In the Garden - August

I'm afraid to say that the drop in temperature and the rain we've had throughout August has made for a big drop in garden activity at Number 27. 

We've not even managed to get out there for one BBQ, which was really disappointing. Maybe we'll have a bit of an Indian Summer and September will be amazing (there's nothing wrong with dreaming!).

The big event has to be the completion of the brick edging and the laying of some additional slabs to give a bit more patio space. 

Even though this was done right at the beginning of the month we've not really got round to re-arranging everything to straighten us back up, so there is lots of pot movement on the cards, which we will hopefully get round to in September. 

The other thing we really wanted to get finished was the installation of the new front gate.  Well, we've got posts!!  And I've painted all of the old ironmongery, about three times.  The gate itself has also had three coats of Sadolin and is currently in the garden drying off.  So, we're not quite there, but there has definitely been good progress, and that's good enough for me.

The majority of flowering in the garden is now at an end.  The Garden at Number 27 is definitely more of a Spring and early Summer garden than an Autumn one, but we've took a few pictures of what's been flowering throughout the month.

Echinacea, Evening Primrose, Rudbeckia, Anenome, Hibiscus & Cleome

The potted daisies, having had a really good deadhead, are still going strong and the fuchsias in the hanging baskets are looking spectacular, though the rest of the plants in the baskets don't look like they will last much longer. 

For August, the garden has been more about what we've harvested, with the blueberries pretty much finished, the majority of apples now picked and plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes also harvested. We've had the first of our purple carrots, which I have been quite impressed with. 

Oh yes, we have also seemed to have obtained another regular visitor. Nowhere near as friendly or as funny as poor William, but he seems quite happy sleeping away his days in a couple of William's old favourite spots, with the odd bowl of milk every now and again.

Martin calls him Captain, as in Captain Mannering (or is it Mainwaring?) from Dads Army. This is because he is so skittish and nervous and every time Martin approaches him, he is saying 'don't panic' to try and keep him calm and stop him running away. bonkers, or what eh??

I can't see us getting much done in September as we have a really busy month coming up, but there is lots of work to be done to get us ready for Winter, so we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for good weather and, who knows, maybe we'll surprise ourselves!