Through the Garden Gate August
Another glimpse of the garden unfortunately posted a few days after the end of the month...
We have many insects visiting the garden this month, it is lovely to hear the hum of the bees as they collect pollen from the flowers.
The caterpillars of the white butterfly haven't been such a welcome sight they have devastated the nasturtiums
The garden can look so different in different shades of light the one above and below was taken when the sensor lights came on.
Whereas the early morning sunlight gave the neighbouring hedgerow a golden glow especially against the darker vegetable garden and cutting patch.
The cosmos and verbena are the stars of this month in the flowering garden,
I bought a mixed selection of Cosmos seeds from Sarah Raven this year. Although they are lovely I think I prefer the double variety I had last year. What do you think?
The roses are producing a second bloom. This one is called Burgundy Ice.
I always enjoy having flowers with more autumnal colours in the garden at this time of year .
We have had a huge crop of tomatoes with four different varieties, they all have a unique taste, which prevents us feeling overloaded with them.
Thank you so much for all the suggestions you gave me of what to do with the courgettes. We have had some delicious dishes. We only had two plants one green and one yellow one. I'm just so glad the yellow one isn't quite so vigorous!
In another corner of the garden the grape vine on the pergola has been producing so many bunches of grapes. We have enjoyed sitting under the shade but we probably should have reduced the leaf canopy more thoroughly to allow the grapes to develop more. Oh well there is always next year!
What has been the best thing in your garden in August?
Please visit the other gardens who are joining me in through the Garden Gate. If you wish to join us please mention in the comments below.
Others taking part in through the garden gate are:-
Coastal ripples
Margaret's patch
Vintage Sheet Addict
Elephant's Eye on False Bay
Thank you for all your recent comments it was interesting to read about how life saving at sea operates in other countries. I have been struggling to get around to visiting everyone lately, I thought I was going to have so much spare time after giving up work!
Sarah x
I love that view over the fields you have from underneath the pergola. What a great place to sit!
ReplyDeleteWe didn't appreciate when we first viewed the property how much the fields behind us would mean to us. It is great sitting there and then see a para glider appear at the top of the field. It is lovely to see the wildlife too although this afternoon there was a bang on the conservatory roof and a squirrel appeared. I hope it won't be as much trouble as yours! Sarah x
DeleteYour garden is still looking beautiful, Sarah. I love cosmos and prefer the single varieties but the double is pretty. Echinops is such a bee-magnet, isn't it? Really enjoyed reading your previous post, too. The RNLI is quite busy round these parts. It's hugely reassuring to know that these brave people are ready and waiting to rush to the rescue. Sam x
ReplyDeleteYou can well be proud of your wonderfully productive garden and those flowers are a magnificent sight.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing them with us.
Your garden is like an dream...
ReplyDeleteLove from Titti
The single cosmos looks more inviting for the bees!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to sit under a grape arbour enjoying fine weather.
I have poppies and bluebells, two very different pleasures.
PS (retired people are busy, very - I know)
ReplyDeletePlease add mine to your August garden gate.
ReplyDeletehttp://eefalsebay.blogspot.co.za/2016/08/august-in-our-false-bay-garden.html
Hi Sarah, lovely photos of your garden. I confess to not blogging much lately due to family visiting from South Africa, I barely have time right now. I am looking foward to Autumn, my favourite month. Happy week for you. Sharon x
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking lovely, so neat and tidy too. My cosmos haven't performed at all well this year, which is a disappointment, not sure what's gone wrong. But as you say, there is always next year.
ReplyDeleteBravo on your garden's abundance! I had a wonderful patch of Cosmos in NY, but have not gotten them to be happy here in OR yet. Single or double...I just think they are wonderful with pops of color from their swaying sea of ferny green leaves and stems.
ReplyDeleteRetirement is just a different kind of busy isn't it :) I am hopeful that whenever our earthy life ends, God will let us accomplish in heaven all the wonderful things we didn't have time to finish on earth! xx
Beautiful blooms and produce. Love this time of year!
ReplyDeleteI see that your garden is looking beautiful. I love all all the flowers you have there. Hollyhocks and cosmos are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteYour vegetables and grapes look so healthy! And those cosmos and verbena are indeed the stars of your garden as well as your beautiful roses. Mine started off well, but have not ended well due to the heat and humidity.
ReplyDeleteYes, when we go to work, we have more time! ;)
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks beautiful, the cosmos from Sarah Raven is very special. We still had no rain, the garden is looking poor.
Sigrun
Dear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking beautiful with all you have growing. The roses are pretty and a lovely crop of tomatoes and courgettes. The bees are wonderful in the garden but you can do without the nasty caterpillars. Have a lovely Sunday and great week ahead
Hugs
Carolyn
Beautiful pix as ever. Someone gave me some courgette plants but they turned into enormous marrows!
ReplyDeleteI could spend all day in your garden, it's beautiful from every angle.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE COSMOS! And I do enjoy a late summer garden; ours is waving goodbye in the cool breeze of September, and the spiders (we found four of them yesterday) are weaving their intricate webs all around the garden rooms. School has begun, and I'm feeling the morning chill in my short pants, so now I must take the hint that fall is coming around the corner.
ReplyDeleteOh Sarah, your garden is BEAUTIFUL!
The produce look so vibrant and fresh♥ Lovely photos ♥
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You do have a lovely garden! xo
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos of your garden, what a shame about the caterpillars munching your nasturtiums though. Isn't it wonderful to see so many bees in our gardens at the moment collecting pollen. xx
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful photos in the different lights. I'm going to try and grow double cosmos next year, I've seen some really beautiful ones recently. Mine are a very tall variety this year and keep toppling over. Wonderful tomatoes and yellow courgettes and I love your hollyhocks; so colourful. B X
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely set under the pergola and I do like the look of those grapes. We have a grape vine under a pergola, too but our grapes never amount to much. We do tend to neglect them so perhaps we've only ourselves to blame! I always have cosmos in the garden here as well because the bees love it and I love your tomato harvest!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had your touch with courgette - most people seem to be able to grow them so well and complain of gluts but I've rarely had success with them.......not sure where I go wrong! I'm longing for the day I can have a greenhouse or polytunnel as while I do grow tomatoes and will get some red/some green I can't do it properly without some additional heat. One day!
ReplyDeleteI quite like the single cosmos! I think that they and my sweetpeas have been my most successful this year. Juliex
Your vegetable garden looks very ordered and tranquil, I think it must get more attention than ours! White butterfly was a big problem for us last summer...we are now growing greens vegetables under netting. I love your cosmos and verbena, such summer colours.
ReplyDeletepics are beautiful loved the third most
ReplyDeleteI could duplicate your tomato and cosmos photos from my garden - they are about the only things thriving.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking lovely, I think this time of year is great for colour in the garden. I love cosmos but mine at the allotment is only just starting to flower, it has masses of foliage, maybe the soil is too rich. Caterpillers are a nuisance especially on cabbages
ReplyDeleteahhh, looks great. One day I might have a garden like yours....! Thanks for visiting my blog, I feel like I haven't been there for forever!! x
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks so lovely and all your photo's are great to look at.
ReplyDeleteThose beautiful pink blooms are my favourite!
Wishing you a happy month of September
All the best Jan
Dear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYou garden is a rainbow of colors. It looks so inviting. I love the cosmos and roses. What a beautiful place to sit and relax.
Enjoy your day
blessings,
Penny
I especially love the garden photo with the sensor light on ♥
ReplyDeletesummerdaisycottage.blogspot.com
I think that it is the double Cosmos for me, they are such a wonderful colour. I am amazed everytime I see your garden - you have made it into such a lovely haven so very quickly in which to sit and enjoy all of your lovely flowers and produce.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, your garden is full of beautiful flowers as well as feeding you all! How wonderful, I do wish I had more space to grow a few vegetables! Thank you so much for giving me the name of that flower, I have since looked it up and found out a bit more about it. Have a lovely week. Sharon
ReplyDeleteI love the cosmos and verbena combination. Like Elaine my cosmos have not done well at all - they are dwarf and stunted. You have a great variety of flowers, fruits and vegetable and insects! Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteIt all looks beautiful, Sarah. X
ReplyDeleteI'm always happy to see & hear the bees at work. I've planted Verbena in a pot as the one in the garden disappeared !
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