Introduction
Welcome to the eighth #SixOnSaturday series, inspired by The Propagator. Six things going on in my garden recently. There's a bit of a focus on produce this week.
1) Courgette "Black Beauty"
Courgettes can be frustrating to get going. First of all, the seeds need some warmth to germinate and I've frequently ended up planting two lots of seeds before anything has come up. Second, once they've reahed the point where they are ready to start being productive, you need both a male flower and a female flower to be out at the same time. The female fruiting stem can be identified as it has a small swelling just below the flowerhead. I typically plant three plants in the hope of encouraging male and female flowers out simultaneously. It hasn't yet quite worked out like that this year and I'd already had five female flowers come and go - five nascent courgettes that weren't to be - before the first male appeared. Even though the garden is awash with polinators, I nonetheless try to give fertilisation a little hand using a bird's feather to transfer pollen from male to the fruiting plant. All is not totally lost with the unfertilised fruits as generally I'm able to pick them before they start rotting and either chop and add to cooking, or thinly slice, pickle and use in salads.
2) Summer fruits: strawberries and blueberries
There is something deeply satisfying about being able to pick your own breakfast. The blueberry was one of three potted plants that I rescued from mum's garden after she died in 2014. The strawberries are now in their second year. Both are producing beautifully intensely sweet fruits which go wonderfully with a bit of cruncy museli, some greek yoghurt and a good strong black coffee, all consumed sitting on the patio in the sun whilst listening to the birds chuntling in the backround.
3) Lemon
It is nothing short of a miracle that the lemon tree, acquired last summer, survived the winter. My "greenhouse" is a small plastic affair that I use for seedlings in spring, and for over-wintering a potted Canna. Instead I decided that I'd bring the lemon inside, placing it beside a sunny door. At first it loved it, throwing up new shoots and flowers. Then, despite retular watering with rainwater, it started dropping leaves. Eventually it stabilised. It is happy now that it is back out on the patio getting a regular water and citrus feed.
4) Crocosmia "Lucifer"
Lucifer is out and looking stunning with its deep red flowers dancing atop tall stems. I added supports this year which are working well which is good because the main clump had previously been rather unruly, flopping in the slightest wind or rain. .
5) Clematis Princess Diana
This clematis is now in its second year and I have it growing up an obelisk in a part of the garden that faces east and is deeply shaded by towering sycamore trees just the other side of the fence. It is putting on a great show this year and appears not to have been as affected by greenfly as it was last year.
6) Spirea Japonica Goldflame
This was another impulse buy, this time at our local market. I was actually attracted by the golden/red young leaves which have now turned a lovely lime green and are topped with fluffy pink flowerheads. More to add to the "plants with year round interest" brigade.
That's all for this week. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in.
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