180E - The countdown to Autumn has begun...

 This past week my garden had a bit of an autumnal feel to it. The crisping artichoke leaves were the cause, and also the scabiosa and other plants telling me they wouldn't mind a nice bit of rain on their heads.

Toddler-sized melon in my neighbour's patch

Just look at that melon, it is huge. But you can hardly call the green, green.

   Anyway, rain (with thunder) has been predicted for tomorrow, so to me it was a good day to plant my new Heuchera and Crocosmia. I gave them a good drink and then the rain will treat them tomorrow. I'll also sprinkle some fertiliser.

Yeah, yeah, I know, I wasn't going to, but I've changed my mind. When I was deadheading my scabious, I realised I am not ready yet for a garden going to rest.

My balcony tomatoes

On the balcony I cut off the tops of my tomatoes like the good girl I am - just like Monty ordered. There are many green ones still, after I picked kilos already, absolutely a success! And repeat next year!

My balcony garden is looking marvellous anyway. The white grape I planted in the trellis planter has established, and all flowering plants are doing their jobs: making me happy.

The beds in Hunky Dory are slowly being taken over by autumn flowering plants. The asters are showing colour now, just like a sizable patch of very tall plants I got as a gift, of which I had no idea of what they are. I had to look them up on my Plantnet app. They turn out to be Solidago gigantea. Oh dear. Don't know if I am happy with that.

The  North corner of the balcony at sunset

   I have a lot of work trying to pull out the ordinary solidago, which is colonizing my entire garden. I hope its huge sister is not of the same temperament!

   But, I have good news as well. This morning I noticed quite a few butterflies, that was really for the first time this Summer. There was a shrew running along my path. And there were loads of bees, hoverflies and bumblebees on my flowers.

Bumble bee paradise, those artichokes

I am so pleased I planted the artichokes that first spring! They are past their best by now, but the flowers that haven't turned to fluff yet, are covered by bumblebees. Opposed to the butterflies, that don't want to pose for me, the bumblebees ignore me and my phone camera completely. Oh, they see me alright, but are simply going about their business. They sometimes buzz a bit louder, as if they are saying 'hi there, good shit, man' (like I heard one boy say to another at a festival I went to last weekend. The band was extremely loud, and rubbish, and the grunted lyrics mostly came down to 'I want to die' - oh, you poor things).

The Crocosmia are completely Zen

   By now we are three days along and it has rained- and how! My neighbour's still unplanted bed-with-just-spread-donky-manure was sopping, he could not walk on it. But his newly planted strawberries were dancing in their tidy straight rows.

   Hunky Dory was pleased with the rain, I saw and smelled it. On the artichokes the bumblebees were crowding eachother, there were 4 to 5 on each flower.

   In my balcony garden (which I do water, otherwise I will have a lot of straw within a week) the reaction was more varied. The banana was very happy, she loves a good shower, but I noticed the Pelargoniums frowning.

Happy banana

They prefer a warm gentle rain to being pelted with the pressure hose-like rainshower that they got instead. They always protest immediately in their passive-aggressive way, by showing brown flowers. "No, I will not perish, but look what happens when you do this to me", sort of.

Right. For the teachers amongst you (and I know there are many), you have to go back to work. Courage! But have fun as well.

Me, I hope to be able to enjoy some late summer weather. I'm not done yet, not ready for autumn!

Do take a look at the extra photos, won't you, and have a lovely weekend.

Renée