Potting shed summer party

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Following on from the Blooming into Flaming June thread and all others before it.

The potting shed is open for summer. Elderflower wine aplenty and room for all. Monty will be along later...

[WhispersOfWickedness]

Aww, wish I had a courgette glut, ours are looking woefully courgette-free

[WhispersOfWickedness]

Mousy, great about the pumpkins I think a couple on my plants are getting bigger, but not sure yet if I'm imagining it!
I've got three pumpkin plants, 2 are fairly small, possibly about 6 foot long but quite small plants with smallish leaves, IYSWIM. The other one is the big one, about the same length but huge stems, leaves and flowers

[cantspel]

Humprhery i am just about to put my lily photos up on facebook. They have been lovely this year and the scent wafting in the patio doors has at times been too heavy.

[funnyperson]

Yes, lilies are best in moderation -my favourite is lilium regale. By the front door this year I have those tree lilies in flower which are very scented in the warmth. The front patio is fragrant with the scent of dill, sweet peas, roses, thyme and lilies atm and the tree lilies almost dominate.
There are painted ladies on the buddleia though- loads!
I wonder if it too late to sow pumpkins -I'm thinking they might germinate quickly in this heat.

[MousyMouse]

my honeysuckle is not very pretty this year.
last year the flowers were spectacular but this time the flowers look funny, a bit unsymmetrical. just not as full. and only a very few.
have fed it yesterday in the hope that that is what it needs.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

I too have a courgette glut. Started baking my courgette cakes and I do a mean courgette sauce for pasta. Thinking I may do some courgette chutney next week, didn't get to preserve anything last year as harvest so poor and I do like a chutney.

Funny, pumpkins would germinate now but the pumpkins wouldn't have long enough growing time to get to full size I think.

Also have a bean glut here. We have runners, purple and french. We had runner beans with our fish and chips tonight

[Rhubarbgarden]

Liking the sound of the gluts. I've missed my veggies this year. Maybe this autumn I'll find the time to make some veg beds in the walled garden.

It is my birthday today and as usual nobody has bothered. Couldn't get a babysitter to go out tonight and dh is off on a stag weekend tomorrow. So I chucked the kids in the car and dragged them round Wisley all day. The cornus kousas had finished flowering unfortunately but the big perennial borders by the glasshouse were looking beautiful, and alive with bees. The offspring loved the creepy scarecrows and running around in the wildflower meadow. The fruit mound was a big hit too, although ds was determined to eat the gravel on the path and the mulch and drove me a bit bonkers. As usual my suncreaming was woefully inadequate and we are all a bit too glowing this evening.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Happy birthday, Rhubarb!

My lilies are only just beginning to open, but the scent is lovely.

[HumphreyCobbler]

Happy Birthday Rhubarb

[MousyMouse]

happy birthday, rhubarb!

there are loads and loads of tomatoes on my plants but not ripe yet. I had to fix them sort of across each other as they have grown too tall and are heavy with green fruits.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Birthday greetings Rhubarb

[Rhubarbgarden]

Thank you! . Feeling much perkier now!

[WhispersOfWickedness]

Happy birthday Rhubarb

Am very at all the gluts...

[funnyperson]

Happy Birthday rhubarb

[cantspel]

Belated happy birthday rhubarb.

If anyone has grown marrows and is feed up of eating them i have a great recipe for marrow rum i can share.

[Rhubarbgarden]

Thanks!

[Bumbez]

Courgette glut here too - I love them raw dipped in hummus!

[Blackpuddingbertha]

I need some ideas for beans that have gone slightly too big. Only just got round to picking the first batch of French beans today and some of them are on the large side. Can you make a pickle out of beans?

[cantspel]

Dont know about pickle but you could make bean wine.

Monty is looking a bit bright tonight in his green shirt.

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Thought Monty looked much better without last week's hat. That wisteria was amazing!

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Bean wine Looks a little complicated...

pickled beans looks better. Presume I could use any form of bean.

[funnyperson]

I have pulled up the flowering rocket in the vegetable trough and sown salad leaves. Also sowed pumpkins outdoors- the squashes I sowed indoors earlier on in the year didn't survive, but I'm thinking in this weather seeds should germinate and grow outdoors quite fast. Next door's wisteria is reflowering at the moment, almost like a second spring.

Woottons of Wenhasten and Claire Austin both sell fantastic irises.
www.woottensplants.com/index.html
www.claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk/

I am off to Jaques Amand today to look at bulbs. I will keep my eyes open for old tin baths on the way!

[echt]

I'd hoped to get out in the garden today, but it tanked down with hail. In the warmest winter since records/southern hemisphere, etc.etc.

On the other hand I went to a radio station where the very lovely Geoffrey Rush was interviewed live. What a gent.

[MousyMouse]

I watched gw and part of the bees programme this morning.
bee programme very interesting if a bit gloom. have downloaded i to watch with my father (a hobby beekeeper) when he comes to visit.

thanks to gw I know what to do with my strawberry plants, have to do some weeding first.

[funnyperson]

Good morning!
I thought Monty's white garden was interesting- much less formal than I had imagined, and providing lots of food for thought as to how to balance the frothy/informal effect (which he produced with his ammi) with the more traditional cottage garden plants (like irises for example) which in my garden have to all share proximity.
I had high hopes of the crambe cordiflora but when I went out looking for the young plant yesterday it seemed to have died. Most of us cant just get large plants because they are expensive. The smaller ones need nurturing before they can be planted out.
I've been having a lot of fun with the pots out front experimenting with maroon (lilies, dahlias, sweet peas, ) and pale yellow (hosta, roses, calla, begonia,) touches of blue (integrifolia clematis, salvia, sweet peas) and variegation (hosta, pieris). Apparently they move the pots at great Dixter round every 2 weeks.
Peter Beales is selling irises very reasonably, but not till November!