Walking Around the Garden after the Rain!

It poured with rain first thing and woke me up but after that the day improved and we even had some sun. But what was more important was that it was considerably warmer and although still breezy not as strong as it has been. I took the camera and did a little tour to see what is coming on and what has been rain or wind damaged. My garden is so tiny that none of this takes long! Fortunately there was very little damage that I could see which was a relief as I’d have felt guilty for not staking more of the taller plants.

The purple radishes I planted a few days ago have germinated and are looking healthy. The beetroot is looking good and ready to pull. I am not good at thinning out. I hate to pull up plants and so always leave things a tad on the close side but it doesn’t seem to have harmed the beetroot. The lettuces are getting away from me as we can’t eat them fast enough. I’ve been giving them to friends but I think I’ll have to make some soup as I have more coming on.

On the flower front the dahlias are almost ready to fully open. And the Japanese anemones are in bud. They don’t usually flower until the end of the month. My Floribunda rose ‘Retirement’ is flowering nicely and I dead headed several flowers which had gone past it. I noticed too that I have Campanula creeping up the fence. This is another flower that self-seeds at the rate of knots.

The courgettes are coming on well after their dodgy start. I am tying them up sticks so that they don’t sprawl so much. It seems to be working. As they grow up I will tie them in with old stockings as they are soft. I have sunk a few bottles in next to the plants with the bottom cut off and I’m watering them through the bottles so the water gets straight to the roots. They seem to be thriving on it. We have had several pickings already.

I am growing a yellow courgette which is just showing some small yellow courgettes at the bottom of the stem.

The herbs are doing well. The bronze fennel is in flower and I shall dry the seed heads when they are ready as fennel seeds are so useful in the winter. The caraway is also starting to flower and I will do the same with this plant.

All in all things have made a big leap forward and it is now a question of what to sow in the spaces left by the lettuce. I am contemplating spring cabbages. I have never grown them before but that is no reason for not having a go.

And last but not least the lavender is making a strong statement next to the kitchen door. I’m hoping it is keeping the flies at bay! It smells glorious anyway!