Friday, August 14, 2015

Garden Flowers and Veggies in Mid-August


It seems summer has remembered about our Northern area and decided to treat us. August is much warmer than June and July, night temps are above 15 C. So all my plants are in their best, grow and blossom. Now is the time of gladioli, lilies, roses and asters. Clematis Rouge Cardinal blooms like crazy, lilies open their buds every day. One lily is deep red I do not remember when I bought it, perhaps it didn't bloom for several years and I forgot about.
This year asters unusually rapidly grow and flower. I like asters, grow them from seed. Asters are planted near the pond among the roses, because I forgot to replant them so now I left them at this place.




I bought this Pelargonium on sale in April, it was a plant with one branch and 6 leaves. Look how it liked growing in the garden and it has interesting flowers. In September I will move my Pelargonium to the city.
Rose 'Swany' blooms the second summer, it winters well that is very important in our climate of rain and frost.


Now I will tell you about this year harvest. My apple trees rest after a heavy crop of the last year, but this apple tree still decided to treat me with small red apples. I do not know how many of them will ripen but now they are falling even immature. Also there is a huge amount of red currant in my garden. I decided to freeze them instead of making jam or jelly.




On a raised bed and in my greenhouse tomatoes began to turn yellow and ripen now but I think if nights are cold again, this process will be delayed. These are 'Shuttle' and 'Gardener's Delight' varieties.


I am glad that a lot of sorrel and parsley has grown on raised beds. I often make sorrel soup and want to also freeze it for winter.




I will probably leave some zucchini and courgette to ripe until the autumn, to harden their skins so they take longer to lay in a storage. The very young ones I use in soup and fry with oil.

 

Before I sat down to write this post I had picked black currants. I did a half-bucket and later will pick a full one. Tomorrow I want to make jelly and leave some berries to eat with ice-cream and cake. 



Now surprise! A miracle of the nature: my gladioli was re-pollinated last year (it was red or white one) and this summer it is the ink-blue one! I would I never have bought such variety.



 
Here is my gazebo, where in hot days I rest, write and read your comments. Clematis Jackmanii makes shadow at sunny morning. 
Which flowers you were surprised this year? What harvest has grown in your garden this summer?


31 comments:

  1. Although we store squash which I suppose is similar we have never stored courgette other than by freezing

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    1. Sue, I do store courgette in cool and dark place if they harden enough.

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  2. What a nice gladoli surprise! You have many beautiful blooms in your garden and delicious things to harvest. In my garden there are not many blooms right now but my tomatoes are starting to produce nicely.

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    1. Yes, I saw your tomatoes, Peter. Sure they are delicious!

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  3. Nadezda, you have many beautiful flowers in the garden !! I admire your juicy vegetables !!
    Happy weekend !

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  4. What a gorgeous post, Nadezda! Your flowers are lovely (I admired especially your clematis, lilies and the rose 'Swany') and your vegetables look healthy and happy.
    Thank you again for your interesting comment on my latest post (Bot. Garden at Lund). The photos had been taken at the end of July, but it's in any case admirable that all the flower beds were in full bloom and looking perfect. Our lupins have still some flowers, but they look very "autumnal" by now.
    Have a lovely weekend!

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    1. Glad you liked my rose Swany. It's very our, northern rose that winters well and is hardy.
      Have a nice Sunday Sara!

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  5. A great harvest of black currents Nadezda, all your vegetables and fruit looks great. That gladiolus was a real surprise, love them and have always lots of them for cutting to put on a vase.

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    1. Janneke, it's the first time that gladioli changed its color. I have not many of them but I've never had this surprise.

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  6. Currant jam is delicious! They are also good in cakes. Your lilies are beautiful!

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    1. They are also good with ice cream Jason :0))

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  7. What a beautiful lush garden....your flowers are stunning and I love how green you veg garden still is...mine is a bit tired and with all the heat we are still in the main season.

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    1. My veg garden is still green, Donna and I think if cold come soon I'll have to pick up green tomatoes :0((

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  8. Your asters are beautiful, I haven’t had much luck with my attempts to grow them in past years, they got mildew and I should perhaps have sprayed them but didn’t get around doing that in time. Seems it is happening this year too.
    Your harvest look delicious and I can still remember how lovely the kitchen smell like when cooking blackcurrant jelly and jam – I used to do that when I lived in Norway, but haven’t had any since moving to London. Have a lovely Sunday Nadezda!

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    1. Fortunately we have no at all mildew this summer, Helene. Sure you remember well blackcurrant smell while cooking jam --- and it's such delicious in frozen winter days with cup of tea.

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  9. Hello dear Nadezda!
    You have such beautiful blooms in your garden and the vegetables looks delicious!
    It's like paradise in Nadezda's garden!
    Have a happy day!
    Dimi...

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    1. Thank you Dimi! It's cool paradise this summer...

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  10. I can't believe we are already mid-August! The summer seemed too short. Most of my flowers are finishing and the vegetable garden is only really starting now to ripen. Every year it seems to run a little different. I planted some corn for the first time and am very excited to see if it tastes different from the ones I buy.

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    1. You're right Rosemary: every year summer seems different. I hope your corn will give you a pleasure in fall.

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  11. Que bien se ve tu huerto ...y el jardín precioso. Las flores están bellisímas Nadezda;))
    Buena semana;)
    Un beso.

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  12. What an impressive Gladioli, it's nice when a plant surprises us. You've already seen the Hellebore that has surprised me this August!
    You've a fair harvest there Nadezda - enjoy!

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    1. Yes, we both have flowers that surprised us, Angie. Glad you liked my modest harvest!

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  13. I have also 'Gardener's Delight' tomato in my greenhouse and it is getting nicely ripe now. Very sweet and tasty. We also have nice pea and broad bean crop, however, the french beans and runner beans are very slow to bloom and mature. They deffinitely don't like the cold nights we are having again.
    I sowed my Japanese salad mix for the fall, lets see how they will turn out!
    Your blooms and veggies are looking gorgeous and tasty!

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    1. Tistou, I see you have nice harvest despite the cold weather. My 'Gardener's Delight' tomatoes are very slow, but I hope they ripen soon.

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  14. Nice summary.
    I must read something about that another color re-pollination, it sound interesting. Although we probably never have power to choose the color, don't we? ;)
    I've discovered lately that black currants are quite healthier than raspberry (more vit C), therefore I must make some place for them instead of allowing raspberries to grow wherever they want to.
    Anyway, I came across your place at Ela's blog ;) Regards.

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    1. You're right, black currant bush is not invasive and grows well 6-8 years, then you have to cut old branches. Raspberries have to be cut once a year because they ripen on young stems.
      Thank you for stopping by, ekolandia!

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  15. I'm glad to hear your weather has warmed up a bit - I hope you have a nice warm rest of the summer! That clematis is gorgeous... I'm hoping to plant some new clematis this year! We will see, as usual there is a very long list of new things I want to plant. Thanks for your comment on my blog - yes I did force the hyacinth, I do it every year too :) They make winter a bit more bearable!

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    1. Hi, Ruth!
      Glad you liked my clematis, sure will enjoy yours too.
      Soon you'll have spring and these hyacinths remind you about it!

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  16. I am jealous of your currants. We had a few black and no red ones. I think they might have bloomed too early and a late frost might have killed the blooms. Ww will hope for a better crop next year.
    It is surprising how many things you still have in bloom!

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    1. Probably, Alain the frost killed your red currant flowers... We had no frost in May when currant bushes bloomed. Now the weather has got warmer and a lot of blossoms in the garden.

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