End Of Month View ~ June 2015

Allium christophii/Star of Persia glowing in this evening's sun

June is departing on a fabulous note - a warm, warm day followed by a long, calm and sultry evening. Although the sun has now set it's still warm now. This post will be short as I can feel myself glowing as my computer emits additional heat. The month though as a whole has been like May on the cool and windy side. Even earlier on today there was a fair old breeze swirling about, enough to make the rotary washing line swivel.

My word or should I perhaps say phrase for the month is "back to front". I have a dahlia flowering before the first of the sweet peas has opened as much as a petal, which is most perturbing. I associate dahlias with late summer whilst sweet peas are high summer. Something has gone wrong somewhere! I think that is because I sowed my sweet peas later than I usually do so have made a note to get them in at least a week or two earlier next year. The sweet peas initially looked quite weak and almost anaemic but have responded to a seaweed based feed and are now quite robust plants.

The garden has not received as much attention as it deserves this month as the allotment has consumed most of my time. I've been thinking quite seriously on this division and am slowly coming to the conclusion that something must give as I'm not doing justice to either. I'm thinking about enquiring about whether my plot could be split which would give me less to maintain. Something to decide perhaps not in the next month or two, but perhaps before the end of the year when my allotment rent is due. In the meantime apart from cursing the pernicious marestail which I swear I could knit with, I'm now enjoying the fruits of my labour. Our Wimbledon tennis viewing this afternoon was enriched by strawberries picked from the plot. Raspberries are now ripening along with the red currants whilst the other currants are not far behind. The gooseberry bushes are dripping. It looks as if there is going to be a good crop of apples this year.

On the vegetable front I've picked the first courgettes. Beans and peas have just started to flower.The sweet corn and pumpkins seem to becoming on nicely. Potatoes have still to be harvested. The shallots are perhaps less productive than last year. All in all I've grown less variety than the last couple of years which again may be a reflection of trying to do too much as well as the result of deliberately sowing less.

There have been a couple of plant purchases including the most tactile pennisetum orientale 'Karley Rose' as well as a geranium and a rose to be featured in another post. Going back to the garden I would be grateful if somebody would remind me to have an astrantia cull later in the year. You can have too much of a good thing.

Thanks as always to Helen who enables to share our end of month reviews over at 'The Patient Gardener's Weblog'. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has been up to in their gardens this June.