Hail in August

August has apparently been one of the wettest and coldest Augusts for a long time.  We didn't have any frosts, but some chilly nights and none-too-warm days; not a great deal of sun and plenty of rain.  One heavy shower turned to hail; quite impressive when viewed from inside the greenhouse!  The last few days have been better, and, although today was showery, when the sun came out it was beautifully warm.  The forecast is for a warmer and mostly dry week.

We're into the late summer flowers.  The Japanese anemone and the phlox are doing well, and the dahlias are picking up after a slow start; the cosmos are flowering prolifically (they make a good informal 'hedge' along the edge of the veg plot) and the asters are now starting.  The zinnias have buds; I wonder if they'll manage to flower before the frosts?!  The pinks are still soldiering on, backed by the late Sweet Williams.  There's very little colour, or interest, in the bottom border; it needs some rethinking.  The verbascums and sidalceas (both long past flowering) are looking extremely scraggy.  The border that is supposed to be a 'hot' border has little happening now that the crocosmia and lilies are finished; there's the rudbeckia, and the perennial asters have buds, but it too needs a rework.  In the greenhouse, the ginger lily spike is spreading out its bracts, but as yet there's no sign of actual flowers inside them; there is, however, a new spike starting from the base.

The apples are ripening; the eaters are small but there are a reasonable number of them.  The cookers (Newton's Wonder) are huge as usual.  The runner beans ('Moonlight') are still flowering rather than fruiting, but I've had a few pods off them; the French beans have pretty much shot their bolt.  The potatoes didn't do particularly well this year and are mostly dug up now.  The courgettes are giving a steady crop of nice small fruits; they won first prize at the village show!

The autumn sowing and planting is underway; the forget-me-nots and sweet william are pricked out, and there are lettuce seedlings waiting to go in.  I'm starting to think about spring bulbs; so many to choose from!

The squirrel is still about but has been leaving my courgettes alone recently, I'm glad to say.  Of the birds, there are still at least two young robins around (the smaller one keeps chasing the older one away), and a couple of young blackbirds have been down.  Mum blackbird is still here, feeding and occasionally sunbathing on the patio.  The bullfinches, including a juvenile, and a wren have been here, and the warblers are continuing to visit.  Less desirably, a kestrel has been overhead a couple of times, and was buzzed by the house martins.