Weds/Thurs/Fri

Walking into the garden, early on Thursday morning, and it’s like the plants are ‘clinging on’, as if to say ‘There’s still a little bit of summer remaining, let’s make the most of it!’

There is an abundance of colour in the stone containers and the recent downpours have helped! We’ve had rain almost every day in September. We always get a warm September and this year it’s different!  Everything in the garden has freshened up…but it’s also quite soggy! And it’s also quite chilly in the evenings.

 

This little Antirrhinum, above, has done nothing but bloom and bloom; it’s been delightful! I bought this one in early May as I loved the colours so much and so it’s been in bloom for almost FIVE months! Here it is, back in May and I remember comparing the colours to those fruit salad chews that we used to buy when we were children.

It’s called ‘Dazzling Lips!’ Remember that name! And it has my vote for one of the longest flowering plants in the garden, this year! Incredible! A gold star! 

And if I was to choose one other plant that’s also given most value for money, since May, I’d choose the rose Roald Dahl. It’s been prolific and still keeps throwing out many buds! Another gold star!

However, much of the garden is winding down and the colours are fading. If it wasn’t for the late flowering Sunflowers, it would certainly look quite dull and that’s to be expected.

I had intended to leave these Sunflower heads, below, to dry outside, but they’ve become so wet that yesterday I cut them and strung them up in the greenhouse to complete the drying process . I hope it works; I’d sooner have left them outside, but an executive decision was made…so fingers crossed!

Way back in May/June, I took advantage of a Lavender plug plants offer, for a fiver! I’d totally forgotten about this until they turned up last week! 

They might be small but the aroma is strong!

And…I’ve now begun the ‘Poinsettia plan’! 

Every evening, I cover it up, as advised, and, after 14 hours, every morning back I go to uncover it. I hope that this process is successful! 

I’m also adding to the Foxglove stock, all the time! 

Meanwhile…

Moving on…and this Weds was strange! Every other Weds, on Nich’s day off,  I usually see him and William…and off we go for a morning ‘jolly’. However, with William now at school, it was just the two of us. I think Nich felt quite lost without William! I did too! 

Nevertheless, we had a lovely time and after we had coffee at China Blue, in Totnes, it was back to Nich’s for the usual natter, putting the world to rights, looking at the garden…and listening to his plans for it…and then generally chilling until it was time to pick up William from school.

On their kitchen dresser, they had made a lovely autumnal display; as Nich says, it’s good to define the seasons and celebrate what they each have to offer! Talking to Nich is like talking to myself as we have such similar ideas and interests! 

Finally, yesterday, we popped to Longcombe Nursery, for coffee and a mooch.

There was plenty going on but especially in the Cyclamen dept!

I also loved the red and pink Achillea accompanying the Gaura.

Plenty of Pansies were on show, too!

Always a pleasure!

Have a very happy weekend! 😁