As I have said previously, my garden is predominately a cottage garden. My interpretation of this is that it is a productive garden.  Whether that be flowers, fruit, or herbs. I would love to grow vegetables as well, but I do not have the space and to be truthful the inclination either, not in this garden anyway. Although I am happy to work alone, I do like the feeling that there are people around me, so  I am on the waiting list for an allotment where I hope to eventually have an ornamental kitchen garden.  I put my name down on the waiting list over 2 years ago. I telephone the allotment landlord a couple of times a year to check on my progress up the waiting list. The most recent phone call revealed I was at number 30 on the list, so hopefully, it will only be another year or 2 to wait. I was told that it was a minimum 5-year wait, so I am being patient.

So, by necessity, all my focus is on the home gardens. Walking around the garden recently, I noticed that my Morello cherries are ripening nicely.  At the moment, the tree is still in a pot as I was worried that it would sucker.  (I have a Bay tree in the garden, which has a suckering tendency and also a Cornus Winter Fire, which also seems to want to run around the garden) They produced beautiful blossom earlier in the year, and now the cherries glow scarlet on the branches.

I thought I might have to net the tree, but a quick Google search revealed that birds may not pinch the cherries. But I will keep an eye out nonetheless.  this tree is planted on the shady side of my garden, which, although predominately shady, still gets some morning sunshine. So, I am very hopeful of being able to pick some cherries to put into a cherry almond pie.  I first read about this pie in a book series and have wanted to try making one ever since.

I also have a very small bed of raspberries, just enough to give me a few small bowlfuls of fresh fruit a year.

The garden, although sheltered, has a few points where it is overlooked. I have a number of trees in pots, one of these being an olive tree I bought last year.  It is approximately 6 foot high.  My garden is terraced, and by strategically placing the tree, I have been able to partially  obscure the view from the only overlooking window to my favourite shady seat.  I am not sure if I will leave the olive here as it may not provide enough cover. I was very excited yesterday as it looks as if my olive tree is producing berries.  Even without the berries, Olives make  lovely trees, but the berries are a definite bonus.

Now I would say that Roses are possibly my favourite flower and the scented ones are my most favourite of all.   A Rose that I already have called the Mayflower was mentioned in a podcast I recently listened to. I bought this Rose recently under recommendation as being an early flower. I shall look forward to even earlier blooms next year than I had this year.

The podcast also mentioned a Rose called Cardinal Richelieu which apparently has very strong scent which apparently hangs on the air. So I am going to investigate this rose and see if I can fit it in somewhere. 

The garden is looking very cottagey at the moment with the roses, Calendula and various other annuals just coming into flower.

In the other garden we are in the process of planting up the last bed. This bed is in the shade.  The bed itself was placed over a robust patch of bamboo.  We attempted to dig the bamboo up but in the end it defeated us and I have come to the conclusion that for the moment it may be better to live with it and manage it. So the tarpaulin that covered the bed has been removed and cardboard placed over the bare soil.  Over the next few weeks we will be filling the bed with compost ready for planting. 

Meanwhile, I am busy making a planting list and designing a border to provide plenty of interest and colour year round, which whilst flowery will also be relatively easy to maintain.

I have also been busy  sowing my biennials for next year. I have been very pleased with the foxgloves this year. They are coming to the end of their season now but have performed so well that I have sown enough for both gardens together with both single and double Sweet Williams, Wall flowers, Honesty, Double Daisies and double Canterbury Bells.

I bought a midi bag of seed compost and mixed it with fine grit and grit sand.  I use 40 cell seed trays. Filling each cell approx half full, I then soaked the half filled cells with water, and some seeds were sown on to damp compost. The sweet Williams and Wall flowers are not too fine a seed, so they should be able to survive watering with a very fine spray. But the Foxgloves are like dust, so I tend to use a handheld pressure sprayer to keep the compost wet enough to germinate the seeds.

I am hopeful that next year will be particularly flowery come mid spring.  Whilst I have some perennials to sow over the summer, my next big sowing time is in the autumn around October when I will sow the cool season hardy annuals for next year. Flowers like Calendula  and Nigella. Both these are stalwarts in my garden, and I would not be without either. Although I am intending to try some different coloured Calendula. A paler yellow or apricot/red. Every year I think next year will be better.