On the windowsill, July 2025

The Pot Marigold Oopsy Daisy has now been flowering continously since the beginning of last month, and at the moment is showing five each flowers and buds. Most of the small pale-lemon yellow flowers have been less than 1 in/2.5 cm across, and shown no hint of any orange on the petal tips which I mentioned in the last On the windowsill post. It has also continued to grow taller and is almost 30 in/75 cm – the quoted height for this variety is just 8 in/20 cm.  (Note that the other flower in the picture is the Sunflower Big Smile as detailed and shown below).

 

The two Gazania Talent Yellow plants are still growing well each with around ten slender  green leaves which show a silvery lustre on the backs.  These plants should hopefully start to flower from around mid-August onwards.

 

The Sunflower Big Smile  flower is bright yellow,  4 in/10 cm across and certainly lives up to its name. It has got taller and is now 18 in/45 cm tall, and is also showing two more flower buds.

The Common Nipplewort continues to grow new, fresh green leaves but there’s still no sign that it’s going to flower.

Have a good week, and take care!

Too warm again

A few of the first potatoes Foremost I lifted were scabbed which didn’t surprise me given that it occurs in dry conditions.  Thankfully since then they’ve all been okay, and there have been plenty of good sized ones for this first early variety.  Here’s one on my years old Gardener’s World black plastic hand fork which I use to dig up potatoes as it doesn’t usually spear them.

On Tuesday morning I picked the first ripe blackberries, with plenty more to come.  Looking round I noticed that the first dwarf French beans Tendergreen  are showing so it won’t be long before I start picking them.

There are plenty of tomatoes now forming, like these ones.

I’m not sure if they’re the red or yellow variety so I’ll have to wait until they change colour when they ripen.

 

 

 

Most of the self-seeded flower annuals such as the cosmos, love-in-a-mist and pot marigolds have already finished flowering whereas the perennial crocosmia is just starting.

 

 

Today, and through to early next week, the temperature is going to be about 30 C, which is too warm again, so any plot visits will be early and brief.

Have a good weekend, take care and stay cool!

Thank goodness…

for the roses, which after their initial flush back in May are flowering again. At the plot there’s the rose Pretty Lady

whilst out the front at home are the red, yellow and

white Iceberg ones.

I’ve not been to the plot since Thursday, and won’t be going there until tomorrow after lunch or Tuesday morning.  It’s another dull day here with rain due later this morning, which will be welcome.

Have a good week, and take care!

Ticking over

I went to the plot this morning for the first time since last Sunday, and as it was cooler than the past few days stayed a couple of hours to do some plotting.

Earlier in the year I had twelve runner bean seeds Moonlight and as I only wanted six plants sowed two per cane around the bamboo cane wigwam.  Ony three seeds germinated and grew but thankfully they’re doing well, and I’ve got runners up each of the six canes most of which are already near the tops so I’ll pinch them out next time I’m there.

 

I’ve got six tomato plants growing, three each the red variety Outdoor Girl and the yellow one Yellow Perfection.  They’re covered with flowers and there are a few small fruit already showing.  Both are indeterminate varieties, which means that they’ll keep growing if I don’t pinch the tops out.  I’ve not removed any side shoots so they’ll get rather bushy later on.

The onions Sturon are doing well with many well over golf ball size.  Thankfully I’ve not lost any down the cracks which are all over this area, and some of which I can get my hand down, from finger tips to wrist.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

It’s too warm

I spent a couple of hours on the plot Friday morning as it wasn’t too warm and there was a cooling breeze.  I cut the comfry back to the ground then added it to the compost heap and the plastic composter.  There had been some overnight rain but in view of the weather forecast I watered the potatoes as well as the othe vegetables.

I made  a brief visit to the plot early today just to do some watering and have a look round.  I soon headed back home as it was already humid and warm.

I noticed several ripe looking blackberries but they need a few more days as the one I picked and ate wasn’t quite ready.

 

 

There are flowers showing on the dwarf French beans Tendergreen, and the nasturtiums Tom Thumb are flowering.

With the temperature over the next few days due to be over 30 C/86 F  I’ll be staying at home as that’s too warm for me.

Have a good week, and take care!

 

On the windowsill, June 2025

I have two Gazania Talent Yellow in 4.25 in/11 cm pots on the windowsill which I started from seed back at the beginning of May.

They’re both doing well with seven slender leaves which are just starting to show signs of acquiring a silvery lustre.

 

 

The dwarf Sunflower Big Smile, in a 5 in/12.5 cm pot, has been growing steadily, has reached 10 in/25 cm in height and is now starting to show a flower bud.

 

The dwarf Pot Marigold Oopsy Daisy, in a 5 in/12.5 cm pot, has continued growing taller is now almost 24 in/60 cm, which is three times the height quoted for this variety! It has also continued flowering all month with two or three of the small, no more than 1.5 in/4 cm across, pale lemon-yellow flowers, which have a hint of orange on the petal tips and orange-yellow centres, showing at any one time.

A couple of weeks ago I sowed another one, in a smaller 4.25 in/11 cm pot, which I shall pinch the top out once it reaches 8 in/20 cm to see if I can get a shorter, bushy plant.

The Common Nipplewort, aka the Mystery Plant,  continues to thrive but although new leaves have appeared there’s still no sign (yet) of any flowers.

So far I’m well pleased with all the plants on the windowsill this year, which have been enjoyable to grow and provided plenty of interest.

Have a good weekend, and take care!

I’m pleased…

to say that the mystery plant has been identified as a Common nipplewort (Lapsana communis). Thanks especially to Cathy who mentioned it and showed a picture in her blog post More is More!

 

 

I’ve decided to keep this plant here at home on the windowsill where it seems quite happy, and is even growing several new leaves, but as yet there’s still no sign of any flowers.

(For previous posts  about this plant refer 8 May, 25 May and 5 June.)

 

The weather has  got very warm over the past few days with the temperature expected to reach30 C/86 F today. That’s expected to last over the weekend before dropping  to the low 20’s C/72 F from Monday.

So far this week I’ve only been to the plot early on Tuesday morning to do some watering, and I also lifted the first few first early potatoes Foremost. I’ll probably do the same again tomorrow.

Have a good weekend. and take care!

I’ve not done…

much plotting during the the past couple of weeks, and it’ll be the same again next week.

I’ve been bringing home plenty of strawberries as well as some raspberries on a few days.

Although there are plenty of the latter they are mostly rather small making picking difficult or not even worth bothering with.

 

There are already flowers appearing on two of the tomato plants, one each Outdoor Girl and Yellow Perfection. 

The onions Sturon are growing well, and some of the first early potatoes Foremost foliage is starting to die back so it won’t be long before I start lifting the first of them.

 

Small self-seeded cosmos are starting to flower.

I’ve not seen many butterflies so far,  but plenty of bees mostly on the blackberry flowers this morning. Also good, as always, to see the robin.

 

Have a good week, and take care!

Well done Liz!

Last week I received an email from Liz over in Lexington, Kentucky to tell me that she had entered three floral designs in the flower show being held there last Saturday.

The themes were decades from the mid 20th century and she had chosen Rubik’s cube from the 80’s, the Macarena from the 90’s and Covid-19.  The later has chicken wire folded into a double helix shape which is hard to see against the background (picture bootom left).

She didn’t know if she had scored any ribbons against the competition when she sent that email.  On Tuesday she sent another one to tell me that she hadn’t won any for the floral designs but had been awarded the horticulture Champion ribbon for her oakleaf hydrangea (picture bottom right), which was among her other entries.

Well done Liz!

Have a good weekend, and take care!

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