It is lovely to have a period of sunny settled weather but of course gardeners are muttering about the lack of rain. I’m hoping that the sun will ripen the outdoor tomatoes, they are only just beginning to turn. I’ve used up all the water from the butts and have had the hose out a couple of times now. The garden is a little scrappy due to my meaness with the watering but that’s the way it is. All the potatoes on the veg plot have now been dug up. I grew ‘Charlotte’ and very lovely they are too. The green beans continue producing and are the best variety I have grown – Franchi ‘La Victoire’, I will definitely sow these again. Cucumbers and courgettes are steadily producing. I just need those tomatoes to catch up and all will be well. Here’s six from the garden this week.
One
The apples are beginning to fall and I will have soon have to set aside time to pick them all ready for taking them to the juicing joint. It’s hard work but one of the highlights of the year.
Two
This is a relatively new rose to the garden and is, therefore, treated to some watering. It’s ‘Lady of Shalott’. A really beautiful colour.
Three
Down in a shadier corner the eurybia divaricata has begun to flower. It’s a low growing sprawler and spills its way around the hellebores and astrantia.
Four
When I first arrived in this garden eight years ago I spent a great deal of time digging out ground elder and also this goldenrod – it wasn’t on my favourites list. The goldenrod has made a come back, snuggling up to the miscanthus. They work together really well and my mind has been changed.
Five
The japanese anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ always gets a mention at this time of year. I really like it, but I have struggled to get more of them established. Even these ones that are very settled have not spread out much beyond their original space. Too well behaved!
Six
I was hankering after some white hesperis to add in between the oak leaf hydrangeas but was completely distracted by finding the more common purple hesperis at a local garden centre. I’ve added to into this patch of magenta phlox with the hope that they will self seed. The white version is still on the wish list.
More from the SOS crowd can be found on Jim’s Garden Ruminations, drop by any time and take a look. There’s yet more weed pulling to do and those courgettes need to be watched very carefully. Happy gardening.
n20gardener 
Very pretty Goldenrod, I’m glad you let it stay.
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I hadn’t heard of hesperis before, it’s very pretty and as it’s also good for pollinators I think I’ll be keeping an eye out for it at the garden centre, too.
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Full title: hesperis matronalis
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My daughter (Esher) and I compare temperatures and she has had a LOT more sun and heat than me. Here we seems to swing from one sunny, dry day to one cloudy and possibly rainy day. Today is cloudy, dry and still. I grew white sweet rocket from seed (and to be honest if I can grow it from seed anyone can!) and you can still do that now. It flowers for a long time and I am hoping mine either self-seeds or manages another flowering next year.
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Thanks for that info. I was thinking of trying seed. I’ll do that definitely!
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I sowed mine into small pots and left them outside in a shady spot. Planted them out around end of September. You could try direct sowing if you have space.
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thank you, small pots for me I think, I fear for the slug damage if direct sown!
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I sowed more biennials a few weeks ago in pots, not a single one germinated! So I have had another go. Have you tried nematodes for the slugs? I used some in June and have another packet to use in September (when they lay eggs) it does seem to help.
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I must get them for September. I’ve yet to sow seeds. Must get on!
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My tomatoes are also beginning to ripen, so we got a heavy rain and they are cracking now. Sigh.
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It’s never perfect is it. Here I’d love some rain but then mine would probably split too.
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It’s a good idea to juice your apples.🍈 very elegant japanese anemone, the white is very striking.
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Your apples look delicious! I wish I could trade tomatoes for some. The anemone is so pretty. Your garden isn’t looking water deprived, no matter how mean you’ve been.
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I’m hiding the worst bits 😂😂
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‘Lady of Shalott’ is a lovely colour and the Hesperis and Phlox look great together. My Hesperis has seeded itself around, although none of them have flowered this year.
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Not flowered, well that’s interesting. everything I read seemed to suggest I might be be overrun with them! I’ll see how it goes.
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Just looked it up – it’s a biennial so that would explain my lack of flowers this year.
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Ah ha! I must remember that too 😂
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Goldenrod is something that I had wanted to try for quite a while. I had not decided on a particular cultivar or even species, since I had never grown it before. I just got my first at the end of last winter from Tangly Cottage Gardening, and am very pleased with it. I doubt that it will be invasive within the chaparral climate here. A native species supposedly lives here, but I have never seen it. It is not as impressive as cultivated sorts. I still want to grow Japanese anemone, and have been impressed with ‘Honorine Jobert’ in pictures because it is so white. There happens to be one of an unidentified cultivars barely surviving within one of our old landscapes, so before I try to select a cultivar, I suppose that I should get a piece of what is here already, and grow it within a more favorable situation. I have not been impressed with its sickly pale pink color, but it might be prettier if it were healthier.
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The pink ones seem to be more thuggish here, spreading themselves much more than Honorine does
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I doubt that any would be thuggish here. I know that they can survive here better than the remnants in our landscapes, but they do not get enough chill during winter to thrive. (That is my guess.)
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I love the golden rod/miscanthus combo! Very nice.. Are these green beans “Mangetout” ? or do you pick them up young ?
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The beans are a Franchi seed called La Victoire, they are called pencil beans, pick them when they are no thicker than a pencil. They are a dwarf variety.
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My eurybia divaricate does well among some cinnamon ferns and beside some Hydrangea macrophylla. I love white flowers and the Japanese anemone is special.
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It needs somewhere sympathetic to sprawl. I might try it with some hydrangeas here.
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That’s a beautiful Rose, in colour and form. I have the same Goldenrod but no flowers yet.
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