Cheers again to Mike & Julia for this continuing look into their back garden with some wonderful dahlias (we think they are all dahlias). Thanks again for the pics Julia, they are great.
Towards the end of the growing season pt 2
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Towards the end of the growing season
Cheers to Mike & Julia from near Coventry for sharing a towards the end of season photographic report (fantastic pictures as ever Julia!) This is going to be a two parter as there’s so much good stuff been sent. Their comsos are looking fine (above and below).
Their garden doesn’t half look fine even at this time of year. We thought our garden was looking beyond repair but last weekend with a bit of a lawn cut and a trim and pulling out of the tomato plants and some dead heading it didn’t look too bad in the end but nowhere as great as these pictures.
We also love what we think is an echeveria (below) as those angular flowers look great and also those aster flowers (lower below).
Next part will include some dahlias amongst some other things. Keep them coming Mike & Julia and thanks again!
A message from Kyiv
As always, it’s good to hear from Wlad (US7IGN) in Ukraine. If you remember, Wlad was featured in a Radio 4 documentary called Lights Out in an episode called Call Signs (here) which was about life as a radio amateur living and working in Kyiv during the Russian invasion. He also has two books out about his experiences and they’re well worth reading if you want an insight on what is life is like out there. More about the books here.
Wlad was telling us that his good friend Sergiy (UT3UFD) is not only growing a banana tree (more on that here) and bonsai but he’s also growing seeds from fruit he eats. The photos above and below are his avocado plants, brilliant stuff. Thanks for keeping us updated, Wlad, and as always, our best wishes to you and Sergiy over there.
We’ve found something on the RHS website about growing avocados plants from seed here. It’s interesting stuff.
A view from north London
Cheers to Debby H for getting out in the garden and taking some pictures for us now things are coming to a close but you wouldn’t think it with these photographs though.
Above are the cosmos that are still flowering and looking great and below are some cosmos deadheads which’ll be used for seeds. Debby told us you don’t even need to break the seed heads up that much, just put them as they come in a seed tray in the spring. We have to deadhead ours actually, before it starts getting wet and the chance of things going mouldy on us.
Below “The sedum is now looking very pretty” she said and she’s right. It’s a nice plant and seems to do well in UK gardens. It loves full sun and can even tolerate a bit of shade and the bees and pollinators seem to love it.
Below, “Interestingly, one of the dwarf sunflowers that we thought was dead has grown three flowers where there was previously only one.” Brilliant stuff Debby! We look forward to more photos and thanks as ever for sending them on.
A message from Crete
A big shout to Rich R who is on his holidays at the moment in Crete and found this rather nice flower called a sea daffodil (AKA white sand lily, amaryllis, lily of Knossos, beach saffron or beach crocus). It’s supposed to have a “pleasing, exotic and very subtle lily scent”. More about the plant here.
He also took some great pics of the sunset and the eclipse the other night (above and below). It looks like a magical place and “the beach we look out on is the actual one where Zorba the Greek (Anthony Quinn) did his dance”. Wow great stuff Rich, enjoy the rest of your holiday!
Early harvest
Thanks to Debby H for sending us this great picture of “the first tomatoes and greengages that we have picked. Amazingly, there’s so many more that are nearly ready!” How good is that? There’s even a pepper in there too! Any more harvest pictures from anyone out there?
Best view from a front garden ever – Take 2
Following on from our last post of Rich R‘s front garden in the lake district, this is what he said “If I turn the camera a couple of degrees the view is, in my opinion, even better!” and he’s right!
From the other side of the capital
A big thanks to Debby H for sending us some garden updates over the weekend. Above is of the cosmos that is now coming into flower and will hopefully give a good show over the next few weeks.
The daisies (above) are doing great and attracting butterflies and bees and the above picture includes a gatekeeper butterfly.
As Debby told us “We have 3 ornithogalum flowers coming. These grow up to about 2 metres in height!” Here’s the link to what they looked like in September last year (here).
And above’s a picture of one of her dwarf sunflowers that has opened (it looks much better than our giant ones that went up to about 3 foot and had a small flower then just withered away) and (below) her first Capri Red Pepper. Excellent stuff Debby!
A lovely view from the lakes
Cheers to Rich R for sending us this and to Daphne for taking the pic which cheered us up no end this grey morning. It’s a view of Scotland from the lake district. Wonderful stuff!
A report from north London
A big thanks to Debby H for sending us some pictures of her garden that’s come on a bit since she went away for few weeks. The above is of the first cosmos flowers.
Above is the radio related Marconi red pepper which is doing very well and her second pepper plant (below) is looking good too.
And her giant daisies (below) are coming along nicely!
There’s been a couple of suprises, one being a fuchsia that she thought was dead has come back to life and her ophiopogon (below), which is now flowering (little pink bell-like ones.)
It’s good coming back from being away and seeing how much has changed in the garden. Cheers for those Debby!
Weeds up to me knees 