I have a lot of catching up to do on my blog! It’s been a whirlwind few months with my son’s wedding, lots of writing work, a vintage sale – and so many harvests from my own little garden and from friends and neighbours. I can’t remember such a year for apples, pears, quinces, and berries. I’ve made marmalades, jams, pickles, cakes and soup, and the freezer is stuffed with even more raw materials.
Quite how my container garden survived the lack of rain and intense heat, I’m not sure. I did a LOT of watering! Flowers bloomed, and I’ve had a particularly lovely show of dahlias, zinnias and cosmos.
I do get an incredible sense of satisfaction from picking a big bunch of flowers from my tiny plot. I did not think this would be possible with such a restricted space and no soil, but it absolutely is!
I can go into the garden and feel complete immersion.
It’s difficult to capture that feeling of seclusion when you live in a terraced row, but with my collection of small trees, the colossal cosmos that grew this year, and plenty of lofty ornamental grasses, it can happen. So many butterflies, bees and other pollinators, too. It’s joyful to see them.
Dahlias have given me particular satisfaction. I grew ‘Totally Tangerine’ for the first time, and I loved it. The dark varieties are also wonderful, but there is something about the pink and orange dahlias that delights my soul.
And there have been many other joys. The honeysuckle, which sulked practically all summer, and was badly attacked by greenfly early in the season, suddenly rallied and I had this gorgeous display a couple of weeks ago.
And what can I say about the little crab apple tree? ‘Red Sentinel’ has been dripping with fruit.
Unfortunately, it was so laden that a branch snapped off! But hopefully it will recover. I made crab apple and chilli jelly with some of the fruit, and also a batch of crab apple gin which is maturing for Christmas. And that was only the start of the preserve mountain!
Every jam jar has been pressed into service.
I even grew a beetroot! (It was very small, but very delicious)…
As well as making the most of the edibles, I have been harvesting seeds, too. We went to the most amazing seed swap at the White Goose Flower Farm over in Leicestershire. What an experience that was. An old walled garden which is being restored and gardened organically. I felt as if I was in some kind of heaven. I really didn’t know where to turn first. From the tiny potting shed with chickens wandering in and out, to the walk ways through densely packed beds of perennials in every colour, the barrel of home grown apples, and the organic sculptures made from poppy seed heads. It was all so imaginative.
It’s a wonderful enterprise. I’m only going to spout superlatives if I try to describe it, so perhaps I should let the photos speak for themselves.
I can highly recommend a visit. It was one of the most captivating gardens I’ve seen all year.
So much inspiration! A great achievement by owner Fleur and her helpers.
Between times, I had a wedding to prepare and bake for. I made about 200 cake bites for the guests. It was all very rustic, no piping or icing here! But we did have a wonderful day in Liverpool celebrating our son Jack’s marriage to Holly. I still feel as if I am catching up with myself. But normality is returning. I’m currently very busy with writing work. I have to make time to get outside, and I try to do one little garden job each day. It could be planting narcissi bulbs, moving or dividing perennials, or starting autumn sown sweet peas for next year.
There’s still a lot to love in the garden. It’s thinning out, but the colours are beautiful.
I’ve had very little time to do any painting, but I did make some sketches and collages recently.
Quinces providing excellent still life material.
Great fun, and very therapeutic. I’ve painted out some recipes, too. These are popular on my Instagram account.
I will try to keep my blog up to date, although I am toying with starting a SubStack. I’ll let you know if I do.
In the meantime, the web shop is nicely stocked up with cards and tea towels, so do have a look if you are in need of gifts! You will find the shop at the top of my website.
Thanks for stopping by!
Produce!