Late Summer

There are a number of signs that autumn is not far off: the mornings are noticeably cooler; the nights are drawing in; there are glossy black berries on the Elder; the leaves on the Tree Spinach are starting to turn; and there are spiders' webs everywhere.

This weekend I've harvested Coriander, Physallis and Tomato Whippersnapper seeds and the Fennel isn't far behind. I pricked out Chives, Parsley and Hesperis and the Wallflowers and Aquilegias will be next.

This has been my best year ever for Cucumbers and Raspberries, the Tomatoes have also been good (although I won't growing 'Tumbling Tom' again as the flavour is poor) but I only got two Beetroots which was disappointing. I'm still pondering what to grow as my 'experimental edible' next year but I suspect it will probably be another fruit, as these seem to do much better in containers than vegetables.

I had a trip to my local nursery yesterday and picked up some bargains. First was Cordyline 'Torbay Red' shown in the photo. I've long fancied owning one and I love the colour of the leaves of this particular variety. It was only £5 and I think it looks rather good in this terracotta container. I've put it in the semi-shaded border (a bit of a risk as they like full sun) to add some autumn/winter colour. If it looks unhappy I'll move it to the sunny patio.

I was looking for plants for winter hanging baskets to complement the Pansies I've grown from seed, but I couldn't find anything suitable. So it looks as though I'll have to use the existing grasses and greenery again and refresh the compost. But as I wandered around I couldn't resist a few of their 99p herbs and bought a Salvia 'hot lips', another Monarda didyma and to my absolute delight a Myrtle in full bud! I also picked up an unnamed Hebe which has purple stems and young leaves.

I hit lucky in the container section too as many were half price. I wanted six for my plant stand and I managed to find five of the right size and colour. I decided to get them anyway in the hope I'll be able to pick up another one to match on a future visit.

Finally, I couldn't resist a wander around the spring bulbs. I think the shorter varieties look best in containers and I already have plenty saved from last year but I was certain I could squeeze in a few more. So I bought Narcissus Spring Dawn (a nice early variety), Narcissus Bellsong (one of my favourites) and Tulip Freeman, a nice apricot colour with the added bonus of fragrance.

Georgie

Super harvest time

This was my harvest a few days back and I've been picking pretty much the same amount every other day with the exception of the ridge Cucumbers which are much slower than the crystal lemon varieties. I've also been picking quite a few Raspberries but these never make it as far as the kitchen!

Apart from harvesting, my time in the garden at the moment is dedicated mainly to watering, dead-heading and cutting back. My Primroses and Buddleia are enjoying a second flush of flowers and rather late in the year, the Allium tuberosum is now out.

So there's not a lot to keep me occupied which is why I've taken up playing Farm Ville on Facebook. It's a bit of fun but rather addictive - so it's just as well I've only just discovered the game now I reckon!

Georgie

A passion for Passifloras

I just love Passifloras and this 'caerulea' is now five years old. It grows through the Forsythia and arches over wires to the shed and fence, attracting bees and hoverflies and producing the most lovely orange fruits.

Georgie

Wildlife friendly garden update

I made this insect house yesterday. It's an old terracotta wine bottle cooler, stuffed with hollow twigs and canes of various diameters, wedged into the forsythia about 60cm off the ground above the log pile and pond. (An old 2 litre water bottle would work just as well but I think the terracotta is more aesthetic.) I'm hoping that lacewings, ladybirds and possibly solitary bees will like it and make it their home for the winter.

I think it's safe to say that using peat-free compost has been a success as my Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Physallis have grown as well this year as they did last year: I just wish is was easier to got hold of supplies. And I still haven't been able to source a peat-free seed and cutting compost either so once I'd run out of leaf mould I had to resort to JI No. 1.

There is no doubt that bees love my garden but my attempt to attract a wider variety of butterflies has failed miserably. As I don't grow brassicas the whites are always welcome but it would be nice to have some of the prettier ones too. That said, I do have some lovely little day flying moths so I guess I'll have to be satisfied with them.

The wildlife pond, after a promising start, has also been a disappointment. Yes, there are frogs in the garden, I see the odd one and find their droppings everywhere, but little else seems to have taken up residence and the pond plants have been pretty unspectacular too: the Caltha palustris died; Veronica beccabunga only flowered for a very short time; and I've had no flowers/seed heads on the Typha minima.

To end on an upbeat Mr and Mrs wood pigeon still visit at least twice a day and other birds are using the feeders although I rarely see them. And something is nesting in the Ivy - possibly blackbirds, although I've only heard noises so far.

Georgie

Another reorganisation

The patio plants were looking a bit dull because the Lilies have gone over, the Heliotropes are taking an age to come into full flower and the French Lavenders have not grown anywhere near as big as I'd expected, so I decided to have a reorganisation. So I moved the pots of Lilies and Lavender, put the Skimmias in their place, put Hyssop, a purple Chilli and Basil in front of them, then the Heliotropes and finally a window box of blue Laurentia in the front. Flanked by the box balls and blue Fescue it all looks a lot more cheerful now.

I've had a good harvest of three Cucumbers, about a dozen Tomatoes, and lots of Raspberries and Physallis in the last few days. But on the down side the Courgette didn't survive the snail attack and the Beetroot are still at a stand still.

The trailing Rosemary cuttings have rooted well so I potted them up into individual pots today. The Parsley and Chive seedlings are almost ready to prick out as are the Wallflower seedlings and they were only sown a week ago! The young Pansies in modules are starting to flower - all yellow this time so far - and the Polemoniums and Ox-eye Daises are looking nice and sturdy. Oh and I cut the grass at long last.

Georgie

Taking it easy

This is the pretty Calendula 'Sherbet Fizz' which I managed to rescue after it was severely attacked by the slimies. I've had two flowers out so far and there are quite a few more buds to follow. So it's not going to be spectacular but it's special all the same.

August is a fairly quiet gardening month for me which means I have plenty of time to sit and watch the insects and plan for next year. Today for instance I think I saw my first ever humming bird hawk moth. That said it wasn't making a humming noise so perhaps it wasn't but it was certainly fascinating to watch on the Buddleia. There were plenty of bees and hoverflies around - the latter favouring the Fennel - and the usual white butterflies. I've even spotted a couple a native ladybirds this week which cheered me up after all the Harlequins of late.

Some of the seeds I've sown in the last couple of weeks have germinated including Ox-eye Daisies, Evening Primroses, Chives, Radish, Parsley and Spring Onion. I've potted on three French Lavender plants I grew from seed earlier this year but I have to say they are looking rather sickly. I've sown seeds of Wallflowers and Digitalis 'Tinkerbell' and newly in flower this month are Galtonia, Centratherum, Fuchsia Carmel Blue, Birds Foot Trefoil, Sunflower and Hyssop.

Tomorrow I'm going to Regents Park for a wander around and a picnic. It'll be interesting to see how their plants are fairing in this strange summer we are having in London.

Georgie

On closer inspection

Wandering around the garden first thing I was pleased to see that my first Crystal Lemon Cucumber of the season is just about ready to pick. This fruit is on the 'spare' plant I couldn't bear to throw away and it's growing in a container squeezed into the sunny border. But this set me wondering why this plant was doing so well - it's covered in small fruits - whereas the Courgette in a container next to it seems to be struggling. So I decided to pull the container out of the border for a closer look.

First I discovered that the three little fruits (each about 10cm long) had been eaten from behind. Then, moving the foliage back I spotted the main problem immediately. The slimies (snails I think) have gnawed the growing stem so that it is only about half the thickness it should be. I can't help thinking that this means that the plant isn't able to take on board as much water as it needs for the fruits to develop properly and I suspect it also explains why the leaves are so badly affected with powdery mildew. I am so cross! Anyway, I've moved the plant to 'the sanctuary' but I don't hold out much hope for it. I won't rule out growing Courgettes again next year but I'm going have to have a rethink about varieties and location.

Georgie

View from the kitchen

This is the long view of the garden taken yesterday and yes, I know the grass needs cutting! I spent most of my time weeding the driveway (again) yesterday as well as having a general tidy up, dead-heading and cutting back things like the Jasmine which has been making the most of the rain.

On the edibles front I'm harvesting Tomatoes, Physallis, Chillies, Raspberries and Alpine Strawberries and I think the first of Crystal Lemon Cucumbers will be ready in a matter of days. I'm still waiting to pick the first Courgettes and Beetroot as they both seem very slow to develop. Oh and the seed of the purple Radishes I sowed last week have germinated so I'm looking forward to trying them in a few weeks time.

Georgie