Summer is well underway with plenty of sunshine and just a little rain. The Gunnera has grown huge leaves this year; I expect all that winter rain we had has helped. My roses have done really well this year, probably because of the manure and the bark mulch that was put round them early this spring.
The rest of the garden has been a little hard going, due to our new puppy Merlin. He finds everything so interesting, from chasing frogs and butterflies to digging holes! I would not mind if the holes were in the right place, but they never are. Water is just too much for him; he has to throw himself right in it! Still I tell myself it will be better next year, and just enjoy him and what is left of the garden.
I did have a good crop of Charlotte potatoes, but they have now got blight. I also have some Valor potatoes which are not ready yet, they are eelworm and blight resistant, so it will be interesting to see how they do. I tried some peas called Bingo, they do well in containers. They were very good, and I will try them again.
In the greenhouse we are growing chillies, peppers, cucumbers, melons and tomatoes. It’s the first time I have grown melons, so it is quite exciting. The melons are already bigger than golf balls, so I have put some old stocking up to help with the weight on the vine. They do look very odd especially as I only had black stockings going spare!
Don’t forget August is the month to plant hyacinths and paper white narcissi for flowering at Christmas. Keep deadheading the roses and bedding plants to keep them flowering, and, of course, the 16th August is the show day.