A garden update for Summer 2023

After such a hot and dry June, July has been much cooler and more overcast. It's been much easier to keep up with the watering and the weeding!

My favourite area of the garden is this narrow flowerbed against a fence. I planted a row of sunflower plants and these have turned out to each have several flowerheads so I should have lovely sunflowers for a few more weeks yet. At the bottom I sprinkled some wildflower seeds and I'm really pleased with how well they have grown - I have a selection of gorgeous brightly coloured flowers. I'm not really a gardener, so I'm always pleased if something grows to fit my vision!

My vegetable patch is also coming on very well. At the last count I had twenty-two tomato plants, and they are all looking fit and healthy. Most of them have flowers now, and the first tomatoes are coming through. I keep up with them all by removing the side shoots and making sure that they are firmly staked but I don't do anything else, for some reason my tomatoes always seem to do well!

Finally, at the end of June I shared a garden update with a photograph of my beautiful lavender bush. It was gorgeous when it was in flower, and I started harvesting some of the lavender stalks while it was still in full bloom. For several weeks I had vases and cans filled with lavender, followed by a kitchen filled with bunches hung up to dry. Now I have plenty of dried lavender from those first bunches, ready to make into lavender bags. At the weekend I cut down the remaining lavender and it's now hanging up to dry in the garage. I'll have to give the bush a proper prune back at some point so that it doesn't completely take over the garden!

Now I just need some warmer weather so that I can sit outside and enjoy it all!