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.

Lovely Sunday

Although quite cloudy today it remains warm and windy so I got another lot of washing dry easily! I had a go at wiring up the climbing rose at the back and tying in the honeysuckle & main blackcurrant bush. This made it easier to see my wee forest of red-hot pokers which are sadly rapidly going over.

The first of my courgettes are just starting to grow in the pop-up cloche / mini-tent. I put the other courgette plant into the other pop-up cloche today

The cauliflowers have been well chewed by slugs & snails but the curly kale so far is looking more healthy. I have uncovered it today so we shall see how quickly the pigeons destroy it.

Saturday & Still Windy

Its still very windy here and the temperature is cooler again but we’ve not had rain. I spent ages tidying up the north corner of the Magic plot & having taken out chunks of the blue centaurea montana out as an extended deadheading, filled in spaces with cosmos. I re-positioned the plant supports so hopefully there will be more light getting to the gravel path side of the corner

I took some cuttings from the erysimum while I tidying the patch. I am going to try and take more cuttings over the next few weeks to see if I can up my propagation success rate

The potatoes have taken a real battering but despite the snapped stems are looking surprisingly ok. I’m cropping my salad regularly now and have got the next generation of lettuce and salad leaves growing on nicely now.

Windy Again!

Its still warm & a little muggy here but combined with a gusty wind that is knocking things over again in the Magic Garden including the flowers.

The Canterbury bells are standing up reasonably to the elements and are scattered through the central part of the Magic Garden. I plan to thin out the red valerian a bit tomorrow as it is turning into a bit of a garden thug.

A Warm Day

It’s been unusually warm, if not sunny today and I was impressed at how quickly all my washing dried! My important ‘garden’ purchase today was a spray attachment for the hose so I could direct it a bit more successfully - the aim being to decrease the need for hefting watering cans as my back is bad currently.

I am happy with how the components of the Magic Garden are working currently. I will need to do some more pond maintenance and there is an area between the pond and gooseberry that I want to use as a damp area. I’m not sure what to put there but might move my pitcher plants from their trough.

I am tempted to get another ligularia as my Rocket has become one of my favourite plants and I’m pleased with its new pot mates of the gazanias.

More sweetpeas out and they are still mostly blue. Their scent is lovely but the flowers are getting lost in the mass of lush growth.

Wednesday

Its warm and sunny here today. I had a few moments in the Magic Garden after work and before going out for dinner but today’s photos are from walking to the metro and back. I love seeing the poppies and will take the ‘real’ camera out soon to get some good macro photos.

Tuesday 14th June

I always think I will have more time than I really do to get on and do things in the garden. I failed to get much done today beyond a lot of watering. I potted up another courgette which I’ve put in the cold frame for now and then had a moment of enjoyment as I noticed how many blue sweetpeas ( my favourites) had come out - there are plenty more to come of the other colours but these seem to be the earliest ones.

Next to the sweetpeas there is a rather mini but very pretty lupin. I am pleased with the overall effect of the colours in the Magic Garden.

Monday

I’ve been busy tidying up in the garden again after more windy weather and then I had a spell of watering in the garden. I find it quite hard to carry watering cans so I just watered 1/3 of the garden today and the vegetable bags, troughs and pots. The carrots are a bit sporadic in their germination but the parsnips are coming up now fairly evenly

Ben was content to watch me as I watered the garden and then sat and enjoyed the garden including the now blooming rose