Summer in the garden.

 

Today has been a pottering sort of day. I woke up tired and hadn't the energy to do much. A stroll in the garden unearthed some beauty, some surprises, and much peace.

Looking at the Physic garden, I am amazed at how much is there, despite the huge amount of weeding done by my gardener, Bex last Monday. The herbs at the front are tumbling over each other, and the scent is amazing.

There's Summer Savoury, Hyssop, Oregano, Thyme, and Golden Feverfew. 

Most of the weeding was to remove a lot of elderly violets. The Columbine remains. I can't work out if it's finished flowering or hasn't yet started.

The Hyssop is that perfect shade of blue, which will always have a place in my little plot.

Not all the medicinal plants survived in the Physic Garden. Notable failures were Digitalis Purpurea and Echinacea. Bex moved the Digitalis to the opposite border but it didn't survive. The Echinacea moved closer to the flowers at the top of the border. It is flowering but I'm not sure it likes being in the shade of the trees.

Other plants from the Physic Garden have spread, naturally. The feverfew (which was resident in the garden underneath the tangle of shrubs and trees that were cleared in 2020, has migrated towards the flower patch.

A surprise this summer is the Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’,  a fantastic winter-flowering shrub, bearing densely packed clusters of rose, pink or blush white, sweetly scented blooms, on bare stems. It has been in the garden since the house was built in 1960.

Piers, the tree surgeon, pruned it hard last year and it has grown back vigorously. It blossomed last winter, but is now putting out more flowers while in full-leaf.

Many of the herbs in the Physic Garden have such pretty, delicate flowers, like this Summer Savoury. 

Not all the herbs are in the Physic Garden. Some are doing jobs elsewhere, like this Basil at the base of the tomato plants, helping to keep away whitefly and other pests.

I planted mint in various pots around the garden. Most of it has not done well. I didn't realise that everything that is in pots or containers needs feeding in season. As soon as I was reminded of this, I started feeding the Mint in the pot in the kitchen garden. I think it might be Moroccan Mint. It was hiding until I started to tend it on Feed Friday last month. 

The tomatoes have been growing very well, but the fruits were late to appear and have remained  green until last week. Some are now ripening. All three plants have fruits and flowers which might mean the harvesting season will be longer than last year.

The lettuces are all harvested, but I'm not going to plant any more. I'm hoping to get out and about more often and hate the thought of crops going to waste.

The Lemon Verbena is also all gone. I think it was not as vigorous as it once was because it spent the winter in the ground. I bought some Verbena tea to see me through the rest of the year.

Next year, I shall plant two Lemon Verbena in pots that can be brought indoors for the winter.

Which brings me to the Wild Strawberries. Bex moved the plant to the top of the strawberry container and I decided to leave the fruit for the birds. It seems that now there is no netting to protect the strawberries, the birds have deemed these tiny ones inferior to the ones I grew last year. 

Box of tissues for size comparison.

The end of the border nearest the house is mixed. There are flowering perennials, herbs, fruit, and all are looking terrific.

This shot is taken from the back of the border.  

The raspberry bush has put out flowers but the blackberry is still barren.

There was much more loveliness to be seen and experienced but tiredness and hot sunshine drove me indoors. 

Mindfulness is so easy in the garden. I'm so glad I started to tackle it early last year. It has paid back a thousand fold.