf colour and berries, and there's no small joy in that. But the sense of urgency to plant, sow and weed has gone. Jobs can be done or not done, it doesn't matter that much now as the garden has assumed its final form for this summer. I actually just sat in the garden and read a book yesterday, undisturbed by the mental 'to do' list for once.
Still lots of action in the veg area - pulled a couple of dozen red onions yesterday and more french beans and beetroot. The runner beans are just starting and the tomatoes are turning. The late summer harvest is under way.
Colour combinations
As the summer matures so stronger colours and more contrasty combinations seem to work ever better. In May, purple and orange together in a display of primulas looks unpleasantly artificial. In August it's different. The clear light and shortening days somehow make it right. Below are some combinations snapped this morning which seem to work particularly well.
My reliable agapanthus and the Tatton pelargonium above the pond
The crosmia arrived by itself. I cut the cotinus back hard every year to keep it shrub sized.
Verbena bonariensis and the crocosmia that was here when we moved in.
More cuttings
Flush with my success at rooting Ann Folkard and my acer palmatum atropurpureum (joy!), I've taken another batch of cuttings from various plants around the garden. What I should really do is take proper records of cutting type, compost used etc. But I can't really be bothered. Seems best to just stick them in a mix of compost and sand and see what takes.
I think I'd like a shade tunnel though to grown them on in. Easy to build your own (apparently), using short metal poles and that grey plastic tubing stuff that plumbers use, covered with shade netting. So the autumn plan is:
Clear the junk patch behind the Sorbus and build a shade tunnel. Plant up all the rooted cuttings and pot them on in there. Clear the polytunnel for more tender cuttings and try and introduce some undersoil heating.
more pics...
The white scabious was bought from Tatton. I thought it looked more like my centaura than a scabious, but the Polish standholder assured me it's a true scabious.
I don't know the name of the verbascum, but it looks great against the purple phormium.
After the Lord Mayor's show...
Eldest sapling's 18th went like a dream - even the weather held for us as it tipped it down 5 miles to either side. The garden did its quiet thing and framed the day beautifully. So now I've gone from a houseful to just three of us for a week with DB away. Some notes:
- Anthems EC Buxton is as good as it looked in the picture I've been eyeing for the past three years. Should have bought it before.
- The sweet peas are at the top of the fence and beginning to thin a little - must keep picking.
- the french beans are perfect for once! No mollusc damage
- the cuttings of Ann Folkhard I took have both taken - really pleased! Just got to keep them over winter
- the carmine pelargonium I bought at Tatton looks wonderful against the emerging agapanthus - it's the same colour as the Rose 'The Times which is a few yards further back. They echo each other nicely.
Anthemis EC Buxton
Geranium 'Ann Folkard'
I love the way this weaves through other plants and 'borrows' their leaves for itself. I also have two successful cuttings which I'm very pleased with.
