Category: Flighty’s plot

Despite the miserable summer there were still plenty of flowers to be seen when I looked round the plot on Thursday morning.

The annual mallow (Malope trifida ‘Grandiflora choice mixed’) is still flowering profusely – mostly crimson, with some rose and a few white

Other bright spots are the nasturtiums

and French marigolds

I’ve been well pleased with the aquilegia, poppies, roses, cornflowers, daffodils, love-in-a-mist, linaria, sweet peas,  virginian stocks, sunflowers and others.

I’ve collected some seeds but left others to self-seed. So next year will hopefully see lots more of all these plus plenty more. I’ve got lots of packets of seeds that I didn’t use or have been given. They include Calendula officinalis ‘Sherbet Fizz’,  Coreopsis tinctoria ‘Quills and Thrills’ and Zinnia ‘Peppermint Stick’ – which all have such fun names!

Whilst putting the tools away I turned round to see that this stranger had made his/her self comfortable on the wood chip path out of the wind and facing the sun!

Happy gardening!

The plot looked like this just over a week ago.

Much of what you can see are the various grasses I let grow around the plot, the runner bean covered wig-wam in the middle and a few sunflowers.

On Thursday morning, which was sunny and warm, I spent a couple of hours digging and weeding the south western corner where I grew onions and potatoes this year. It’s the bottom left area in the above photo but looking the other way. Over the coming months I shall be working my way towards the top (road) end of the plot ready for next spring and starting again!

I’ve not forgotten that I said I would do a Plot flowers entry and it will appear in due course. Meanwhile here are a few to look at until I do.

1) 2) and 3)

There are several 1) Nasturtium ‘Tom Thumb’ scattered around the plot some, like this one, having variegated leaves.  By the pallet patio is this 2) Love-in a-Mist ‘Miss Jekyll White’ and I’m definitely going to grow lots more lovely 3) Sunflowers next year!

After a dull, drizzly start to the day on Thursday it had brightened up considerably by lunch-time. On reaching the allotments I found that Joe was mowing the grass areas around his plots. I put one lot of grass cuttings on my compost heap and then trimmed some of my plot edges using the hand shears.

I’ve been considering a second compost heap for a while as the first one, which is tucked away behind the shed, is now full. The new one will be a similar size, about 4x2x2 feet, and down the bottom end of the plot near the dustbin incinerator. Like the first it will have hardboard sides which with grasses encouraged to grow up around it and a runner bean or sweet pea wigwam in front of it next year will make it unobtrusive. I’ve already got a wheelbarrow load of grass cuttings, another of fine wood chippings and several bucketfuls of weeds ready to go in it.

It was a pleasant afternoon in the welcome sunshine so Joe, John and I ended it by sitting for a while for a beer and a chat. Also there were the girls…

Say hello to Jodie

and Lucy

They’re my plot neighbour John’s affectionate and well behaved nine year olds. Jodie tends to say hello then settles down to wait, whilst Lucy is a real fidget who tries to snaffle my biscuits!

I’ve not even been to the plot very often the past few weeks let alone done much when I’m there! Times when I’ve been able to go it’s been raining, and of course when I haven’t it’s been okay.

I was there this morning picking the last of the sweet peas, lots more runner beans , a courgette and just a few blackberries and raspberries.

It generally looks a bit bedraggled now. I shall start to tidy up, weed and dig over the vegetable areas once, or rather hopefully, when it dries out a bit.

Other areas I shall leave as is through to late winter, which may look untidy but will be beneficial for wildlife.

Several plot neighbours, all long-time allotmenteers, have said what a dreadful year it’s been so I’m happy with what I’ve achieved. The few vegetables that I did grow, and eat, were potatoes, onions, broad and runner beans, beetroot and courgettes.

I’ve started pondering on what vegetables I’m going to grow next year and will certainly make a bit more effort to improve on this years somewhat modest results. They will include all the above, plus carrots and a few other things.

I’m not planning on making any major changes on the plot but I do have one or two ideas that I might put into practice.  Mind you if it keeps raining then I’ll be digging out my plan to turn the plot into a rice paddy!

My next plot entry will probably look at the flowers I grew and what I’m thinking about for those areas next year.

I read in yesterday’s newspaper that this month has been the most dismally overcast and the least sunny since sun records began in 1912!

Not only that but today there’s thunder, lightning and heavy rain which will make it the wettest August for four years. I’m not surprised that the forecast for the coming week isn’t much better either!

I’ve got to go to the Horticultural Society’s hut later on then I’m going to have a lazy day. I’m going to spend it mooching, reading and watching TV. No doubt I’ll drink too many cups of tea and eat far too many biscuits.

As for all the the things that I could, indeed should, be doing they can all wait for another day.

Some of you will have noticed that I’ve changed the header picture again. These vivid blue Cornflowers have been in flower for three months, as have the California poppies. I took this picture last Tuesday and as you can see I wasn’t the only one appreciating this bright beauty.

Have a good Sunday!

On Friday afternoon there were lots of Large and Small White butterflies flitting and fluttering around the plot but these two, the lower being a much less common yellow Brimstone, appeared to be making whoopee!

Sadly Daffy‘s sunflower now looks like 1)  but thankfully there are more on the way including 2) and 3)  which seem to be singing Bring Me Sunshine.

1) 2) and 3)

This one clearly wasn’t told that it’s a  ‘Giant Single’ Sunflower as it’s only a metre high with the flower being  the size shown in this photo!

are the bane of every gardener. However as this excellent site says weeds are simply plants that are growing in the wrong place.

Even though I consider my allotment to be a wild plot and let various weeds, such as Rosebay Willowherb, grow I do spend much of my time digging, or pulling, up ones like Prickly Sow-thistle.

I’m almost tempted to let it become a weed  plot as many of them are really lovely flowers. However I’m sure that my plot neighbours would be very unhappy if I did that!

I did a draft of this entry on Friday and yesterday morning when I looked in the Independent newspaper I came across this article!

You’ve given me sunshine and smiles like this ever since I’ve known you.

Reflecting on my plot flowers for ones to celebrate your birthday with I thought about a Pretty Lady rose, sunshiny California poppies or fragrant sweet peas.

…..…..

All lovely flowers but surely it has to be this wonderful one…..

With sunshine and smiles…Happy birthday Daffy xx

In complete contrast to last weeks dainty Linaria I’m featuring one of the larger single plants on the plot.

It is the globe artichoke that is growing next to the log pile and stands around four foot high. There are two heads on it, both of which I’m letting flower then seed. It’s an impressive looking plant and this head is about the size of a tennis ball, and loved by insects including the bee that’s visible.

Daffy, and others, might be interested to know that, apparently, it is a plant that rabbits do not eat!