PLANTS IN FLOWER: Roses; Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant'; Herbaceous Geraniums; Siberian Iris; Ceanothus; Honeysuckle; Columbine; Sage & Chives.
The pleasure seeing the vegetable garden grow and mature is a whole new gardening experience for me. The pea plants are healthy & growing strongly as are all the potatoes; the broad beans are already over two feet high and the root vegetables, including the celariac, are all thriving. I have lots of newly planted sweet corn that I bought as young plants which are still covered in fleece but which have survived the cooler nights, along with eight lovely artichoke plants (also covered in fleece). Between many of the vegetables I have planted various types of flowers such as marigold and nasturtium. I also have an old wheelbarrow now planted up squash and pumpkin having 'babied' them in the greenhouse for some time. The only plants which do not seem to be doing so well in the veg patch are the various kinds of salad crop - and this is due to the profound lack of rain this Spring. They have gone to seed almost as soon as they have germinated unlike the other crops which seem to have tolerated the lack of water remarkably well, especially since I have hardly given them any extra water at all.
Apart from the vegetables, I also have masses of sweet peas climbing up wigwams next to the runner beans; lots of verbena seedlings; as well as over twenty tomato plants and chilli pepper plants in pots. I also have some cottage garden plants such as verbascum, which I grew from seed last year, ready to plant out in the border. Meanwhile, in the pond the beautiful, deep purple Japaneses iris (ensata) have begun to flower and the self-sown mayweed has again quickly sprung up all around it's rim.