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Three years ago I planted what I thought was a damson tree. This year it has been laden with fruit that are much closer to a plum than a damson, sweet enough to eat off the tree and twice the size of the average damson. The first trugful weighed in
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I've been busy with work and away a lot lately. The grass is three inches high (but green at last) and several taller plants have toppled for lack of support. But if you don't look too closely, the overall effect in the garden is one of
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This is one of my favourite trees. This year's crop of yellow berries is one of the best I've seen. The branches are so weighed down with fruit that the tree has a slightly weeping look about it. It will keep the song birds fed until
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We were away at the weekend and it must have been ferociously windy in our absence. The runner bean canes have almost collapsed over the veg plot, the outdoor tomatoes are leaning at a rakish 45 degrees and two of the sunflowers have toppled completely. I think it's
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Before I forget, I want to make some notes for myself about this year's tomato crop. The variety is Orange Bourgoin, an old French variety. I've grown them cordon style up strings and for once have remembered to water and feed them enough. Anyway - they&
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Over the past four days we've had 35mm of rain - more than an inch and a half. 25mm of that fell in 90 minutes on Thursday. I'm just glad I cut the lawn and tidied up on Thursday. I've cut the first two
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Once July is over, my urgent need to cultivate fades somewhat and I'm happy to potter about as and when. Like the plants, I've slowed down. I have seeds unsown, weeds in the patio and a vast harvest of beans unpicked. It's been cooler
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I have become a real magpie when it comes to cuttings and seeds. I don't really need any more plants (not for this garden anyway), but cannot resist the temptation to see what I can grow. Of course I always ask permission, but if you know what you
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When the sedum and heleniums are in flower, when Anemone 'Honorine Jobert' makes her first appearance, when the tomatoes are ripening and the damsons are turning purple then we are definitely in late summer. Just the beginning of it perhaps, but the change is unmistakeable. The sun is
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The joy of an English summer. We've had as much rain in the last three days as in whole of last month and it's cool enough to need a fleece and jeans. Last week a bikini would have been plenty. And all driven along by a
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Finally we had some rain today - just 3mm - but better than nothing. I've grown Ipomoea, or morning glory, for the first time this year. Trouble is that's exactly what they do - flower first thing in the morning then fade and die before lunchtime.
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Much of the south and midlands has had heavy thunderstorms, but nothing here, just steady sunshine and fluffy white clouds, another perfect summer day. However it seems only fair that the rain should fall on those with a hosepipe ban and I would rather have the ordinary weather front rain