My sabots are shuffling, down the garden path, to the compost piles, around the hose and watering cans, by the grass strimmer, towards Dirac the Young Cat, and anywhere that is within the environs of our potager. A row of lettuce sheltered from the sun under some old sheeting is getting close to harvesting. Homegrown lettuce is fantastic, though somewhat challenging to grow in hot climates.
Onions probably have another six weeks till harvest. How will I know exactly when? Their toppling over at a point just above the soil is the indicator for pulling those delicious bulbs from the ground.
This season I grew the annual herbs in nice roomy pots instead of in the ground. Keeping them on an elevated surface, like the sous sol's window sills or a table, makes their care much easier.
Last season the blueberries which are grown in a large container so they can get the acidic soil they require were really tiny. This time, as the bush was flowering, I fertilised it. Happy to say, the berries are pleasingly plump.
When the going gets tough and I never want to see a garden spade ever again, my nose comes to the rescue, sniffing the heady fragrance wafting from the honeysuckle...
...or from the cottage pinks...
.
...or from the lavender until I feel invigorated enough to pick up that dastardly spade yet once again.
Most of the roses are finished their first flush of blooming, but there are still some knockouts.
Dirac the Young Cat after being introduced to the garden last week is learning the ways of the great outdoors: jumping the fence between chez nous and our neighbour's property, sniffing out other cats before they find him, marking out safety spots if they do find him first, easing himself into any hole I may be digging, and finding shady places.
À la prochaine!
 |
| Downright perky, I say! (that's garlic in the foreground) |
Onions probably have another six weeks till harvest. How will I know exactly when? Their toppling over at a point just above the soil is the indicator for pulling those delicious bulbs from the ground.
This season I grew the annual herbs in nice roomy pots instead of in the ground. Keeping them on an elevated surface, like the sous sol's window sills or a table, makes their care much easier.
 |
| Marjoram, chives, dill, basil, and flat-leaf parsley |
Last season the blueberries which are grown in a large container so they can get the acidic soil they require were really tiny. This time, as the bush was flowering, I fertilised it. Happy to say, the berries are pleasingly plump.
When the going gets tough and I never want to see a garden spade ever again, my nose comes to the rescue, sniffing the heady fragrance wafting from the honeysuckle...
 |
| I let it ramble over hedges and piles of twigs/branches |
...or from the cottage pinks...
...or from the lavender until I feel invigorated enough to pick up that dastardly spade yet once again.
 |
| Those are peonies in the background |
Most of the roses are finished their first flush of blooming, but there are still some knockouts.
 |
| A deep coral beauty |
Dirac the Young Cat after being introduced to the garden last week is learning the ways of the great outdoors: jumping the fence between chez nous and our neighbour's property, sniffing out other cats before they find him, marking out safety spots if they do find him first, easing himself into any hole I may be digging, and finding shady places.
À la prochaine!