Thursday 22 August 2013

August in the garden

I had some time at home today, so I took a little wander around the garden with my camera.


Fruit is ripening nicely.






The tomatoes are Sungold and they rarely let me down, despite being grown outside.  They're quite sweet, but lovely in salads and great for children.  I like that there are a few ripe ones every day.  If I could only grow one tomato, this would be it, purely because it's so reliable.

Not everything is doing wonderfully though.  The figs won't come to anything, although that doesn't bother me particularly, I love them just for the foliage.


The aubergines are small.  They were an experiment, but I don't think I'll grow them again as they're not something I cook with much.


And the olives!  I shan't order an olive press quite yet.


Chillies are something else I might not grow many of next year.  We don't eat that many of them, and they take a huge amount of care.  Some of them were sown in February.  That's half a year of nurturing, and it's not over yet.  But I've tried some varieties that are supposed to be mild, so I shall see what they're like before making a final decision.  Whole stuffed mild chillies are a wonderful thing, if the heat level is just right.  It's probably all down to the exact right moment of picking.  I've tried the Anaheim ones when they're green and there's no heat at all.  This is a Hungarian Hot Wax Yellow.  Sounds hot, but Sarah Raven says it's a milder one.  We shall see.


The borlotti beans have been very sparse.  I like the beans from inside cooked while fresh in minestrone soup.  But the ones at home and at the allotment have been disappointing.  I was extra disappointed when the ones at the allotment turned out not to be climbing beans at all, especially after I spent a chunk of time making a nice frame of canes for them to clamber up.


The runner beans aren't producing masses yet either, although there are lots of flowers so I'm hoping there will be loads soon.


I've let the oregano flower, and even though it's not a big plant the bees love it.


Some of the other herbs are flowering too.  Not sure if this is oregano or marjoram, but the paler one is a golden version and I always love seeing the colour contrast.


The grape vines are doing their usual thing of disguising the fence, which is great.  But I would really love to see at least part of this area covered in figs.  I'm not sure what to do about it.  The figs will take quite a long time to establish, and the vines are very rampant so if I grow both at the same time the vines might stop the figs from doing well.  I only have a very narrow strip of soil between the little wall and the fence, so digging things up here is tricky.   I'm mulling it over.  For some reason the vine on the left, which always grows incredibly vigorously, is not producing fruit at the moment.  A real shame as it's the best one - small seedless green grapes which are delicious.


If you look closely above the bench you will see a string of onions.  I plaited three strings this morning.  Not very expertly, but it did make me happy to see them all hung up ready for cooking throughout the coming months.


There aren't many flowers in the garden, but this rose, Rose de Rescht, is still flowering weeks after it started.  It's nice and compact and sits in a pot next to the bench.  When I pick off the spent flowers I'm always tempted to throw them up in the air like confetti, they have so many petals.


Dahlias, pretty but rather full of living things.  Blackfly, ants, earwigs.  Best left in the garden this year I think.  I'm not good with earwigs.  Especially when they're in the house.


The pond is still full of froggies, and the little people spend hours watching them.  You will note the wrinkliness of the littlest boy's hands from a happy half hour spent fishing around for things.  He does love his little froglings.  And don't worry, he is carefully policed to make sure there is no squeezing or dropping.



So that's it.  An August afternoon in the garden.  When I get the camera out and wander round I'm always surprised at how much stuff there is and how much is going on.  I do love how it all grows and changes while I'm out and about doing other things.  It's a perpetual surprise.

30 comments:

  1. You have an absolutely wonderful garden! I am surprised at all the rather exotic things you manage to grow, and there is so many things to see...

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    1. Thank you Sandra, and thanks for visiting.

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  2. It's all looking great, so much happening. I'm impressed by growing your own olives - I'd assumed such things would need a better climate, though this year has been rather nice :)

    the-urban-cottage.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Yes, I think the olives would like a better climate - they certainly won't be big enough to eat this year.

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  3. you've got an amazing garden!

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    1. Thank you for your kind comment Monica.

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  4. That was a lovely wander round the garden and everything looks to be doing very well. I'm managing to pick enough runner beans for a few meals each week now, but I'm not getting the huge amounts I've had in previous years which have enabled me to freeze some. I'm hoping they'll get a little more productive yet.

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    1. Yes, I'm hoping they will improve. I'm not sure if it's the variety which is new to me or just not a great year for beans.

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  5. Looks like you don't thin your grapes either? It has been a strange year for runner beans hasn't it.

    We are just picking plums which are usually over and done with by now too.

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    1. No, I never thin the grapes. Bob Flowerdew does, I don't. That's the difference between us! Lucky you having plums. I had a handful from the allotment, as did the pigeons. More next year maybe.

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  6. It's always good to have a wander round like that, looking and photographing, especially at this time of year when there's plenty of interest.
    My grapes look like that, and there's lots of them, so I just want them to ripen and I'll be well pleased.
    A most enjoyable post and terrific photos. Flighty xx

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    1. Yes, grapes do seem happy this year. My next door neighbour's vines are hanging over my fence and dripping with grapes too. I have my eye on them!

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  7. wow it seems you have a lovely garden., i wish to live in a house with a garden but its impossible where i am where we live in apartment buildings. but anyway nice photos!

    xo, Carla
    www.CarlaViolet.com

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    1. I lived in an apartment until five years ago, so I know how you feel. I had loads of houseplants and some pots and things outside of the front door. Thank you for your nice comment Carla.

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  8. Lovely photos of your garden. I'm glad so much of the fruit is ripening well. I never manage to grow figs here and now the wasps are coming out I don't expect to see any left! Great to see that your froglets are still doing well in the pond.

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    1. Thanks Wendy. My figs aren't big enough to ripen this year. I would dearly love to grow them one day though. I have froglets everywhere now, they are making me nervous!

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  9. So many lovely photos of your space! I am in awe of your green thumb. I can't even keep in indoor plant alive very well. Looks like a magical place to explore:)

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    1. Thanks Kari. I'm not sure about the green thumb, but thank you anyway!

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  10. It's all looking so fabulous at the moment isn't it. I love your aubergines and are they teeny tiny frogs!

    Nina x

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    1. Thank you Nina, it is indeed a lovely time of year. The aubergines are small but nice and shiny. I haven't tried one yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they taste like.

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  11. Wonderful! Truly envious of your grapes.
    And the olives. Two more than me..

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    1. Thanks. I hope I get some grapes before the various sugar-loving beasties attack.

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  12. What a lovely garden you have. I love all of the fruits and vegetables, it must feel so good to be able to harvest and eat so many things you grew. We only have a few edibles. I think we have the same kind of tomatoes you have.

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    1. It is lovely to harvest things from the garden, even if it's just a little.

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  13. Hi CJ, I grow golden oregano like yours and love seeing the bright green, even in summer. It really lights up the garden! I always thought that marjoram and oregano were interchangeable names for the same plant, but may be wrong! I'm so with you on the earwig front - I used to live in Yorkshire in my teens and remember them getting everywhere indoors which was rather horrid. Dahlias are so beautiful though, I've put one in my Mum's garden this year (one of the Bishops). Lovely meander around your garden. You've inspired me to have a go with a grapevine - is your fence south facing?

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    1. I'm not sure about marjoram and oregano, but I do love that golden one, you are right about it lighting things up. I love Bishop dahlias as well, and I think they're good for bees. I have a Bishop of Llandaff in a pot, but he's been a bit slow off the mark this year and I don't have any flowers yet. I'm still hopeful though. My grapevine fence is west-facing, and that seems to work well enough even though there's no sun until lunchtime.

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  14. I wonder how many hours your family spends nurturing all these plants to reap such abundance? You must work really hard but the results are sublime :)

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    1. You have made me laugh. My family spends no time at all nurturing anything. They are too busy hacking up the grass with footballs and golf clubs and smashing pots with flying balls. I spend a few hours on it though... Thank you for your lovely comment, it is nice of you to say. I don't think the family notice at all!

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  15. These are some gorgeous photos, especially the first one! I'd love to have a garden as alive as this =)

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    1. Thank you Nikki. I do love white flowers the most of all I think, especially the bee-friendly ones.

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