Looking towards autumn...

...the last of summer is fast fading...

It is the 1 September tomorrow.  Summer will officially be over.

How I look forward to summer each year...what a damp squib of a summer it has been this year!

...BUT...

Home grown potatoes

...in spite of the rain, it has worked out all right, more or less.

This is the time of year when we start to harvest various crops we have been watching and tending all summer.

Apples...not quite ready although my non-gardening neighbour gave me a huge bag of apples he'd prematurely picked from his tree this week.  Bless him.   He wanted to get them before the birds, but his tree is always laden there is enough for the birds too...if only he would leave them a couple of weeks longer.  No...I am not going to mention it, it would seem ungrateful!

Neighbour's apples

Now, here is how you tell a ripe apple.   If you cut one open and the pips are still white it is unripe.   So leave the rest on the tree for another 2 to 3 weeks.  When the pips turn brown/black they are ripe.

Anyway, I believe I have a chance of ripening these apples even though thy are picked too early.  I should store them in a closed paper bag.  The apples will continue to respire while in the bag, producing ethylene gas , which will promote ripening.  They probably won't taste as good as those left to ripen on the tree but should be good for sauces and pies.

Other fruits that are ripening now in my garden are tomatoes, courgettes, autumn rhubarb, cucumber ...just one so far...

There is nothing like a home grown tomato for full flavour.  You will never be satisfied with a shop bought one again.  This Gardeners' Delight seems to be a pretty successful variety to grow here.   They only get to be cherry size but they are bountiful and delicious.  I have the Zebra stripy ones ripening too, much more slowly.  The birds do get a few but not many.   It is the family of blackbirds living in the garden, and I don't begrudge them as I think they do help with the hoards of slugs and snails.  It has been the year of the slimy slug and snail.

Home grown lunch salad

This weekend is the August Bank Holiday Weekend.   This means there are lots of promotions on at the garden centres and lots of bargains to be had.  I picked up two perennial rudbekias for a £1 each.  I intend to sort out the bed/border right in front of the patio as it has become rather overcrowded and muddled.  I removed a couple of big red poppies and replaced with Helenium and Salvia.

Helenium

Salvia

I chose the yellow variety of Helenium and the deep purple Salvia, both grow to a height of about 90 centimetres.

The perennial Rudbekia is about 60 centimetres and it is also yellow with rusty centre.   It should be lovely this time next year as should the delphiniums I have grown from seed, Pacific Giants, they will easily top 2 metres in height next year...if the slugs don't get them in the spring.

Young delphinium,
not yet giant size!

All these plants attract bees and pollinators.   I have had an abundance of bees and pollinators in the garden this year.   It has been lovely.

A couple of posts ago I told you of the death of my lawn mower.

Well, the sequel to the story is that I have been borrowing G & D's super-light Bosch Mower.  But this weekend I had friends staying and since I do a bit of freelance work for S without charge he often rewards me in kind rather than £ - the arrangement suits me as I have no intention of charging my friends anything for anything...what I do for you I do for fun and my gratification - so it is with the research and writing I do for S.  However, who am I to turn my nose up at a lovely brand new mower when it is presented to me as 'payment'!  Thank you so much.

Qualcast super light-weight rotary mower.

It was my intention to have a meadow instead of short grass...I hesitate to call it lawn.   But this year with new puppy and kids the age they are I have kept it short for practical reasons of play-space for both.  As both mature I will reintroduce the meadow with some adjustments that I think will improve it.

Earlier in the summer I took advantage of an offer to buy some Streptocarpus.   These lovely little nodding beauties are a native of South Africa and remind me so much of the berg where they grow wild.  DnA had bought Funny Bunny a lovely one for her bedroom windowsill that really reminded me how much I miss them.   Mine arrived as tiny plug plants which I planted up into pots and put them on my north facing study window sill.

Baby Streptocarpus

Two of them already have flowers.

Hannah

Scarlett

Lovely, I am very happy with my additions.  Although not strictly garden plants I had to tell you about them.

The other South African beauties that have done so very well this summer have been the Agapanthus.  The blue variety and the white, both have been lovely.   I must get some for Sarah's south facing garden...maybe I can germinate the seeds from mine, it is worth a try.

This time of year is not only fruitful in our domestic gardens but also in the wild.   Blackberries are beginning to be abundant.   I made a lovely blackberry crumble this week.   The sloes and the little hazelnuts are also ripening...I must visit THE crab-apple tree...

Yes, as we face autumn....

This is the start of the mellow fruitfulness....and lets hope there is enough sunshine to fulfil that anticipation!

Of course as we face autumn those of you in the southern hemisphere face spring...how lovely it has been to see my friend S's 'new' garden develop over this past year...now spring is bringing forth new blossoms in her garden...keep it up S, I love to see the progress...

Meantime...maybe next spring here we will have the Swedish family to visit...I shall mull over what bulbs to plant where in anticipation...and I have an old wheelbarrow to tart up (oh, I mean up-cycle, tart up  has progressed to a more modern saying of up-cycle these days)...well, said barrow needs to be painted and planted ready for spring....not to mention pruning and..and...and...

It's going to be a busy week.

Happy gardening everyone.