Gradually, the nights are drawing in and there is a faint hint of autumn on the wind. The beechnuts are falling along with the apples. The leaves won’t be far behind.
I cut the bamboo down to half its size as it was beginning to dominate the back garden, I do hope I haven’t killed it, time will tell.
This willow in the raised bed was also growing wild so instead of hacking it back I plaited the sides to form a gap in the center, it looks a lot less unruly now.
Shrooms are emerging, I love the little fairy ones on the left that grow on an old tree stump in the courtyard.
I visited Granby Street in South Liverpool recently. This is a wonderful project. A couple of residents began planting up a more or less derelict street that most people had moved out of. Pretty soon folk began moving back and joined in the planting. Two houses that were beyond repair were joined together and a glass roof was added, the space is now a thriving community center.
Hubs and I took Littl’urchin to the Safari park, goodness me, the monkeys almost tore the car to pieces to the Childs utter delight!
The blooms keep coming despite a tremendous storm last night. A good five /six inches fell and the thunder had the house skaking. Many roads were flooded which is worrying as more storms are on their way.
Veggies in the main are doing well. Potatoes, courgettes, onions, garlic and green beans are being enjoyed and the sweetcorn is well on the way, along with a second crop of dwarf runner beans and salad leaves. FINALLY the tomatoes are beginning to ripen. Something is eating my cabbages though, despite being netted. Sighs…
There does seem to be rather a lot of red, purples and pinks in the garden at the moment.
This is part of a border in the back garden. It had several gaps due to the recent drought so I’ve added a variety of grasses, ferns and rockery plants. Hopefully they will cope somewhat better if we have another drought next year.
The accidental orchard is doing well. All the apple trees are bearing fruit. Not so the pear, plum and home grown peach. I have my fingers crossed for them next year.
The shrubs in The Steps are growing well despite the drought and then rainy season.
A bunch of wrens fledged from their nest in the clematis outside the kitchen door. Oh my….the racket!!! The mother was chirping at the top of her voice as she valiantly tried to protect them all. Fortunately they immediately took to the trees, with some even perching on the walls and and kept off the ground completely. It was quite the event.
I have my blueberry bushes in pots which I had to move into the hut to stop the birds eating them all. Littl’urchin then discovered them and ate the lot, well, she did offer me ONE!
I bought this hardy grapevine early in the summer when it was only about two inches high. It’s already climbed its frame, I have high hopes for it next year.
And Finally…
My next door neighbour, Jean, who is fond of bringing groups of her friends on tours around the gardens persuaded me to join in with the National Open Garden Scheme next year. Tell you what, I was really nervous when a group of four people came to inspect the garden, how awful it would have been to be turned down. But, I passed and now I’m wondering what on earth I’ve let myself in for!!!! I even agreed to serve tea and home-made cake! Struth, I can’t even bake! Apparently hundreds turn up, I really will have to get my thinking cap on and get the gardens straight.
Until next time….stay safe guys.xxx
Your gardens are looking wonderful. I’m especially enjoying seeing the accidental orchard. The Granby street project is inspiring–amazing what a difference it makes to have some plants in our lives! I wouldn’t be brave enough to do an open garden, so my hat is off to you! I’d love to come to yours, actually!
Thanks Brenda. I’m pleased to see how well the accidental orchard is growing, next year I’m hoping for pears along with the apples. I am beginning to wonder what I have let myself in for opening the garden….sighs.xxx
Good for you agreeing to have an Open Garden, your garden has absolutely taken off since I last checked in to see your blog post. Paul and I often go to Open Gardens, and get good ideas from them, and you don’t have to bake cakes etc…just buy one!
It was interesting to read about the street in Liverpool which has taken to gardening in a big way. Very positive!
I always notice that if one person has a nice garden, a few houses around that one improve!
Li’l Urchin is really growing up, grandkids are great aren’t they? My younger daughter is getting married soon (our spring) so it is all go here!
Good luck with your Open Garden…
Thanks Gerries. I now have several friends agreeing to bake cakes for me so that’s a relief! Yes, I always come across something new when viewing open gardens. Grandkids are great, not so much early morning…lol. A wedding! How lovely.xxx
Lovely to see how your garden is growing. Having your own orchard is so good – especially when you have fruit types that are not in the shops. I have a couple of fruit trees in containers, but the blue tits pecked holes in the fruits this year ! I hope yours have been spared.
Lil’urchin is growing up so fast. Maybe it’s time to call her big ol’ urchin 😂
I saw the Granby Four Streets project featured on the TV and looked it up online. It really is a wonderful regeneration of a once run-down area. The houses that they gutted and turned into a community centre are now gorgeous. I can see why people would be queueing up to live there. https://www.granby4streetsclt.co.uk/history-of-the-four-streets
Congratulations on being accepted onto the National Garden Scheme list. It’s a worthwhile charity and I have visited some very interesting ones over the years. I am sure your visitors will love what you have done with yours ! I hope you will bake a few easy vegan cakes to showcase the lifestyle and prove that you can’t tell the difference between vegan and non-vegan cakes. I have some easy recipes if you would like to take a look at them.
That the wrens have honoured your garden with their nest is such a nice surprise. The babies look so cute on the photos. I can’t say the same for the naughty monkeys, ripping your car to bits. Maybe they are objecting to your driving through their home ? Before you know it they will be installing a low emission scheme to keep you out ! 😂
Yes, it’s lovely having unusual apples, we have a little red one called pippin which is lovely. Shame about your apples I’ve had several devoured too. I’d love to see your recipes! I have a friend who is going to bake some vegan cakes which is good as there are so many vegans around now. Granby Street certainly is inspiring, amazing the difference a little greenery and plants can do isn’t it? I do enjoy seeing the wrens in the garden, they always nest in the courtyard always choosing a different spot. Those monkeys have an utter blast wrecking cars, it’s certainly keeps them stimulated. Not many are brave enough to drive through these days, they take the safe route outside the enclosure and laugh at all the crazy motorists. Thanks Keggy.xxx
For some reason your lovely photographs took a long time to open on my computer, not sure why, but I did enjoy them 🙂
Good for you for agreeing to open up your garden for the Open Garden Scheme, I am sure you will get a lot of visitors.
It’s certainly been another wet month and there is an Autumnal feeling creeping in.
Take care and enjoy these last few days of August.
All the best Jan
Sorry the photos took so long to open, I hope there isn’t a glitch this end. It’s been wet and windy here too but a warm few days is coming our way. Thanks Jan.xxx
Well, it doesn’t say the home-made cakes have to have come from your home does it?? As I recall, you’ve got a wonderful neighbor who bakes, no? People are going to love visiting.
Wow. 5-6″ rain in our area in one storm would make global news indeed. Glad you’ve finally got some. Seems just a few weeks ago you were showing spring blooms ….wasn’t it?!?
My tomatoes were a bit like yours. Apparently when it’s 90F+, they don’t like to ripen. Good luck on the grapes, more sharable blueberries, apples, and tomatoes. Love the sheer variety of all that you grow.
Loved the successful graduation of the wren family. I’m amazed you got the shots you did! And those monkeys! They seem kind of aggressive…. Glad somebody was entertained, at least. Bravo to your husband for driving through that.
Thanks Anne. Thankfully my neighbour and friends are rallying around on the baking front. I do hope people enjoy visiting, at least it will motivate me to get the garden straight. Finally the tomatoes have opened, I wouldn’t say it was the best harvest though. It wasn’t easy getting pics of the wren chicks, struth, they are super fast, at least they are off the ground quickly. Hubs was not at all impressed driving through the monkeys, he only agreed after I’d promised the child.xxx
Great to get your news and see all the garden projects you’ve been involved in in recent months. I’ve seen a tv documentary about that street in Liverpool. Such projects benefit a community. Take care. Have a good Autumn.
Thanks Linda, yes, projects like this do get people rallying around. xxx
It isn’t easy to kill bamboo even if you want to. You are brave opening up your garden but I’m sure visitors will love it.
Thanks Sue, thankfully the bamboo is bouncing back. I am beginning to wonder what I’ve let myself in for…xxx
A lovely catch up. Oh, the monkey on the car reminded me of Peter Kay’s Car Share, so funny. How exciting opening up your garden for the Open Garden Scheme, I’m sure you’ll get loads of visitors, there’s always so much interest in your garden.
Thanks Jo, I must look that Peter Kay’s Car Share. xxx
Oh, congratulations on the garden scheme; I love pottering around other people’s gardens for ideas and inspiration. Yours will be fabulous.
Your trip to the safaripark brought back happy memories. Was it Knowsley? I was born in Warrington and remember it well.
Granby Street sounds like a wonderful project and so lovely to see.
I’m sure your bamboo will recover – that stuff seems indestructable! I love Littl’urchin’s plaits and at least you got 1 blueberry! :O) xx
Thanks Veggiemummy.Yes, it was knowsley. It’s worth a visit to Granby Street if you’re ever in the area. Ha yes, at least she spared me one!xxx
There was a programme on TV about Granby Street some time ago, I thought it was quite an amazing project, good to see it is still going strong! Your garden is looking wonderful, all your plants seem to have settled into their new home nicely. Well done for being chosen for the NGS, we did it here for 5 years, it is hard work but so rewarding when people make nice comments about your garden and you make lots of money for the NGS charities.
Thanks Pauline, yes, it’s good to see Granby street still thriving. You’re brave doing the NGS for five years. I don’t know how to pull one off yet!xxx
It’s a bit of a joke in our family about needing to invite guests from time to time just so the house gets cleaned up. However: inviting the world to your garden will be quite the project. I think I’d sit down and fan myself while thinking about it — at least, for a while. Everything looks so good. We’re about to break another heat record today, and while there still are plants in bloom for the pollinators, there’s a lot of crispiness around. “They” say things may improve a bit next week, with highs below 100F. I’d take the heat, if we could get some rain to go with it.
I can only imagine being overtaken by monkeys! I suspect a lot of people may have enticed them with food in the past — one look at humans and a car, and they’re ready to demand their treats. What I like is that last photo. The arrangement of the stones really is pleasing.
You know, that’s exactly the scenario at my place! Plumber arrival kicked off the under-sink reorg. Tech guy appointment got the desk area tidied. Appliance fixer triggered removal of all the refrigerator magnets and detritus. And more!
Thanks Lina, yes that’s very true re cleaning up when folk are coming round. I’m still at the sitting down fanning myself stage. Good to hear you have finally had rain. it’s pretty changeable here, one minute it feels like winter, the next back to summer. The ride through the monkey enclosure is something else, someone was silly enough to leave a window off and spent the entire time wrestling with a large monkey half in, half out of the window.xxx
Oh, my, what fun! I’ve watched British garden tours on television and they’re such a delight. I volunteer to come and help!!!! I love to bake.
I’m with Li’l Urchin and the blueberries, though I’d have saved you at least 2. Everything looks tremendous, especially given the summer’s crazy weather. I would literally eat spiders for 5-6” of rain. I wouldn’t fret about bamboo growing back. It’s such a vigorous plant!
So happy to read the wren story, see your large apple yield and all the veggies coming, and enjoy the photos of your glorious space. I bet the tour folks were so amazed by it all they couldn’t wait to get you signed up!
I especially loved the story about the neighborhood revival in Liverpool. How wonderful. Such great stories start with gardens!
I hope the rain moderates and autumn arrives with peace. XO
Oh, how I would love you to come! The NGS inspectors politely called the gardens quirky!!! I do hope it comes off next year. Here’s to you getting some decent rain, the weather is out of kilter worldwide now, no one knows what to expect from one minute to the next. Yes, it’s so inspiring seeing how plants turned the tide in a run-down area of Liverpool. Thanks Kitty.xxxx