Summer Solstice 2011

the beautiful flowers of the kipffler potato. seeded from my healthiest sprouter,. these plants will be harvested tomorrow and some pumpkins planted in the area after it has been dug over well and fed.

this was bought for mothers day it seems much at home with the sage and is flowering beautifully. dear Mum loved crysanthemums and red flowers and she always wore reds beautifully, it cheers my heart that this plant has done well.

The elegant comfrey continues to grace the garden. I am hoping i can introduce this to the worms successfully

these spent cascades will have to be removed tomorrow. the seeds are setting in and will drop soon. i am unwilling to let this get too much space. it seems a shame to lose the delightful shape of this plant, but in a garden of small scale i must plan carefully.

this delicate allium is a happy accident.    i think it is a shallot, i had some in last year and one seems to have naturalised.   they do unfortunately encourage cabbage moth, i have to keep my brassicas away from these and it is amongst my fragrant herbs like sage and oregano.

my borage has sprung into action.
this plant cleanses soil very gently
they are about a foot tall now and i cant wait until its amazing blue flowers open.
in my ideal garden this will grow amongst my strawberries, i am vaguely considering adding in strawberry plants as a border, i struggle with strawberries in pots and always have more runners than i can find homes for so i think i just might.

my sage has just exploded this year, i might use it with the kipflers.
it needs a decent prune, but the flowers of the salvia are brilliant and im reluctant to lose them.    
of woody inclination, you can get good height with this plant and i hope to convince it to sit above some of the herbs of lower habit.
in such a small space height can provide good illusion of space. this plant sits about a metre in front of my fenceline.
i have yet to convince anything to grow up the fence but i think a passionfruit might be happy... i should start working on the soil to that end. passionfruit dont like their roots disturbed, usually a grafted plant the rootstock can be finnicky and hungry.

 a flurry of rochetti blooms

 

huge broccolini leaves provide bold texture in a small garden

second round flowers and fruit from one of my mature strawberry plants, the appear to enjoy the hanging bag planter i have for them, but keeping enough water up to them is an issue, they are thirsty plants. i might layer a damp mulch and something coarse to buffer in the base of the next planter bag i start

the grape vine from next door is snaking its way across again. i think this is a white, maybe sultana.
it lives neglected and in duress amongst weeds, i have offerered it supports and a light prune and its seems to want to come over for a party.   at the moment it is just a shade plant i cant care for it sufficiently to get viable fruit. although it tried hard last year it is a susceptible plant and the humidity spoiled is best efforts.  
i am considering ask my neighbours, who are really rather nice folk, if they would like me to do a little work in their garden.   
clearing the weeds away from the fencline and feeding this determined vine can only be to everyones benefit.    
nice folk, they seem a little lost with their garden maintenance, and if it gets behind it can be a daunting task...speaking of which i must have some very stern words with the my newzealand spinach, it is invasive and has to be removed...i have some busy days ahead.