Autumn approaching at the Orchard

The flower patch is losing its colour with the cornflowers almost over and the snap dragons looking sad. They have had a second flush in previous years but just one spike per plant this year. Cosmos still producing blooms and the scabious a late addition.

The last gladioli now picked, they have been fantastic. 

Zinnias have been a great success as well.

The stars of the patch are the reliable Rudbekia which are performing magnificently and profusely, providing daily bunches.

We have had the first sweet corn depriving the Badgers of their favourite food. They are getting revenge with the parsnips.

daily raspberries and the wonderful blackberries, so unlike brambles.

The magic beans never give up with bags full every day.

Feeling sad that we are off next week leaving the orchard in full swing but it's been a very good growing year, and fun to record it

Week 12 in the gardens of the west- 22 July

We can't keep up with it all!

20 bags of red currants 14 of red gooseberries 4 of green gooseberries 4 of black currants and more still to come... The Bramley is brimming and the mulberries are getting bigger and slightly pink. It feels like everything is rushing faster and faster.

There are new flowers every day - pink love-in-the-mist:

butterfly gladioli,

bright daylillies, the first of the sunflowers - a dark chocolate variety,

the bright white of the old Michaelmas daisies 

and the wonderful helterskelter tassles of the teasels. 

The vegetables are in abundance too - the best brassicas ever including some very presentable cauliflowers and hispi cabbage, a mountain of peas and a great tangle of pumpkin vines now enveloping all the tiny crannies of old potatoe and broad bean plots. 

Beautiful (but sort of useless for eating) glove artichokes.

Good week in the garden - rain and sun, good for the garden.

Week 11 in the South West

2 CC

The garden looks like it's going over a bit, sadly. BUT there are still some really beautiful bits. The garden is bi-coloured with mostly white and green: green of all the veg leaves, and white from this lovely flower:

 We're not sure whether it is chamomile or feverfew! We've done lots of research online (where would we be without google?), but the jury's still out. There are two slightly different varieties - maybe one is feverfew and the other chamomile? Any suggestions welcome!

Lots of rain this week - which is great for everything grow-grow-growing! (Including the slugs... A has been diligently picking them off at night, and she found 30 on Wednesday!! All munging the lovely veg and the dahlias.) The field is greening up again after the hay making too, so it's looking much prettier from the house - and better for the sheep.

Lots of firsts this week!

A and J ceremonially ate the first tomato last night - apparently it was very good.

The first sunflower is out! We think it may be a little confused actually as we weren't expecting them until late August (normal time), but never mind!

First gladioli out - beautiful, and a bonus as we weren't expecting flowers until next year.

First peas eaten - apparently very good.

And thousands and thousands and thousands (maybe a slight exaggeration) of redcurrants. Beautiful on the bush - glistening jewels of red colour against the green. Also blackcurrants and gooseberries, and raspberries from a neighbour. Drowning in soft fruit! Lots in the freezer, raspberry jam, redcurrant jelly, crumbles, little tartlets and on cereal every morning.

Slugs coming back in force, although A doing very well on slug patrol.

Broad beans and sugar snaps over, making way for squashes and pumpkins. Beautiful courgette and huge cucumber picked this week.

All looking very good - and the cutting patch is about to spring into even more colour!

Orchard update Sunday 28th June

At last some real colour in the flower garden as the cornflowers snap dragons and cosmos burst open. The ground is very dry despite the welcome rain, but at least the slugs are lying low.

The loganberries dripping from the branches, and blueberries ripening. The birds are very keen on them too so net curtains now offering protection.

Wonderful picnic with Great Neices Ena and Dulcie at the summer place yesterday, sunshine, scones, lots of roly polies on the grass.