~ Around the Garden Thursday ~

I'm joining up with Farmama's 'Around the Farm', (or garden), again this week. Some things are growing wildly, others are quite slow....

Our lovely apple tree outside the doors of my shed has 

four apples this year...last year it had only one 

the borage is going mad ~

Courgettes slowed down when May and June turned cold

Raspberries are ripening ~ tra~la~la

Lady's Mantle is going mad too ~

Runner beans blossoming.....

...and climbing

Peas are blossoming....

....and climbing ~ ~ ~

Parsley has just been planted outside

In the greenhouse we have ~

a cherry tomato plant

and a beef tomato plant ~

these and the cucumbers are really slow this year

I couldn't take out that fern...it's so pretty

this lettuce is so delicious

Basil is finally growing....only two plants made it this year 

~ this is the bigger one. We had some in our salad tonight

....oh my it's good.

This Elder is eleven years old now. She seeded herself in a pot of mint I had

before we came to live here. I brought her here with us and planted her by the 

hedge. I did not know then that Ash trees (you can see them behind her) 

 are very hungry and take lots of nutrients from the ground around. I think 

maybe that is why she does not produce so many blossoms. I love having her

in our garden. It does not matter that she can't supply me with the flowers

 and berries I need through the year....

I had tried three times to grow lavender here, but it just did not like the

soil. Our friend who we house~sit for has wonderfully large and healthy

plants, so she gave me some of her - very sandy - soil to try once more.

This plant is thriving in its pot of sand and I love that we have lavender

in our garden ~

Thyme has tiny blossoms

and I'm so happy that Sage is flowering on and on