23rd
June
The sweet peas are doing so well. Not all the plants have
flourished, but those that have are certainly making their presence felt. The
best ones are the Charlie’s Angels in the second fence panel section. They have
a definite but subtle blue colour, and because there are a good number of them,
they make quite an impact. The Red Arrows on the third panel have provided
about 2 plants so not such an impact, likewise the first panel of Sweet Chariot
– a red, white and blue mix. Some plants are still trying to get up and get
flowering. The ones on the canes are also still trying to do their stuff. A few
look dead, some are weak and feeble but others look as though they will amount
to something, they just seem to be late developers.
24th
June
I went to the allotment to water my plants and to be honest,
came away rather disheartened. The onion leaves seem even lower than last time.
There is a mass of weeds in most places, the caterpillars and/or the pigeons
are doing well out of my brassicas, and I really don’t feel I have the
capability to buy and erect a good defence netting. The carrots (all 7 of them)
are lost beneath weeds, and to cap it all, I don’t really like the taste of the
oriental spicy salad leaves.
I planted 2 sunflowers and a third cucumber. I have read
that you must pinch out the male flowers of cucumbers or else the fruit that
develops will be bitter. What I must do is find out the difference between male
and female flowers. That’s where the internet is such a help.
25th
June
Back to the allotment. I spent time on section 2 removing
all the weeds in order to find my carrots. After a good 90 minutes of hot toil
the bed was clear of weeds (at least above the surface) and I had discovered 3
carrots. Fantastic. Out of about 8 rows, there are 3 carrots. Were they eaten? Did
they germinate at all? Were they sown too early perhaps? I wouldn’t mind so
much if they were growing but struggling. It would be easier on my morale if I
had a fair showing of carrots that were stunted and twisted due to the hard
clay soil, but to not even sprout up is a bit of a kick in the teeth. I also
discovered that I had 2 or maybe 3 rocket plants – the third being too small to
distinguish it from a weed at present.
My wife's parents were at home when I returned, so they went
back with a small posy of Charlie’s Angels sweet peas.
26th
June
My privet hedge has a glorious scent to it now. I have left
the ends to grow a bit to allow the flowers to remain in order for me to
benefit from the scent, it really is quite pleasant, and strong, considering
the small nature of the petals. The hanging baskets continue to amaze me. We
have great comments from all who see them. The purple and mauve petunias at the
back can easily be seen from the house and are quite a statement. The fuchsias
too are coming along. The one in the third basket is beginning to flower again,
but this time a good 20-30 buds are forming with a couple out now. The second
one has opened up one bud whilst we are still waiting on the first which has
been promising for some time. In the front garden, the basket is a beacon to
guide me home. The vibrant red petunias form a wonderful hot bowl of colour
that really stands out from across the street.
Talking about the front garden, there are loads of weeds
there but also I can confirm some pumpkin plants with such great saucer leaves
and long, thick stems, remarkable considering that they are growing in a small
area of good soil surrounded by such poor soil. I had poor germination from the
seeds I planted but the ones I threw out have survived the heat and whatever
else in the compost bin that would deter more polite and genteel plants, and
have begun to flourish. Mind you, I have no complaints.
Next post: 29th June
No comments:
Post a Comment