It’s time for a quick update on my dahlias. Sadly, they are unimpressive. Some are doing better than others, and may improve before the summer’s out, but I still haven’t had a single, perfect flower. Although I have high hopes for the flower pictured above that is just opening up. A couple of plants have been well and truly devoured by… Read more →
Tag: pests
A Midsummer Garden
After a sunny week in Portugal, I arrived back home to a surprisingly lush garden. I’d expected to return to dried out hanging baskets and shriveled pot plants. Instead, I found everything overgrown. Our English summer has been dreadfully rainy so far, but it’s made my borders blousy and gorgeously verdant, so I don’t mind. This is what midsummer should look… Read more →
May: What To Do Now
In my garden this month, the tulips have made way for the irises. Bearded iris flowers provide fat brushstrokes of colour that tower over the borders on tall stems. The smaller flowers of siberian and dutch irises are just as rich in colour, with contrasting throat markings and an intricate petal shape. They are exquisite. Aquilegia (also known as granny’s… Read more →
The Good Life
One of the most thrilling moments of our first summer in this garden was our first harvest. It was a crop of cute ball carrots that were given to us as plug plants by my father-in-law. My just-three year old daughter had the pleasure of pulling them out of the ground, seeing their orange heads peep through the crumbly brown… Read more →