The good, the bad and the ugly

What's that? Who said "She doesn't blog about her vegetables and her Purple Podded Peas any more" ?

Guilty as charged. I could go on about all the reasons why my vegetable plot isn't something to show off this year, but the PPP-rules are no whinging, no apologies and no negativity (well sometimes a little bit, but I'm quite capable of all three of those things in real life, so it does me good to ban them from my blog posts).

So, here's an update on the garden – it's a tale of the good, the bad and the ugly. It's a long story, with lots of photos, so make a cup of tea and get yourselves comfy. Let's start with the bad news . . .

The Ugly

It was all going so well, I had lots of pots of different pea varieties germinated in pots, I built some lovely twiggy wigwams and planted them out. Then this happened! Yes, to ALL the peas in the vegetable garden. I'm not even sure what has caused it – so if you know, break it to me gently. Oh well! there's still time for a late summer crop.

And now for the not quite as ugly but not good . . .

The Bad

The Three Sisters mound. Not much progress here this year . . . yet.
I have squash plants in pots in the greenhouse and they will get planted out into the 'mound' – yes they will!

The Winter Potager. This raised bed has been earmarked to be planted with all those crops that are harvested over the winter and following spring – leeks, broccoli, etc. The thing is, I haven't got around to preparing the bed. Then lots of parsley seedling sprang up and some interesting poppy plants which looked like Iceland poppies, but turned out to be the pretty orange Papaver atlanticum which I brought with me from a previous garden and I thought had died out.

The greenhouse is jam packed with plants in waiting . . . waiting to be pricked out, potted on or planted out.

Various brassicas which needed a home after the end of the Village Fete – destined for that Winter Potager, when I get round to moving those poppies!


Now you've had a good snigger, let's look at something a bit better . . .

The Good

I planted a couple of wigwams of peas in a flower bed next to the patio, unlike the peas planted in the vegetable garden, these are doing well. Here is the stately 'Victorian Purple Podded Pea' just coming into flower.

Spuds are doing well – hurrah!
And behind you can just see the 'Ronda' grapevine romping away. Lots of lovely fresh vine leaves for dolmadas too.

Crimson Flowered Broad Beans, doing OK despite the really tough spring we've had.

We had a superb crop of asparagus this year, now I'm letting the fern grow to build p the crowns for next year. In the foreground are wigwams for climbing beans (San Antonio and Bird's Egg) and in between stone circles protecting the Algerian Courgettes from soil run-off when I water them.


I think we'll step up a notch and call the next section

The Bountiful

Courgette Nano Verde di Milano will soon be ready to eat.

Gooseberry 'Invicta' looking superb – no sign of sawfly or mildew yet. I think I'll make so jam this year, I love gooseberry jam in a sponge cake with elderflower cordial flavoured icing on top.

The Redcurrants are ripening fast against the warmth of the 'Suffolk Red' bricks. The nets are there to stop the Blackbirds from snaffling the lot – we want to replenish our store of Redcurrant jelly!

Strawberries have produced just in time for Wimbledon. Lovely intense sharp 'Gariguette' and plump round juicy 'Cambridge Favourite'. The pole supports a net to stop birds nicking all the fruit – it doubles as a beam for the tabby studio assistant to show off her gymnastic routine!

The Globe Artichoke survived the long harsh winter and has some very promising looking heads appearing.

Sage planted at the end of the vegetable patch is in glorious purple flower, the bumbles bees love it!

A good crop of Damsons – what will we make?
Damson cobbler? Damson Gin? Damson Vodka?

A few nice Cambridge Gages filling out. The crop is sparse this year, but I'm going to enjoy eating these, they won't even get as far as the kitchen.

And lastly, the areas of the garden that don't need me to help them put on a good show . . .

The Beautiful

This is the informal border along our gravel drive, I limit the colour palette to white, lime green, gold and dots of magenta and metallic blue.

The west facing wall, the Wisteria flowers are over and have been replaced with white 'Iceberg' roses. The froth of white behind the seats in Crambe cordifolia, its flowers smell of honey.

We made a new path behind the Dragonfly Pond to access the door to The Wild Wood, it means there's a new view back across the pond to the walled garden.

The shrubs and climbers planted to disguise the wooden fence near the back door of my studio are at last looking abundant – and fragrant with Honeysuckle and Mock Orange (Philadelphia).

All the photographs were taken this morning in my garden.