Garden Diary – A week of surprises, not all good!

As I was walking down the garden, I just noticed some little pink flowers almost buried under the heucheras, I bent to take a look and it was a bunch of cyclamen flowers. I always forget about them, then get a lovely surprise.

Last week was full of surprises. I was so lucky to spot a strawberry, in September! It’s been a funny year in the garden with the multiple heatwaves, how many? Who’d have thought that we would loose track of how many heatwaves we’ve had in one uk summer. The world’s gone mad!

Talking of going mad, why can’t I grow Aubergines? My niece grows so many she gifts them to me when I go over.

I actually thought I’d cracked it this year, by sowing them much earlier. The plants grew well, and I had two fruits pollinated very early on. Because they grew so low in the pot I had to poke them over the side. And there they are still sat, getting bigger but no signs of ripening!

And now, when it’s probably too late on in the year, both plants have gone mad, with many little aubergines growing. Oh well, we’ll have to wait and see what happens…

On the other side of the greenhouse from the chillies and aubergines, the tomato production is seriously slowing down. I’m only harvesting a handful every few days now. There are four larger fruits left so probably one last batch of sauce for the freezer to come.

The cucumbers on the other hand certainly aren’t slowing, if anything they are speeding up! We’ve had to dig out our cucumber cake recipe and the freezer is fast filling up with cake!

I’ll share the recipe with you shortly.

I had a lovely few minutes watching a Comma butterfly on the raspberries. I realised eventually that it was drinking raspberry juice which had squished on the leaf. Well, who can blame it.

In another of the raised beds, my eye caught a ladybird on dahlia. I knew I’d got black fly on them so was pleased to see her. Initially she didn’t seem to know where she was going, before suddenly running up the stalk to where huge amounts of aphids lay. Much better than chemicals!

As suspected my late beans are now coming good and we can grab a handful to chop into dinner, or make into a bean salad at lunchtime.

There are a few flowers still doing well, the sedums are looking particularly good. And the spectacular, orange trailing begonias, that I didn’t know were trailing, despite it saying so on the label that I read weeks later lol.

I felt that the red heleniums was seriously clashing with the pink michaelmas daisies, so I moved a few yellow rudbeckias in between them and it looked much better.

My final surprise of the week came as I started to feel really rather poorly, I went to the cupboard to get some paracetamol (very topical), and saw a Covid test pack. 

Yes, the 2020 lurgy had caught up with me for a second time. I think I might need a lie down. 

Monday 15th September 2025

The sedums are colouring up nicely 💕

They fill a space in the border for most of the summer with their green, broccoli lookalike heads, finally opening to shades of pink in autumn. A very easy plant indeed! 💚💕💚 #magentamonday

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Not sure there’s enough time left for this little aubergine/eggplant to mature & sadly I have to pick the beautiful flowers off to keep the energy going into the fruits. Look pretty though against the blue sky 🌿💙🌸🍆🌿

#growyourown #homegrown #aubergine #Eggplant 

Tuesday 16th September 2025

The tomato harvest is seriously slowing now 🙁🍅

Tomatoes are the first food I ever grew – a long time ago! And still my favourite 🍅🍅🍅🌿

I will miss eating them every day, but look forward to the tomato sauce in the freezer through winter 😋

#tomatotuesday #tomatoes #Homegrown 

Wednesday 17th September 2025

A beautiful Comma butterfly, having a drink of raspberry juice off the leaf 🌿🦋🧡🌿💕 #wildlifewednesday #butterfly

Thursday 18th September 2025

Go little ladybird 🐞 no not onto the petal but right up the stalk to eat those yummy black-fly aphids on my dahlias 🌿🌸💕🐞

#insectthursday #wildlife #bloomscrollong #ladybird #dahlia

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I normally direct sow my climbing beans on May Day, but this year I didn’t get the beans into the ground until 16th June! 

I started growing them in granny’s old dolly tub. They really are the easiest crop to grow, as well as peas! 🌿🫛💚

#beans #Homegrown #food #growyourown 

Friday 19th September 2025

Always read the plant label! I didn’t realise that these orange begonias were trailing 🤣 

Still, I placed a saucer across a big pot & popped the little pot on top & I’m quite pleased 🌿😀🧡❤️🧡❤️

#flowersonfriday #bloomscrolling #begonias 

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Bit of a clash going on! ❤️🩷

I love all colours mixed together but not sure about these two 🤔 Thought rather than moving one I’d add some yellow rudbeckia in with them. Any thoughts? 

#FlowersOnFriday #bloomscrolling #clashingcolours #pinkfriday 

Saturday 20th September 2025

This week, the Dahlias & Geraniums continue flowering, the blue Catananche are having a 2nd flush & the Cyclamens have returned 💙🌸💕🌿 #SixOnSaturday #bloomscrolling #AutumnFlowers

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Look what I found hiding yesterday as I started to tidy up the strawberry trough’s 🍓

A lot of things in the garden are having a second spurt now the rain has finally come. This has been the driest summer that I can remember! 💦💦💦 #SurpriseStrawberry #Homegrown #gyo 

Sunday 21st September 2025

Yet more yummy cucumbers on the way 💛🥒🌼💛 

I really must post our cucumber cake recipe!

Blue sky this morning after rain all day yesterday 💦☀️

I hope you can enjoy your Sunday 🌿

#SundayYellow #yellowflowers #cucumber #gyo 

Happy gardening.