Last week had a very autumnal feel. Cooler temperatures, windy and wet but I did have the time to spend in the garden and it was not a pretty sight. The sweet peas have mildew, the knautia gone to seed and everything looks a little bedraggled. My first of the six for this week is a sorry sight but it gets better.
One
The apples are ripening but one tree in particular has a bad case of brown rot. I must have lost at least half the crop so far and apparently there is nothing to be done about it. I pick up all the windfalls and remove any of the affected apples from the tree and throw them away. So far the other apple trees do not seem to be affected and some of the younger trees are now producing a good crop which will compensate for the lower yields on this tree.
Two
I am still adding to the August garden to keep the colour going. My local garden centre tempted me back in with a timely money off voucher which made the helenium ‘Short and Sassy’ more attractively priced. After that I headed for a local nursery that offers plants at a much more reasonable price and paired the helenium with perovskia ‘Blue Steel’. This is a smaller, more compact variety, chosen for my thin border. I managed to get these planted out into a very dry garden before the rain set in.
Three
The bees were flocking to the helenium and perovskia before they were even in the ground. This echinops has a similar pulling power. For this reason alone it has remained in the garden but it is in danger of going in the great rethink that is on the horizon. Some things need moving around and some may have to go. Such is gardening.
Four
I inherited a large collection of water butts from the previous owner and they have been invaluable in helping to keep the garden watered but there is the eternal problem of mosquitoes and after suffering a number of bites (also not a pretty sight) I decided I would try adding olive oil. This is the most popular suggestion that comes up on an internet search, the second most popular is keeping goldfish in the water butt. It’s interesting how the same ideas come up in different places. I am trying it out in one water butt. Will I be able to live with oily watering cans? Has any one else tried it?
Five
The coneflowers took a bashing from the wind and the rain, more staking required if that is going to be the pattern for summer. They have been in the garden for two years now and are clumping up well. They are a good bridge from the end of summer into autumn.
Six
I have some new agapanthuses this year: ‘Navy Blue’. In their first year in the garden they have managed to produce one stem per plant, more patience required before the full affect can be enjoyed. I have to be good at remembering to feed them up before they flower. They are giving me a summer feeling for a little longer.
For more end of summer flowers call in at The Propagator’s garden. Our host of the SOS meme shares the links to other SOSs in the comments section.
n20gardener 
What a gorgeous colour your agapanthus is! The helenium/perovskia combo is wonderful. Hope your second tree stays well 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your echinops leaves look a lot healthier than mine! And another Helenium to tempt me – but crikey who thinks of these names?
LikeLike
I have another one with much less healthy leaves – I’ve no idea what causes it. They are not planted too far apart. Well now they are, as this weekend I moved that one to a holding bay pending my rethink.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A holding bay sounds like a good idea!
LikeLike
I would never have thought a photo of a water butt could look arty but that shot of the oil on the surface is very nice. Oh to have coneflowers that bulk up rather than get eaten! I can see an obvious problem with keeping goldfish in a water butt.
LikeLike
Interestingly the oil looks a lot less arty now as it has spread out to a slimy film but it seems to be working.
LikeLike
Like Gill, I love the deep blue of your agapanthus and the mix Russian sage/helenium . Nice shots!
About olive oil in the water I have never heard of it but why not. It all depends on how you fill your watering can. If it’s with a tap at the bottom, it doesn’t matter the oil. Otherwise, your watering can will be oily …. I let you try and keep us informed about mosquitoes
LikeLike
I have high hopes for the dark blue agapanthus, but that could take a couple of years! The oil seems to be working but I made the mistake of trying it out in my dipping water butt so it will be oily watering cans for me. I am now wondering if it will go through the water pump all right??!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m interested in the idea of the goldfish in the water butts. Your agapanthus looking great. My single flower is almost fully open having hung on in there through the wind and rain.
LikeLike
Good for your agapanthus, it’s been a bad time for flowers in the garden but now everything here is well watered. I couldn’t face goldfish in the water butts!
LikeLike
I like the colour of your Aggie. It’s much more dramatic than than the paler blue ones. I think I’d feel sorry for the goldfish in a dark water butt!
LikeLike
I’ve got the dark agapanthus near a lovely pink rose, once they clump up it should look good. Fingers crossed!
LikeLike
Goldfish on Water Butts? Interesting. I like that Helenium a lot. Dam vouchers from Garden Centres!
LikeLike
Navy blue is nice for agapanthus, but is as dark as I would go. Purple looks odd to me. Classic medium blue will always be my favorite. Even though white is my favorite color, it is my second favorite for agapanthus.
I found that oil is tolerable; but it takes a lot to put me off. We use fish in the irrigation ponds, but for smaller tanks, the oil worked well. Generally, it never makes it into the hose because it floats on top, and the outflow is on the bottom. The water still gets scuzzy of course.
LikeLike