Around the Garden - May and June

Before June comes to an end, I thought I should find time for a few garden photos.  The weather here this winter and spring has not been good for plant life, so apart from the odd flower or three which are blooming, we have not been blessed with what I would call a mass of colour! The flowers are starting to pick up, as you can see in the pictures below.

As far as garden produce is concerned, the bad winter, plus the late frost when we were in the UK in May, has set everything well back.   A handful of cherries this year meant no jam or fresh fruit, BUT, I do still have one drawer full of frozen cherries from last year, so clafoutis is still on the menu :-)  Of our four plum trees, only the one which is protected by a large oak tree seems to have fruit on at the moment.  The two fig trees were badly burnt by frost and are only just beginning to recover; only time will tell whether we will get any fruit this year. Not one quince on the quince tree; last year, it was so laden with fruit that the weight broke a large branch off.  The medlar tree has fruit on it, but we have yet to try this unusual fruit, as we have never been here at the right time of  year to harvest it.   The hazelnut tree is loaded and obviously the cold weather suited that, if nothing else. Now we just have to hope that the nuts are not wormy!!

After yet another disappointing year for the asparagus, we bit the bullet and dug up two of the three rows. The last row now looks hardly worth keeping, so that will no doubt go as well!  The removal has created much needed space for more productive species!

As for the tomatoes, peppers etc, the plants are still small and have a long way to go. The onions do not look too bad and we are digging our first potatoes.  We will be able to dig the garlic soon and see just how good that is.  Some chard planted in a flower bed near the house also seems to be quite happy and we are picking leaves from that.

A few green cherries in May before the final frost took its toll.

Rhododendron above and below.

The peonies seemed unaffected by the weather changes

I moved this lily from the garden in the UK.  I didn't plant it originally, so I am not sure which variety it is.  I am glad that it has moved over to France and it is still happy.  See the little fly on the right petal?

I am told this is Michaelmas daisy; it is one that just appeared from the mixed seed packet that I threw into the bed last year.

This is a climbing rose that a friend gave us earlier this year.  So far it has done little climbing, but it is at least flowering!

 These English marigolds seem to be completely different from the marigolds that I know here in France and South Africa, which have a very strong smell.  The latter are good planted between tomato plants to keep the greenfly away.

I have no idea what the Christmas cactus is doing flowering again now indoors, but I was more than happy to see its lovely flowers.

Love-in-a-mist; these have just reseeded from last year's crop.

The lavender is only just coming out; I hope the butterflies will soon be here now.  Can you see the little 'hopper' ?  10 o'clock from the © copyright logo!

The hydrangea flowers are just coming out.

Sedum anglicum; this is a succulent and a ground cover that I just love at this time of the year. 

I cut back the three sage bushes after heavy damage during the cold winter and they now seem to be bigger than ever, with these lovely blue flowers.

Last but not least,  Forget Me Not.

You might also like My Life Before the Charente  updated 18 June 2012.