Summer rain

The last couple of weeks have been very mixed indeed and I don't just mean in the garden (it's OK I won't bang on about it but WHAT IS GOING ON IN UK POLITICS?).

OK so amongst the world falling apart, I have been trundling on in the great outdoors.

This time of year, although it is the beginning of Summer, we are nearing the end of our mammoth propagation season and most plants that need to be out in the veg garden are on their way. We have just planted out the Cucamelons and are trying a new support this time, post and netting, for them to clamber up. Beans are coming up, Celeriac is beginning to form, Tomato flowers are morphing into fruit.

I kept walking past the most beautiful flower this week which comes out from a clump of grass. HG told me it is called Dierama, with the common name of Angel's fishing rod. You can clearly see why. The flower delicately climbs up out of the grass and arches over, gently flowing when the breeze comes. really hard to get a good pic as the stem is so fine.

 I have been planting out the flowers we have grown from seed, into various parts of the cutting garden at Heale : Tithonia, Stocks, Rudbeckias, Daucus. Once they get established, they should be great.

HG and I pruned the old Akebia which sits on the balustrade of the boat terrace. Lots of unruly growth, like pulling at a bundle of Spaghetti. Gentle pruning though allows you to look after the plant, prune to 1 or 2 nodes from the old growth and you get a lovely neat bush.

We have had such mixed weather and so much rain that we seem to be constantly fighting a sea of slugs and snails. We have tried Nematodes to see if there is any difference in population to that when using slug pellets. We are vigilant and try and check pots for the beasties but it is so hard when the weather is so wet and the air so thick. I am not alone in wanting the Summer to arrive in earnest. In the meantime how can you not feel happy when you see these Daisies???

Happy Gardening folks.