Thursday 11 June 2020

gardening in june

And just like that it's June and we're halfway into the year. Now seems like a good point to update you with the garden. After a scorching May with no rain at all, the plants have grown plenty and the vegetable garden is beginning to take shape. Thankfully, we are now experiencing some cooler weather and hopefully a week of rain which will really help both my little garden patch in London and Dad's whole farm at home.

Let's start with the tomatoes and cucumbers. These are doing really well, though the cucumbers have fallen victim to snails however, Ian and I managed to overcome this with various repellents including sheep wool pellets which expand when wet and create a rough surface for the snails to slide over and egg shells. Unfortunately this didn't seem to repel them enough so we then built this rather large box around the plants, which has a copper strip around the parameter (which supposedly gives off a static shock when they get near) and we covered it in some leftover mosquito netting. I've now taken the netting off as they were growing so quickly and I didn't want to stunt them. So far, this concoction seems to be working... touch wood! 

The tomato have been very happy and are growing very quickly. They are just beginning to produce some flowers so I am hopeful for an abundant crop later in the summer. 


The cucumber plants are also flowering and are producing embryonic fruit which means they are female. These will need to be pollinated to set fruit so I am hoping all the bees flying around have been doing this! 


My next planter is looking a bit like a war zone and this is due to the pesky snails again. I think they enjoy living in the woven willow and despite all my efforts for picking them off and surrounding the plants with defence systems, they still manage to come out of the wood work. 


In both of these pots (an old fromage fraiche pot and an old milk carton, both complete with copper tap!), I have my runner beans, which were so successful last year. They have taken a very long time to germinate but are finally making a show. The one on the right has been nibbled somewhat but I am confident that now I have the milk carton protecting it, the rest of the plant with push through. I will get rid of the egg shells soon so I don't encourage any vermin (though the shells have all been thoroughly washed). At the front of the beans are some more lettuces which just started germinating this week. 


Under the netting is some redbor kale that I bought in seed form from Sarah Raven. These are slowly growing and did fall victim to the snails but I am hopeful that they are now safe and sound under their netting. They seem to be slow growers but are surely making progress. The basil is now flourishing and will hopefully fill up that space up to the overflowing thyme next to it. 



In the plastic pots, from left to right, there are: a sunflower, mixed cosmos, a courgette plant (the other one is in a much larger pot growing on nicely) and a geranium I managed to propagate. I'd like to replace all the plastic pots with terracotta ones soon but when I went to the garden centre last week the selection of pots was very limited. That will be my task throughout the rest of summer, to replace the plastic pots with nicer terracotta ones. Once everything starts to flower, I think think this section will bring a lovely flourish of colour. We have ample amounts of mint so alongside fresh mint tea, we will also be making mojitos!



My ladder was built by Ian two years ago and is a great way to make the most of vertical height. At the moment is is mostly filled with remainder tomato plants which I am hoping to bring home to my parents', whenever that may be. I've also got some sweet peas which need larger pots and caning and my spring onion trough, of which there are both white and purple varieties. 


Last of the vegetables are these butterhead lettuces which have taken on a red/purple shade, though I am assured they are green butterheads! These have done amazingly well on my kitchen window sill which benefits from strong sunlight for much of the day. We've already started eating them and I will continue to sow them throughout the season to make the most of them. I'd recommend lettuces to anyone trying to start small, or even easier cut and come again leaves. 



I would like more flowers in the garden and I am sure I will get there but at the moment I am a little limited with not having a car in London (and me needing to buy more pots and compost!). Ideally I'd like to buy a few large pots and fill them with various flowers. I saw a story on Gardener's World the other week where they visited a woman's garden which was solely made up of pots and it was spectacular! I also joined an online lecture with Aaron Bertelsen, head gardener at Great Dixter, who discussed how to grow vegetables and flowers in pots. Both situations were on small patios so I know it's possible with a bit of planning and dedication. 

Anyway, now I am rambling so I will leave it there. How is your garden growing?



L. 








Wednesday 3 June 2020

a walk into town

We've become quite ambitious with our walking during lockdown. Without a car - an our desire to walk further than our usual loop around the common - we have decided to wear comfortable shoes, slather on the suncream and enjoy a good 4 hour walk most weekends. We've covered Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park and so our eyes were set on something a little different this weekend. We decided to walk into Mayfair, to explore the area before it got busy again. When else would we see empty streets other than on Christmas Day?! 

So, on Sunday morning we had a good breakfast and set off for Green Park. Meandering along the river side, we crossed into Chelsea and drooled over the houses along Cheyne Walk and spied into the back of Chelsea Physic Garden (which coincidentally is firmly on my list of gardens to visit once lockdown is over). The weather couldn't have been more perfect with crystal blue skies humming above our heads and relatively few people along the roads to dodge. The Royal Hospital looked perfectly preened with a few residents ambling around the grounds like something from Georgian Britain.



Heading up Pimlico Road we took a quick stop to ogle to antiques and interior shop window displays. I love the Pimlico Road - as someone who works in the interiors world, this street is mecca, lined with all the big names and dreamy window displays. Colefax & Fowler have taken gardening expert, Alexander Hoyle, under their wing this year and he regularly updates the doorway display. The woven baskets overflowing with lupins, foxgloves and rambling roses; a heavenly vision that I would love to recreate in my own patio. 



From here we cut across Belgravia and mused about what its residents do aside from robbing banks to afford the white fronted villas and townhouses. Before we knew it we were rounding the Royal Mews, gave a quick wave to the ponies and took the opportunity to take a snap of Buck Pal whilst the crowds were relatively quiet - there were more people there than I thought there would be but it was still manageable and not too overwhelming. 



And one shot looking down The Mall. 



By this point I was getting rather peckish and we were in need of a break. We decided that since we had walked all this way, a Tesco sarnie wouldn't cut it so Fortnum it would have to be! We wound our way up Pall Mall and towards Piccadilly, enjoying the empty streets where it was possible to stand in the road for a picture or two. 



Picking up sausage rolls from F&M we found a spot in the dabbled shade of Green Park which was being visited by a v chic ice cream van. 



Restored, it was time to make the journey home and rather than do the exact reverse of our inbound journey we decided to cut across Belgravia, across Eaton Gate and to Sloane Square before walking up the King's Road and hitting Cheyne Walk once again (I just can't get enough of those houses!!). 


For anyone looking for something to do on a Sunday morning, I'd really recommend walking into town. Of course the glorious weather helped as whilst I write this, it seems the sun has disappeared, but I reckon even on a cloudy day this would still be a fantastic walk and it feels very special and rare to be able to enjoy London this quiet. 



L.