Potager pics

veg in there somewhereI was outside watering last night and found the soft evening light on the fruit and veg rather fetching.   But as I was watering and not wielding a camera I couldn’t reproduce the majestic scene.

looking to house

So tonight I am staying far away from the hose but clinging on to the top of a step ladder as I try to get a few zippy angles on the potager.   Hereweith a few pictures of the mid summer vegetable garden.

As you can see it’s rather a riot of flowers.   The cosmos is a hedge in front and dotted all about.   And best of all, they are all self sown and come up each year. Whether I want them or not.

This year I have become more ruthless about relocating them or just chucking them on the compost heap.   Who knows, maybe next year they will be positively restrained.

sunflowers at sunsetThe sunflowers are having their second flush right now. And have been a great vase flower now that Andrew told me how to cut them. Basically you have to get up very, very early in the morning to cut them.   I did that today for my weekly bunch of flowers for Madame Orisette. I usually give her cosmos, but I couldn’t resist the glam impact of the dark sunflowers.   And there are heaps left to please all the birds which feed on them daily. looking on beans

My runner beans are out running themselves: I’m picking every day just to keep up.   And if I don’t pay attention to each and every plant I get whoppers.   And they aren’t a taste sensations, believe me.   Sort of a fibrous worthy chew.

And the new French beans I put in a month ago are just starting to bear fruit. They will be great in September.

swiss chard late augAnd the swiss chard are perking up now that they have had a drenching.   They suffered from a spot of powdery mildew earlier this month.   They almost look good enough to eat.

And all that work on the lawn has paid off.   Green and lush at last. evening light on lawn

So apart from just wielding a camera did I do anything else today? Well, yes. I shook off the sloth of the afternoon before, got up early and weeded like mad.

All sorts of neglected nooks were whipped into shape in the lower veg bed.   Pretty as a picture.   Artur fussed all day and slowed me  down.   But I did manage to water most of the hedge without being yowled at and head butted and ocassionally swatted with claws (goodness knows what was in his worm pill from the day before).   And I went to market and fell for a lovely large verbena plant.   I only have tiddlers and this one is four years old.

lemon verbena dryingNaturally the very first thing I did when I came home was to prune it and strip the leaves for drying.   But it’s still a handsome plant.

Oh and then there were visits from friends and selling of my jams.   Three strawberry and rose petals and five fig jams. Hurrah, that money goes into the box ball purchase pot.   Each box ball costs eight euros each, and I need at least four in October.   But I yearn for a dozen more.