It’s been a perfect week for sorting out the garden. Warm weather, some rain and more importantly some time available. My main objective was to sow green manure seeds on the veg plot. This year it is a mix of Westerwolds Ryegrass and Vetches (Winter Tares), courtesy of Sow Seeds and I thank fellow seasoned SOSer Garden Ruminations for this contact. This was much cheaper than buying packets of seeds from the local garden centre. Elsewhere I continued the fight against cinquefoil weeds, a thankless task, and I’ve started preparing the way for the renovation of two small corners of the garden. Here’s this week’s six.
One
I can’t believe I forgot to include this last week. The apples were juiced and the results have been collected. This year gave us 63 bottles which is double last year’s quantity. This is the output of six apple trees. Some of the apples were smaller than usual due no doubt to the low rainfall. Of the six trees, two are well established trees, the other four are more recently planted but are at least six years old.
Two
The roses are benefitting from the rain, this is ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’, which had a poor summer struggling with the drought. It’s good to see it putting on a late show. One of my renovation corners will feature a new David Austin rose, the sumptuous looking ‘Lady of Shalott’. I’m a creature of habit and can’t resist a new rose if a new space allows.
Three
The annuals also struggled to get going over July and August but they sat patiently waiting and are now filling up the spaces for an autumn finale. This is antirrhinum ‘Chantilly Velvet’.
Four
Drought has affected the height of the autumn stars. This sedum is about half the height it normally reaches but it did survive unwatered so I won’t complain.
Five
In a strange out of season quirk, also I suspect due to the summer weather conditions, I have a new flower spike on the evergreen agapanthus. It will be a late treat if it manages to open out.
Six
In more seasonal growth the cyclamen hederifolium have demonstrated their resilience. In a truly neglected corner of the front garden in dry shade they have produced these delicate flower heads. Small but perfectly formed. Lovely.
It looks like another blue-sky September day, I have one last courgette to pick before they are cleared. This will leave me with French beans, parsley, basil and the last of the cucumbers before the veg plot is wrapped up for winter. I’m not a grower of winter veg, just the parsnips to look forward to. Don’t forget to stop by Mr P’s plot/blog for his SOS and for all the links to other SOS posts. Happy Gardening.
n20gardener 
The apple juice is very exciting and I love the colours in the sedum photo, very vibrant.
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Thank you, the apple juice is a great treat.
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Apple juice is what I should do with the excess quantity I have here… So I have to find someone who can juice them for me.
Surprising this flower of Agapanthus which arrives this season, I hope that it will open and that you will be able to benefit from it!
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I was so pleased to find someone to juice our apples, we never could have got through them. I hope you can find someone nearby – surely there’s someone in your part of France!
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Agapanthus is confused. I almost got a picture of one of ours that is doing the same. I suppose that if only one out of thousands does so, it is not too weird. Will it actually bloom in your climate? If ours bloom this late, the bloom lasts a good long time. It just looks weird out of season, and while none of the others are blooming.
Cyclamen hederifolium is pretty in white. I had been wanting to grow some for a while, but when I finally met some, found that they can spread a bit more than I am comfortable with. The flowers are pale lavender. I would prefer white.
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It’s just turning colder here so I suspect the aggie won’t make it. But I’ll post again if it does! I’m happy for my cyclamen to spread which is lucky for me!
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How fabulous to have your own apple juice! And cinquefoil weeds have been driving me mad this last week – I neglected to keep on top of them last year and they have run riot all through the bee and butterfly bed. I think I am going to have to completely clear that in order to get rid of it.
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Oh, the cinquefoil. I too neglected it and now it is everywhere, running through the lawn too. I have cleared out one corner where it had a strong hold and I’m trying my best elsewhere. The apple juice is very cheering though.
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Cinquefoil can have surprisingly deep roots and it has an annoying habit of growing among other plants. Grr…
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That’s a lovely photo of the sedum nestled in amongst the cotoneaster. And how wonderful to have your own delicious apple juice.
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Thank you. The apple juice is one of the year’s highlights.
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The sedum makes a fab combination with the cotoneaster. I was given a ‘Lady of Shalott’ this year. It’s a lovely colour like shot silk.
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‘Tess’ is a lovely colour. My Sedums are also shorter but flowering fairly well. Yours combines well with the Cotoneaster.
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