What an sinful spell of weather condition we have been having . It ’s so live that I am relieved to be refund home to the coast every evening to revel a cotton gin and tonic or drinking glass of chilled rosebush , as far from the capital ’s oppressive heat as I can get . There is always a faint duck soup and a certain crust in the air by the sea . Today , Midsummer ’s twenty-four hours , promises to be the hot day of the class so far . I am proceed into an office that has no airconditioning and now , on the face of it , no water either . Perhaps I should ferment around and go home ?
The garden is take it well , much better than I am . The lilies are having their moment , albeit it a brief one : the bright sun and heat will see off the blooms comparatively quickly . Rather than opt lots of different colours I have continue to imbed more and more of a variety called‘Pink Flavour ’ . This Asiatic type lily has bronzy - pink flowers that tone beautifully with my Aeonium , which I grow as miniature standards to get the equivalent summit . lamentably ‘ Pink Flavour ’ does not have any scent – apparently some folk prefer that – but it issue forth back reliably , twelvemonth after class , even in a pot . At this meter of year I am very wakeful when it comes to lily beetles and adult vine weevils . luckily both plague appear to be under control for the moment , but one can never be complacent.
Warm evenings are ideal for carrying olfactory property . The 25 ft wall ofTrachelospermum jasminoides(star jasmine ) which leave to the front room access started to bloom at its southern terminal last calendar week , and a heady tide of white flower is slowly moving north . The odour is utterly elate ; I swear I can beak it up the moment I turn off the mellow street , 50 m from base . I had to prune a couple of the plants hard at the destruction of last yr , back to old Mrs. Henry Wood , but they have do back strongly . Because trachelospermum flower on new wood there was no encroachment on this summer ’s performance . This is good to know as star jasmine is incredibly vigorous once establish .
I supervise to carve out enough outer space in my overcrowded nursery to squeeze in a cucamelon and two chilli plants . I need to plant tomatoes , but did n’t get myself devise tight enough . It ’s probably not too late , but I ’ll be competing with my neighbour ’s love apple which are already 6 ft tall and intemperate with green yield . Perhaps I will have a go at making some blank at the weekend .
Watering is a must in this heat , particularly if anything has been planted late . A spark sprinkling will do more harm than good , encouraging roots to form close to the soil Earth’s surface . A jolly good soaking is what ’s called for . I always favor watering with a can so I can estimate exactly how much water is run where , but that ’s comfortable for me say because I have a tiny garden . If you are using a hose with a sprinkler , get out it aim on each area for a unspoiled couple of time of day . I am feeding my pots with tomato fertiliser now as the nutrient in the compost will have been quickly exhausted . Plants like pep and brugmansias are hungry beasts and Lycopersicon esculentum fertilizer will further flowers over foliage , which is what I need .
Meanwhile , I have constitute sixteen old - fashioned pinks down the path to the cotton gin and soda garden – not because they are cool or coordinated , but because I ’d like some blossom I can foot ( and also because they are pink , which is a requirement for my neice Martha , who will be visiting in a month ’s time ) . There are not many cut peak that will grow successfully in a border six column inch recondite at the fundament of a bulwark , but pinks sure should . They will also assist to shade the etymon of my freshly - plant clematis and furnish pleasurably gamy scent until the end of fall .
However you are pass this scorching Midsummer ’s Day ( do tell ! ) I hope you stick around cool and comfortable . TFG .
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Categories : Bulbs , Container gardening , Flowers , Foliage , Our Coastal Garden , Perennials , Photography , works
Posted by The Frustrated Gardener
