Summer Garden Tour

​The garden this Summer was gorgeous, spring like temperatures and plenty of rain to keep the soil moist. The roses were stunning and my fuchsia was festooned in dancing red bells for Christmas day. Then shortly after it was scorched by a 44C day. For my Fahrenheit friends that is 111.2F.

​The flowers dried on the stem and fell. Now it has recovered somewhat and I’m sharing my Summer garden so you can see how my favorites are faring. I’ve also made a tentative start on a veggie garden now that the liquid amber has been removed.

This view from the garage is one of my favorites. It shows the variety of leaf shapes, how much everything has grown and pretty waisted shape of the ornamental border.

The roses are valiantly putting on new blooms although smaller and less abundant than the first flush .The pansies in the crates were hit very severely by the hot day and will need replacing. I'm hoping I'll have time for some pink and white petunias.

Over the winter my sister divided her lambs ears and gave me several clumps. They've settled in and spread to form an impressive display of towering spires.  I love the way they create a light resting place for the eye as it travels along the border.

The food production side of the garden has been doing well also. The fig is responding very well to the pruning to lift the canopy and repair the damage done to the center of the tree by the children who lived here previously. I can't blame them for climbing such a gorgeous tree but it suffered a lot of breakage in the center from it.

The bench seat that was at the end of the garden is inside at the moment. It's going to be painted white and placed under the fig tree.

It's fruits extremely well. I suspect It likes having another fig so close on the other side of fence in the neighbour's yard.  Next to the fig is a patch of potatoes, my first ever time growing them in a vegie garden. I saw a bags of seed potatoes in Aldi and decided to give it a go. I chose the Dutch Cream variety because I love to eat them.

I have planted a punnet of mixed tomatoes varieties, that nearly died on the hot day, they seem to be giving it a go. Only lost one.

Figs ripening on the tree.

Mixture of tomato seedlings

Dutch cream potatoes enjoying their place in the sun

This is a bit of a cheat, I've planted this rhubarb in the ornamental border because when Dad gave it to me, I didn't have a space for it yet. As you can see it's doing really well. But as an older variety, having been my grandfather's first and then going to Dad it has shorter stems. But that's fine, I love it for it's heritage. Once the vegetable garden is fully composted and ready for serious planting, I'll move it across.

I'm looking forward to some apple and rhubarb crumble this Autumn, after a meal of delicious dutch cream potatoes with fresh tomato sauce. I'm also going to start saving jars for making fig jam. 

If you have any recipes for figs I'd be grateful, It looks like were going to have lots and I don't want to let them be wasted.

I was lucky to be given a wicker outdoor setting by my sister. Her partner thrift-ed them for their beach house, but they sold that just before Summer. I put my hand up for them when they were asking family if anyone wanted them. I think they fit perfectly with the romantic garden theme I love. 

View looking back at the house. You can see one of my Christmas trees waiting to be packed away in the garage on the outdoor sofa. This was a lovely space for our Christmas Day guests to enjoy a pre lunch drink and to admire the garden.