that didn’t do at all well this year were the gladioli and sweet peas.
The gladioli I’d replanted into an area almost in the middle of the plot. Less than I expected appeared or flowered and really were a pretty poor show. I shall dig the corms up sometime soon and have a think about where to replant them next spring.
Nearly all the sweet peas germinated and grew well but only flowered for a couple of weeks despite my cutting and watering daily. I shall try again next year with different varieties, and probably in a different place.
I’ve had a rosemary in the stone feature for almost as long as I’ve had the plot however last year rosemary beetles appeared which have been even more prevalent this year so last week I dug it up and composted it. In it’s place I’ve replanted the rose campion (lychnis coronaria) that was in the square planter.
I’ve also moved the five dwarf white lavenders to alongside the grass path which goes from the shed to the eastern edge of the plot. The photo (click on it to see a larger image) shows these and the stone feature mentioned above.
It’s a glorious day here for the start of autumn and the forecast for the week ahead is mostly the same. I’ll be happy if it continues like this throughout the month and well into October as I really like this time of year, despite it being noticeably cooler first thing and starting to get darker just a bit earlier in the evenings.
There are still the three Michaelmas daisies (asters) to look forward to with the white one, Monte Cassinio which I call Twinkling Stars, not generally flowering until November.
Happy gardening, and have a good week!
Flighty's plot 
Sometimes that happens, doesn’t it? You do all the “right” things, and the plant just about survives – meanwhile something else that you have neglected thrives!
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Mark you’re so right, it’s all part of of the joys of gardening I guess. Cheers.
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I came home from holiday to hundreds of seed pods on my sweet peas and I thought that was the end of them. I cut off all the seed pods and they’ve managed to flower again. They’re not flowering as well as they were before I went away, but at least there’s still some colour on them. Glad the weather’s been nice with you, it’s been rather blustery here today.
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Jo that’s better than nothing. Thankfully just a breeze here. xx
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I had a pretty light showing of sweet peas, too, Flighty. And have plans to drop seeds (and more of them) earlier in the season. Hope your lavender do well for you.
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Nikki what a shame. I’ll have to think about when to sow mine next year. Thanks, I hope so to. xx
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I am pleased you have good weather to sort the plot for its winter rest. How do you deal with the rosemary beetle? Can you use that area for something else?
xx
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Menhir thanks. Squish them I think, which I haven’t done. Yes I’ll be planting/sowing other things there. xx
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You’ll need to translate ‘squish’. 🙂 xx
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Squashing between finger and thumb. My mum always said squish(ing). xx
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That’s a pretty little border by the grassy area. Now yesterday hubs popped into Tesco for some bread and saw four rosemary plants in the reduced aisle…..guess how much….2p each, I kid you not and they were lovely healthy plants too, so all for under 10p!!!!
It’s been a funny old year hasn’t it, after such a slow start I’m amazed we got anything. Here’s to a lovely autumn.xxxx
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Snowbird thanks. You’ve got a real bargain there.
It sure has, but aren’t they all one way or another. I sure hope so. xx
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Thats a shame as sweet peas are so glorious when they flower well. I struggled with them last year and tried really hard to get them this year as I really missed them. I ended up with quite a late sowing so they probably started blooming later but have done ok since and just about still going. Though at the stage where they get shorter stems now.
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Annie it was all the more annoying as they grew so well before flowering. I might sow some early, and more later next year. xx
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Your plot’s looking really lovely Flighty. My sweet peas were no good at all this year either – like you say, a very short flowering period. And very short flower stalks, so no good for cutting.
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CJ you only see the good bits, there’s plenty of bare earth now. That’s a shame that you didn’t do well with sweet peas either. xx
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Happy autumn Flighty! Your garden is looking good and love the sunflower!
It’s beginning of spring here and I’m loving the warmer days 🙂
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Alison Happy spring! Thanks. Lucky you having spring and warmer weather to look forward to. xx
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Isn’t it always the way – you win some you lose some – you just keep on trying.
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Elaine it sure is, we do indeed and it’s all we can do. xx
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That’s what I understood from the word ‘squish’ but I was puzzled as that won’t clean out the ground will it? xx
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Menhir without the rosemary bush to feed on they’ll no longer be a problem (hopefully). xx
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Ooh, devious….that’s worthy of Blackadder! 😉 xx
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That corner of your plot looks like an oasis of tranquility; very pretty.
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Liz thanks, the picture was taken from the shed looking west, with the stone feature just about in the middle of the plot. xx
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