Mum's Garden 2

The weather has been drier today but only the shortest moment or two of sunshine. I again did a pile of stuff in the garden including planting out some very indifferent sweetpeas and pulling up armfuls of bracken and horsetail. I then cheered myself up with a a quick visit to another Ben, the owner of Garden Cottage Nursery just north of here & near Inverewe Gardens. The plants I bought were for Mum’s garden but I did do a bit of ‘window-shopping’ for my own too!

I bought 2 geraniums, a delicate dark leaved one for the alpine bed and another one that has gone under the clematis behind the pond. Beside this and between two supermarket heucheras I put in last time I was home I have put two contrasting heucheras.

I also bought two Bergeranthus glenesis - these are rather interesting as they open their flowers after the heat of the afternoon & are very pretty. I will endeavour to catch them open tomorrow as they had closed again by the time I planted them.

Busy day

I’ve been a bit on the busy side today and conscious that I’m going north again tomorrow so have done some major watering and will need to do some more before going north tomorrow. I also got round to planting out some stray plants that will hopefully settle in while I’m away. In the north quadrant I planted a stray from the front garden and am bemused at how much slug damage it has already sustained.

I planted out a silver feather centaurea today - I am looking forward to seeing its pink flowers in the west quadrant. Its filling in a gap and I’ve moved a lavender to make it fit better. Hopefully the lavender will do better too as it was too much in the shade before and hadn’t settled into the ground.

Overall I have to say Ben’s attitude to the Magic Garden is relaxed! I’m pleased he leaves the catnip plants alone mainly and there are several getting well established including this one in the north quadrant.

Working Monday

I was late home from work today but still paused to enjoy the garden. Each year I enjoy the appearance of my Arisaema - I’ve forgotten exactly which one it is and each year I make a mental note to get some more so may be I will this year! I like the snakes head appearance complete with forked tongue.

It is very windy again this evening but dry so after a few moments sitting in my rocking chair, it was out with the watering can!

There’s not much space left but I have identified some unoccupied paving stones! Ben is beginning to find it hard to pick his way round the patio pots and troughs.

Sunday

I went down to North Shields Fish Quays today as there was a plant stall at Low Lights for charity. I bought a borage, red orach & a persicaria red dragon.

In my ‘alpine’ troughs my sempervivum are blooming - much more exotic in flower than I expected. I think I will try taking ‘cuttings’ again from these - some of the wee rosettes should take I think with a new crop of flowers next year.

I took out some of the red valerian from both the north and east parts of the central Magic Garden where it was going to seed. This left room to place one of the bush fuchsias that I bought recently that I hadn’t found another home for. I stopped to do some more dead heading and I also trimmed back the arch a bit - I think I will take it out entirely this autumn as an idea that hasn’t really worked. Ben watched all activities with interest.

Saturday

I haven’t spent much time in the Magic Garden today although I did do some deadheading and I watered the courgettes and tomatoes. I went on a mild shopping spree and found a bargain heuchera that needs a bit of love. I also bought some fresh rooting hormone gel so will getting cutting tomorrow.

Both olive trees are sporting evidence of their ability to produce olives! I keep meaning to report the wee standard olive and am amazed that the olive tree that I planted in Alison’d pot in 2004 is still going strong. The other bush that I keep meaning to replant is a redcurrant bush that has lived in a large plastic pot for as long as I can remember.

My borage is somewhat on the mini-side but the flowers are the loviest blue. I still reach for the macro lens & just enjoy the bees.

Friday

Got home to another rain shower(!), and intending to take out the dead willow in the pot, lifted the pot and the bottom fell out of it. So, instead of putting the chocolate cosmos into it, it went into a terracotta pot together with a rescued fuchsia, the last of the gazanias and lithodora.

The dampness seems to enhance the scent of the lemon balm.

And again it rains!

I’m beginning to think that the weather gods know when I’m going to get home as it seems to decide to rain! On the positive side it does mean I haven’t had to worry about watering and it did seem to give everything that extra gleam

The white angelica is looking beautiful next to the grey fence by the back door. I have a pink one somewhere in the magic garden but the best one is in the front

The fruit is coming on reasonably well and I hope to have some raspberries soon as well as some blueberries. I have picked most of the blackcurrants now and have pulled more rhubarb too.

Working Wednesday

Looking out the windows it was sunny occasionally today but when I escaped home it promptly rained - which at least meant I didn’t feel the need to start lugging the watering can around. There were still bees around enjoying the Lambs Ears.

Ben is a bit less than impressed at the moment as he spent yesterday at the vet hospital - he is fine but at 17 is slowing down. The magic continues with his catnip plants around the garden.

The jasmine that got pulled out by Storm Arwen with the old fence is sprouting madly out of its contorted stump producing height that is only rivalled by the verbena just coming into flower.

Apples

My apples are mainly in pots with two in the ground at the moment. Somewhere I have a list of what they are but I do know that the one in the ground next to the blackcurrant and the arbour seat is a Bramley seedling. The task today was to go round them all and do a thin of the apples to try and ensure the rest do well so all clusters are reduced to at most two but mainly down to one.

Monday 27th June

Another working day out the way followed by a short time in the evening in the Magic Garden just enjoying it. Two of the blue monkshoods are now in bloom and catching up with the white ones.

The bees are really enjoying the foxgloves and today the white Jacob’s ladder. I’m slightly puzzled as I don’t seem to have the commoner blue version any more in the garden - an omission that I will do something about and possibly replace the pink carnations next year with them - their silver foliage works well but the colour is too harsh. I may just try to find a pastel version instead

In the back border there is a different mix of colours as this is where I plant yellow & orange flowers deliberately and there is a large amount of catnip plants so there is a lot of blue too! The heucheras are settling in well but I am conscious that there is a bit too much shade over part of the area.

Sunday

I was working today and life outside is somewhat complicated currently so it was lovely to have a few moments in the Magic Garden when I got home. My sweetpeas in the Magic part are doing very well and as I want them to stay flowering as long as possible I’m being careful to keep deadheading them and have cut some to encourage more flowers. At this stage in the summer they want to set seed so I need to be vigilant to keep up! The scent is wonderful & worth growing these pretty sweetpeas for alone.

The tomatoes are turning into triffids in the summerhouse although the cucumbers are not yet following suit. Ben is disapproving of this use of his space. The banana will come outside soon but its still too windy.

Saturday

Today has been busy so I’ve not had as much time as I would have liked to play in the Magic Garden. I did pull up some nettles & have the inevitable tingling fingers. I took some cuttings from the fuchsia and then did a mega-watering. When I popped out front looking for Ben I instead ended up watching a goldfinch enjoying my failure to tidy up the front garden.

Thursday

Its been warm again today although cooling down this evening. I did a few useful things in the garden such as deadheading and watering but mainly sat and appreciated the weather.

Hot Wednesday

Its been unusually warm here for coastal NE England, although there remains a pleasant breeze. Ben has been enjoying the warmth although he’s been wise enough to stay out of the hot sun.

While enjoying the sun, I’ve also harvested the goosegogs - a scant 1/2 kg this year compared to the usual 10+. I’ve also started harvesting the blackcurrants. I planted out the edamame beans into one of the troughs and put the rest of the chard in between the beans.

Summer Solstice

Today is the summer solstice - it has been sunny but with the odd bit of rain. The Magic Garden is looking great at the moment with new blooms each day. The white monkshood at the back of the garden are now out. The different blue ones elsewhere in the garden are just budding up now.

Besides enjoying the Garden today and watering the pots & fruit bushes, I planted up some of the rainbow chard in a wee trough - its probably a bit crampt but hopefully I can just keep cropping the leaves while little

The apples are coming on promisingly now - I will thin out them now so that I get the maximum crop in the autumn.

Monday 20th June

Its been a beautiful evening and I sat in the garden rocking chair soaking up some sunshine when I got home from work. It was lovely to watch the bees & Ben

I planted up the canvas troughs again yesterday with herbs and geraniums, leaving Ben’s preferred sleeping place in the bottom trough free of course. I included a chocolate mint that smells fabulous

I am really pleased with my sweetpeas this year - I planted a vast number but its a relief to actually have some flowering! The bicolours are pretty and the blue / magenta ones remind me of my sister who loved them too. I’m hoping that the ones at the back of the garden also start producing these lovely scented blooms.