December 20, 2007 at 11:37 pm (What's up in my real garden)
Photo by S. Arrowsmith
This swiss chard, ‘rainbow lights’ didn’t get eaten when it grew bigger than salad leaf size. I discovered that growing pretty veg is no guarantee of taste. I imagined that something this beautiful would taste amazing. It didn’t, it has a very strong soapy flavour that isn’t to my taste. At least it looked splendid.
September 2, 2007 at 7:05 pm (What's up in my real garden)
Photos by S. Arrowsmith
It is amazing what can happen in a few short weeks. The first picture was taken at the beginning of August, the stuff growing over the frame is a variety of runner bean called ‘Painted Lady’ which I chose to be decorative as well as edible. It was actually my third sowing of due to the slugs and snails helping themselves (see events in May), I’m afraid I resorted to slug pellets. The second picture was taken today. I have eaten a few and can report that they are delicious – sliced very finely, boiled for 5 mins and tossed with a little butter and black pepper.
August 7, 2007 at 12:54 pm (What's up in my real garden)
Photo by S. Arrowsmith
Gywn, our other cat, prowling around in her garden. I’m delighted with the sweetpeas (clambering up the frame on the right of the picture). I’ve tried to grow them from seed and seedlings several times now and unsuccessfully. This lot were buy-2-get-one-free from the local co-op. The polite scattering of yellow dots are nasturtiums and they have taken over that part of the garden since the picture was taken. Have a close up:
Photo by S. Arrowsmith
June 30, 2007 at 4:48 pm (What's up in my real garden)
Photo by S. Arrowsmith
As often happens in June, there has been a hiatus between the last flush of spring colour and the arrival of the summer blooms. Lots of lush green stuff in evidence, but not many flowers. They are just starting to come out this week. The wet weather has meant that I have not kept up with the weeding. However, it would appear that one can be overzealous on that front, and my laziness appears to have been rewarded by this beautiful clump of self-seeded poppies.
May 22, 2007 at 2:23 pm (What's up in my real garden)
A large clump of Parsley Photo by S. Arrowsmith
I sowed an annuals bed and did a bit of crazy pottager planting by sowing pretty vegetables like Swiss Chard and Purple Sprouting Broccoli in between the flowers. This was going to be a splendid picture of rows of seedlings.
You will have to make do with a picture of our cat Parsley instead, because the slugs and snails have eaten 80% of the seedlings. Given that I’d stumped up £25 for Suttons seeds, and spent hours getting soil just right, gastropods are not my friends. They never were, but now I have a grudge. There will have to be a re-sowing and I have given in and bought slug pellets because brutes have just started on the Sweet Peas.
I have consoled myself by persuading my other half to buy me some pots of Cosmos. Pink and white. Very sweet.
April 23, 2007 at 10:19 am (What's up in my real garden)
After completely gutting the garden last autumn, it is showing real promise. The new lawn seems happy and I’m looking forward to the summer. If only I could do something about my ‘gardener’s knee’…
