 |
| Gaillardia Fanfare |
It's not been amazingly warm, or sunny up this way in July. There's not been much rain either, so I've been a slave to the watering can...
... with all the plants I've got around in pots. Mind you, it's worked keeping them watered. The Gaillardia Fanfare in the pic above has been flowering well for ages now.
 |
| Veg Bed |
The veg bed has changed a little bit. The broad beans have finished so I snipped off the stem at ground level. You leave all the roots in the ground because pea and bean roots trap nitrogen in the form of little nodules on their roots so if you leave them in the ground they nourish the soil. It's very clever. I think, overall, from the 9 Crimson Flowered Broad Bean plants I had in the bed I got about 1 standard bag of beans. But they were lovely, sweet beans, and the plants looked really good with the crimson flowers on. I think I will grow them again next year. The Lincoln Heritage Peas are finished too. I've snipped them off at ground level, same as the broad bean plants, to keep the nitrogen roots in the soil. Got a quarter of a small bag of peas from my mini row (about 80cm long). That was plenty, because I don't like peas, so it was only for the other half. He had fresh when we were having a dinner with veg, and I've frozen the rest for use whenever.
 |
| Sweetcorn Cob |
The sweetcorn are forming cobs. Not sure how well they will do though. The plants are a little short. The problem of having a small veg bed is the shadows cast by other plants in close proximity. The sweetcorn got a bit shaded out by the broad beans, and the courgette grew up a lot quicker than the sweetcorn did so they got a bit shaded out there too. When I realised what was going on, I snipped away some of the courgette leaves to let more sun in. We'll see if the sweetcorn puts a spurt on now there's more light around them. Even though they are shorter than they are supposed to be, there are flowers coming on most of the plants. I'm tapping the stems as I see the tassles forming on the cobs so hopefully the pollen from the flowers falls on them to pollinate them and make them swell. I think that's what you do. I didn't have to worry the last time I grew sweetcorn because I was growing mini corn which you pick almost as soon as the cob forms.
 |
| Tumbler F1 in hanging basket |
My tomatoes in hanging basket experiment is going ok. There is a steady supply of ripening tomatoes. Plenty enough for what we need (a few here and there in sarnies, or with omelette, or with pasta). Like I said in a previous post, the plants aren't the leafiest you'll ever see. I'm sure the baskets (10 inch) are a bit small, and I haven't been watering or feeding them enough. But, generally, tomatoes in hanging baskets is a good idea. It saves a lot of space growing them this way. I think I might invest in some 12 inch baskets next year, and maybe add another bracket underneath to use the 10 inch basket for something else.
 |
| Pond. lower lawn and new lawn edge |
In the other parts of the garden, the pond is still lovely and clear. I've added a lawn edge around the new lower lawn (I love calling it that, it makes it sound really grand, even though it's tiny) made of driveway bricks to try and keep the grass in the right place. The bit behind will be the woodland border in the bottom left corner, moving through to the bee border, and then around the pond I can't decide if I want more plants or to make a pebble beach running away from the manhole cover. Then I could disguise the manhole with a timber frame with deckboard on. Kind of like a deck pier in miniature. I'll have to look into the cost of making it up. I think it would turn into a cat sun deck. I think I will have the log edging as a border back, to try and stop the plants escaping under the fence. I'll have to secure it properly somehow, at the moment it's just resting against the fence.
 |
| Nymphaea Pygmaea Helvola |
The pond is lovely and clear still, I must have sited it just right for the amount of shade/sunlight, and there's mini eco-system developing in there with the daphnea, and snails. The water lily we bought to provide some of the 2/3rds recommended water in shade has been flowering on and off for a month. It's only a small plant at the mo, so there's only ever about 8 leaves out at any one time (the dark purple leaves are only about 5cm across, the flowers are only a bit bigger than that), and the flowers are put up on stalks, one every few days. Because the water is so clear I can see the new bud on it's way to the surface as the old flower fades. They only last a couple of days. I think they fade when they have been pollinated. Not quite sure what that means for a water lily though. It's not like they produce seed. I'll have to look into it a bit further. Gardening is fascinating. Even with the small amount of space I've got I'm always looking something up, and finding out about things.
 |
| Container plants |
My container plants, in the holding area under the kitchen window on the 'patio', are looking good. I've got houseleeks in flower, the gaillardia is still going strong, the french lavender is just about to flower, replacing the Hidcote lavender that is just finishing, and there is a sedum and some achillea just about to flower too.
 |
| Mystery plant |
This is one of the plants in the container pots. Not sure what it is though. I've put in an ID request on the Gardeners Corner forum. They usually come up with the goods over there. They're very good at spotting plants.
 |
| Verbena Bonariensis |
The Verbena Bonariensis I bought earlier in the year has just started flowering down in Compost Corner (the new name (other half came up with it) for the wild area next to the compost bin, where my two pink flamingos live in amongst the field poppy). You can see why it's a good one for butterflies. Loads of tiny flowers making up each head of flowers. I might have caught a white butterfly feeding on it, but I'm not sure if it was definitely on that plant or just in the area. Generally there aren't many butterflies around in the garden. Not that we get a huge amount anyway, but it's noticeable when you've got butterfly plants and you're half watching for a butterfly to use them.
 |
| Munched clematis |
These are the clematis I was talking about in a previous blog. They are the ones behind the apple tree on the woodland border fence, and they are being munched to death. I'm guessing at earwigs. There are absolutely tons of earwigs in the garden this year. Every pot you pick up, a mass scattering happens. Or if I knock plants in the veg bed, a shower of earwigs come out. If it carries on with my plants getting munched like this I'm going to have to try and do something about it. I say that but I can't 'dispose' of anything. Not slugs, snails, ants, anything. So even if I do trap a load of earwigs, what am I going to do with them? Let them go probably. Shame though, the clematis are a really nice colour, and the flowers are a nice size. They aren't too blousy, just right for the feel I'm trying to get in the woodland area. Quite delicate.
 |
| Foxglove seedlings |
The other flowers that will be going into the woodland area soon are these foxgloves that I've grown from seed. I know. Get me. I'm getting a bit of a dab hand at growing things on from seed. Well, some stuff. I don't really think you can go wrong with foxgloves. I sowed loads into a tray. I think they all germinated because the tray was full of green. I broke sections of that off and put them into pots. That's what I've got here. I really don't think you can kill a foxglove seedling. Mind you, they aren't in their final positions and flowering yet so I probably shouldn't speak too soon.
So, there you go, the garden as it is at nearly the end of July.
No comments:
Post a Comment