Our front and back garden are quite different to eachother so I always feel like these posts are a bit of a mishmash of stuff. In the front, the gladioli bulbs I planted back in February are flowering. They were assorted colours so I had no idea what was going to come up but I love these rhubarb and custard colours.
The front is looking full and wild and has grown so much since June (bottom photo in the link). We have so many bees and hoverflies!
These flowers were given to us by Grandma and Grandad and each plant is a slightly different colour. We have a mix of orange, yellow, white and the one below.
In the back our runner beans have grown into a monstrous mass and next doors’ washing line is the other side of the fence, they may well start finding beans in their laundry soon. I underestimated how tall they would grow so next year I’m going to buy some taller canes. Luckily they have the trellis to grow up for now.
Here’s a closeup of our little beans! I spotted the first ones when they were about 1.5cm long and in a week they’ve grown to 6cm. Speedy.
A few of the flowers in the back had seen better days so I headed over to Homebase to pick something up. They had a mega sale on so I ended up buying 2 begonias, a tray of fuschias, a tray of geraniums, a tray of petunias and the hanging basket below for £11. The hanging basket (with flowers) had been reduced from £15 to £1! I asked Scott to take a guess at the price but he’s too good at this game – he said £1.99, which made me telling him it was actually £1 much less dramatic 🙂
Our plum tomatoes are turning into whoppers.
And the cherry tomatoes may not be as impressive in size but there are a lot of them.
The chillies are starting to get big and they spicy. I’ll probably dry most of them like I did last year.
I took cuttings from a plant called Creamy Nutmeg Pelargonium and they are surviving the heat, hooray! The leaves smell amazing, like a geranium crossed with nutmeg and lavender. For now, they live under the garden bench (where I stash all my useful bits and bobs) so the sun doesn’t dry them out.
I need to get a move on and sow some Autumn/Winter crops soon, we’re nearly in August.
I LOVE those rhubarb and custard colours! I want those now! My gladioli are yet to flower, and I’m not certain they will, but fingers crossed!
Some of mine still don’t have buds yet. They all seem to be growing at their own rate, I’m sure yours will flower too 🙂
Perfect two worlds in your front gardens – beautiful wild flowers in front and vegetables galore in the back!
Thank you Kriss 🙂 I want to try and bring more of the wild element into the back garden next year too.
How beautiful. I would like to turn my front garden into a wildflower type area but so far I think it just looks messy! The colours in the front are gorgeous. And I’m amazed by the size of those plum tomatoes (and resisting the urge to go all double entendre…) 🙂
Ours looked a little messy to start with because I couldn’t tell what was an unwanted weed. But now the flowers have come out it looks lovely. I think tomatoes that big are going to take a while to ripen!
Fnnarrrrrr do it Iona! go all double entendre!
I love your blogg, your husband sounds like mine but then he knows I’m the bargin queen. There is a saying in or household, “if it hasn’t got a yellow sticker on it you won’t find it in our freezer”. Have to say Im now more interested in quality and organic than price, so will be following your example next year. Thank you for being an inspiration.
Thanks so much Faith! I have a weakness for plant bargains…and village plant sales. Nothing beats organic, home grown vegetables. Good luck for next year 🙂
i love your garden. there is a little bit of everything going on and it is all lovely. great shots too.
Stopping in from the How Does Your Garden Grow blog hop. I love the flowers your grandparents gave you… lovely! The petals are very dramatic.
Your gardens are looking lovely 🙂
I really need to get more flowers in my back garden. It is definitely lacking colour. I’ve had £1 bargains from Homebase as well. Always worth a look on the clearance shelves.
Lovely lovely lovely!!! I am especially buoyed by your runner beans pics, as ours are scaling enourmous heights and flowering like mad, but have so far only produced little beans… I have been worried they are stunted, but guess I need to be patient!! Wow to your plum tomatoes, too! I actually said OMG out loud when I scrolled to the photo! hehe! Good bargains at the garden centre. I must take a trip myself for the yurt borders/planters, as this dry spell has not done the nasturtiums any favours, and my lack of watering has not helped…. hard work this gardening lark!! I’m off to look at your drying chilli post, as i’m hoping for a bumper crop 😀
Gorgeous flowers, the gladioli are wonderful, ours are a deep purple, almost black,much prefer yours.
Your Homebase bargains sound fab, wondering if I can drag the kids along for a visit tomorrow!
The runner beans look amazing, hoping to grow some next year so good to know they are tall growers
All looking gorgeous! Those tomatoes are rather impressive 🙂 Love the wild flowers, and lupins are one of my favourites. Fond memories of those from my mums garden x #HDYGG
Beautiful gladioli, so pleased to see them back in the limelight.
Woah nearly August? Cripes you are right!
Those rhubarb and custard colours are so pretty, grandad was telling me today that this year has been fab for gladioli. Your front garden looks smashing – I bet the bees are having a field day!
Those are monster plum tomatoes – our toms are annoyingly green still – I am beginning to wonder if they’ll ever turn red though I know sods law says they’ll turn this weekend whilst we are away at Camp Bestival! Liking the sound of the Creamy Nutmeg Peglar-doobie a lot – nutmeg and lavender you say? *sniffs screen hopefully*
Thanks for joining in again – and have a super weekend x
Those gladioli are wonderful! I’m very impressed with all the tomatoes too. When I tried to grow some they ended up in a very sorry state! I really should give chillies a try as we are always buying them. Brilliant pics.