Garden Diary – I’d rather be in the garden!

We’ve reached that time of year where I spend as much time in the kitchen as I do in the garden, turning all the produce into ready meals for the freezer.

Don’t get me wrong I do really enjoy cooking, but when the weather is lovely outside, I’d rather be in the garden!

But with more ripe raspberries on a daily basis and a basket full of pears that ripen so quickly once they are picked. There is lots of baking to be done!

When out picking yet more fruit the ‘gardeners mate’ shouted me over to see a butterfly he thought looked smaller than usual. I said, “oh it’s a gatekeeper, we get lots of them”. He said, are you sure?

I took a closer look and shot inside for my phone to get some pictures. He was correct, it was a butterfly I’d not seen in the garden before, a ‘small copper’. Yes, yes, he has to be right sometimes lol.

We continue to have lots of bumblebees in the garden which we’re so happy about and some are absolutely huge. I’ve always made an effort though to try and have something flowering in the garden all year round for them, which on the whole we achieve, especially with the milder winters.

They are enjoying the bold colours of the late summer garden, although flowers haven’t been lasting with the drought. One flower in particular though doesn’t seem at all bothered and is positively thriving in the heat. The tall, yellow flowers of Rudbeckia Laciniata.

It’s amazing how well it’s doing especially when you see lots of perennials are so much shorter than usual, in some cases half as high as normal.

In the greenhouse, a sweet pepper was finally ready for harvesting and it was huge! In fact the largest I’ve ever grown.

I’ve never really had much luck with sweet peppers until my niece gave me a plant a couple of years ago, an orange variety. I was so impressed with it that I saved the seeds, but this year it’s proved better than ever!

Also colouring up the greenhouse, we have some new little chilli peppers, ‘Biquinho Red’. We had them served to us in a rather lovely restaurant. So I discovered the name and sourced some seeds last winter.

I bravely bit into the first ripe one, hoping that it was as mild as it was supposed to be and I was lucky. They have a wonderful strong chilli flavour, reminding us of the hot habanero, but with only mild heat. A great success!

So as we reach peak harvest time the produce and its flowers are colouring up the garden, but I need to get back into the kitchen!!!

Monday 18th August 2025

We’ve had so many bumblebees in the garden this year 🐝

I’ve tried from the beginning of planting the garden to have food available almost all year.

They’re now enjoying the Sedums 🌿💕🐝💕🌿 #MagentaMonday #bees #wildlife

You just know how good these tasted after dinner tonight 🌿💕💕💕💕💕🌿 Grow your own…

The wonderfully delicious, Raspberry ‘Polka’ 😋

#magentamonday #kitchengarden #growyourown #raspberry #raspberries

Tuesday 19th August 2025

I don’t think you can get more blue than this salvia for #TuesdayBlue 🌿💙💙💙💙🌿

I grew it from seed about 5 yrs ago. It’s supposed to be tender & I always think it’s died, then suddenly this shocking blue appears & makes me happy 🌿💙😊

#Salvia #bloomscrolling #blueflowers

Wednesday 20th August 2025

This is the first Small Copper photographed in the garden & it’s thanks to the keen eye of the ‘gardeners mate’. I have to admit that when he shouted me over, I said, “oh yes we’ve had them before”, looked closer & said, “back in a sec, just need my phone” 😁🦋

#WildlifeWednesday #butterflies

I finally harvested my first sweet pepper of the year & it was the largest I’ve ever grown!

Giant orange tomatoes last week & giant orange peppers this week! 🧡🫑🧡🫑🧡 #kitchengarden #Homegrown #gyo #peppers #orangeveg #growyourown #greenhouse

Thursday 21st August 2025

How can those beautiful, sheer wings lift that furry little body?

The bees are still enjoying my tithonia torch, but they are only half the height they normally grow to 🌿🧡🐝 #InsectThursday #bees #bloomscrolling

First time growing chill ‘Biquinho Red’. I handed one to the gardeners mate & just bit into mine, he looked at me in shock. It was a bit hotter than I expected but ok luckily 🥵🌶️

A gorgeous habanero flavour for those that like a milder chilli 🌶️ #kitchengarden #chillies #gyo

Friday 22nd August 2025

My pink rescue dahlia is fully at home now, being watered & deadheaded regularly 💕🌿🌸🌿💕

#flowersonfriday #dahlia #dailydahlia #bloomscrolling #pinkfriday

Dessert pear ‘Beth’, utterly delicious! The skin is so thin you’d think it had been peeled & the flavour is heavenly 🍐😍

After posting this photo, I’ll be expecting a visit from a close (pear loving) relative 😁🍐🍐🍐

#pears #kitchengarden #fruit #Homegrown

Saturday 23rd August 2025

We’re going all pretty food photos for this weeks #sixonsaturday

Chilli ‘buena mulata’, cucumber flowers, pear ‘Beth’, red chilli, bean flower ‘Blauhilde’ & aubergine flower 🌿💜🌶️💛🍐💜 #kitchengarden

Sunday 24th August 2025

Rudbeckia Laciniata is one of the few plants that doesn’t seem bothered by the lack of water 💦 Whilst other perennials by it look so sad with their droopy leaves, it’s still as tall (2m) covered in bee friendly yellow flowers 🌿💛🐝🌼🐝💛🌿

#sundayyellow #bloomscrolling