Well, it’s nearly mid-summer, going by the calendar. And as those late-summer favourites the fuchsias are budding up now, the garden has clearly got there a bit before the calendar.
Edibles:
Here begins the raspberry glut…
We usually eat raspberries from now until December. But we have no idea what varieties they are; surplus from various relatives gardens, rescued from the allotments, planted as dry twigs liberated from Woolworths for pennies, apparently dead… they tend to vanish altogether for a year or two, then suddenly you find them flourishing behind something else.
Their cousins the (thornless) blackberries won’t be far behind.
Our enormous thornless blackberry was given as a cutting by one of the Head Gardener’s workmates. Huge fruits, utterly delicious, but with a tendency to rot very fast in wet weather.
Grape clusters in the bud…
Will it be a good vintage this year? Or will we eat them all before I can do anything more sensible with them?
Spuds in the making!
And deep below these pretty flowers, there should be spuds a-forming!
Pretties:
First of the Poundland beauties!
Well, I don’t (yet) have a clue what it’s called, but this is the first of a packet of bulbs that I invested a whole pound in, early this year. I was in a branch of Poundland and couldn’t believe my eyes – just one pound for 75 healthy-looking bulbs? It had to be tried… and indeed, most of them have come up, and look promising.
“New Dawn” bud
“Rosa Mundi” complete with beetle
“New Dawn” in full flower
The roses are still going strong. And there’s one last spectacular and very welcome addition on the floral front: the waterlily has sent up one single stunning perfect bloom:
One lovely waterlily flower.
Enough for now!
A year of old-style gardening... 
Your Poundland jobbie is Oxalis tetraphylla I think. Variety”Iron Cross”if the leaves have a dark cross in the centre.
Gill
Thanks, Gill – too dark to check, but I rather think they do!