GARDEN HIGHLIGHTS

                                                           

Rose Congraulations

 As we reluctantly head towards the end of summer the harvesting season for fruit and vegetables picks up and it is difficult to keep on top of the garden. Peas, broad beans, onions and early potatoes have all been lifted, but then they have to be prepared for storing, freezing and giving any surplus to friends or up at City Road Allotments we have our surplus basket of produce attached to the entrance gate for passers by.

Azaleas

The wet August brought on a lot of blight so potato harvesting has become necessary for all varieties. Courgettes continue to provide a bumper crop and growing so fast that if left for a couple of days we have young marrows, but still there is so many ways to cook them, they all get used, with still a few left over for the public outside our allotment gate. Pumpkins are also enjoying this excessive growth weather and I’ve spotted five massive whoppers hiding amongst my gladioli, chrysanthemums and swamping my dwarf French beans.

Cauliflower Clapton

Figs, autumn strawberries and raspberries, brambles, dwarf French beans, cabbage, cauliflowers, kale, turnips, beetroots and all kinds of salads are all waiting to get harvested. Weeds are also demanding attention, and bare ground left over after lifting crops has been prepared and sown with autumn salads. When the rains, gales and thunderstorms have a rest, and the sun appears it is great to take a break and sit out on the patio with a glass of gooseberry wine to wind down for a few moments before it all starts again. Weird weather seems to have given flowers a massive boost, so we enjoy a meander around the garden amongst crops and flower borders discussing how things have been and making plans for the months ahead.

Hydrangea Charme

The spring highlights were both the tulips, rhododendrons and azaleas with displays lasting a long time assisted by many weeks of dry sunny days. This ended abruptly when the thunderstorms arrived. Roses did their best to put on a good show, but then the gales arrived and all hell broke out. Rose flowers all got broken off, pear trees shed all their fruits, Autumn raspberries got blown over and my blueberries got shredded. A few weeks of calmer weather allowed some recovery. Geraniums, begonias, bedding plants, oriental poppies and lilies, and annuals such as poppies made up for lost time and went into a supersonic flowering phase Hybrid tea roses Arthur bell and Congratulations both thought they were climbers as they reached six to eight feet up into the sky. 

For the biggest impact this year it must be my Delosperma cooperi, the Ice Plant and Hydrangea Charme with pink flowers, then gladioli mixed amongst Oriental lilies. Its been a great year for rhubarb as growth has been luxuriant with plenty for stews, pies, crumble, giving some to friends with plenty left over for the freezer. Cabbage, cauliflowers and kale are all just loving this growth year, but just a pity my whole row of cauliflowers were ready at the same time. However my biggest surprise was my Amaryllis which I had planned to flower next Christmas. After its spring growth period and long summer dormancy kept dry it decided to flower in mid summer, so no choice but to water and feed while it put on two great stems of flowers. We got an early Christmas. 

Wee jobs to do this week

Poppy Ladybird

Annual poppy Ladybird and Californian poppy have both naturalized on my allotment and given a great
display in the flower border all summer. They will self seed and appear next year without any help from me, but if you wish to save the seed to sow next year on other areas or give some to a friend now is the time to collect the seed pods before they open up and disperse the seeds. Keep them dry over winter in a shed ready for sowing next spring. 

END