Alongside the summerhouse, I'm gearing up for a replanting of the bottom bed, which needs an infusion of compost/manure and a plant edit to remove the drought-haters. I've got some alliums to go in there, and I will try to remember to plant the tulips in groups rather than dotted about! Some more late-flowering plants would be welcome too. Sedum 'Herbstfreude' is starting to show colour, but the main action around the garden is still the dahlias, cosmos and Phlox 'White Admiral', with the Japanese anemone (hupehensis?) which is tucked away behind rose 'Mme Hardy'. (The rose is another potential candidate for the green recycling bin; lovely flowers but brief, and terrible disease-prone foliage.) The late summer show is better than in the past, however, and I managed first prize at the village Show for Six Garden Flowers (the phlox, Dahlia 'Bishop of Auckland', Scabious 'Black Cat', the Japanese anemone, Penstemon 'Sour Grapes' and the one I always have to go and look up the name of, Lysimachia clethroides). The cosmos flowers were too rain-damaged and the zinnias have suddenly started to flop. My 'Blush Noisette' rose produced a single, rather fine, spray of flowers for the Show, which won the 'Best Rose' cup. It's a plant I acquired by accident (the nursery sent the wrong variety), but it's a good one: late into flower but continues on and off until December, and, unlike Mme Hardy, with healthy, glossy leaves.
The plum crop (another first prize at the Show) was good this year - plentiful enough without being overwhelming - and we're now into the apples, which have also produced well. The courgettes (only third prize!) are cropping nicely and the runner beans have started to produce. There are also some Borlotti beans, but the French beans haven't done anything. This year, however, I have managed to plant out the leeks (better late than never), though it's proving difficult to find places for them that haven't grown leeks, garlic or shallots in the last three years. There is some rust on the leaves so I hope that doesn't persist too much. Some potatoes turned up under the broad bean plants, and perversely produced a better crop than the potatoes I planted this year! This year's varieties were 'Belle de Fontenay', which didn't produce much, and 'Ratte' which did virtually nothing at all. I must remember not to keep trying 'Ratte'; it obviously needs better conditions than I can give it. I think the volunteers under the beans were 'Charlotte', which does not too badly with us - but then, you can buy 'Charlotte' easily in the shops.
The weather has continued variable, with short spells of warm weather broken by cool and windy weeks. This week has been particularly chilly at times, with no sign of an Indian summer, and despite brief flashes of warm sun the central heating beckons. I haven't worn tee-shirts much this year, nor have there been many lunches outdoors; I did start lunch on the bench the other day, but was driven inside by the threat of a shower.
I don't know if it's the weather, but butterflies haven't been particularly plentiful. When the buddleja first came into flower, it only seemed to attract bees (we still get plenty of them). Eventually the red admirals turned up, but only one peacock; there have been a few tortoiseshells, and one each of painted lady, comma and brimstone. One or more speckled woods have been about, and of course the cabbage whites; and a big dragonfly was clattering about for a few days. I've seen hardly any ladybirds either.
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