August Update

We are at the end of August and already there is a slight autumnal feel to the mornings.  When I get up and open my bedroom window I can smell the crisp, fresh air, and everywhere is bathed in a bright, clear light as the watery sun creeps higher in the sky. (I did want to include a picture of the view from my bedroom window in the morning sunlight but unfortunately for 7 mornings running it has been either misty, overcast or raining, perhaps another time).

In the garden the June/July perfusion of colour has finished but there is still some splashes of colour here and there.

At the foot of the terrace on the south side of the house runs the blue border. 

Here the Agapanthus are doing their stuff in the free draining baked soil, they are spectacular shades of deep blue, this one is called A. Blue Dot.  

Further along the blue border is Clematis heracleifolia Cassandra.

I gave the hardy geraniums a trim just to tidy them up and I have been dead heading the roses as often as I remember to.

In the fruit cage I have had a good supply of fresh fruit.   The redcurrants and blackcurrants have finished fruiting and we have enjoyed many variations on Eaton Mess as well as summer fruit pudding.

I under planted the blueberries with Fragaria vesca (wild strawberry) and these tiny little plants have provided us with lots of delicious fruits and with little-to-no slug damage.

The wineberries need picking now – what we don’t eat fresh will be turned into jam.

This year’s new canes of Raspberry Malling Jewel need tying in to supports and I can already see lots of flowers on Autumn Bliss.

The wildflower hedge was such a great success that I celebrated by buying 20 Harebell plug plants.  As they are so small I have potted them up and will keep them protected until they are bigger and stronger then I will plant them out.

 

Out-takes

You may remember Pippin from a previous entry – here she is again.

A Long Border and How to Manage It

On the south facing side of the garden is this long border which is planted up with Geranium macrorrhizum Bevan’s Variety.

It is virtually maintenance free, requiring only a short trim with shears after flowering to encourage a second bloom. 

This  border, however, has two small patches of couch grass at either end so I used the strimmer to cut back the geraniums.

Then a quick rake over to gather up the old growth and to expose the basal roots. Now it is easy to see and weed out the couch grass when it grows back.

Every year in early spring this bed is strimmed to cut away the previous year’s growth.  I find it keeps the plants less congested and easy to weed.

I hope you find this method of coping with large areas of the same plant interesting and useful.

Happy Gardening