My garden in August 2025

We've done loads of work to the garden since we got our house back in 2020, rebuilding sheds, building a new shed, demolishing the old ones, moving the soil from the building, twice, as we were saving it to fill the new raised borders and for levelling off the front garden, which we finally started this week.

Jobs done:

Soil dug, sifted, wheelbarrowed to the front garden, dumped, spread and levelled. Bags of rocks to the skip. Tree stump removed. 

Jobs left to do:

Cut conifer tree down and remove roots.

Plan and build new path.

Build a greenhouse, cold frame for wintering plants.

This is the area we've been moving the soil from so we can build a new path.

1st-7th August.

We've got so many tomato plants that I've been giving them away. These are ripening on the windowsill and I'll be freezing for making chutney.

I've collected seed heads and pods from around the garden, sweet William, sweet peas and poppies.

We inherited these pots 23 years ago when we moved here and this tree took some effort to remove.

   

The raised beds have been a huge success but I'll be planning next years planting.

The parsnips taste so sweet. They've been blanched and frozen. I'll plant more next year for sure.

8th-15th August

I wish I could share the fragrance of the sweet peas. They're in pots near every door.

I have melons, cucumbers, beans, peppers and pumpkins growing really well in the garden.

I think with the number of pumpkins I have that I'll be able to open a 'pick your own' pumpkin patch in time for Halloween.

Next year I want to plant more beans, strawberries and parsnips. I'll have the same amount of tomatoes. I'll grow the pumpkins and melons in a bigger space and just 1 cucumber plant. I want to grow peas, spring onions and more herbs. 

What do you grow in your garden?

My Garden in June 2025

I love the garden at this time of the year. There has been watering to do every evening, but the majority of the time has just been spent outside in the garden with a glass of Pimm's and a enjoyed many dinners.

There was also some tidying up after a weekend visit from our granddaughter.

I've done some weeding.

I've transplanted some seedlings and sown some more.

I've harvested some crops.

And there is more to come.

Melons, parsnips, potatoes, chilli, cucumber, pumpkins, beans, pak choi, radish, lettuce and beetroot

I've watched Stephanie's Rose flower in time for Father's Day and producing a third bloom for my birthday.

I've loved the light evenings. This photo was taken at 10.03pm on the solstice.

I'd sat outside at 4pm and was still reading. A whole night wasted, not really I read another book. The downside has been that I'm not getting into bed until gone 11pm and I'm shattered, despite not having done much. I think they call that Sod's Law.

I'm still waiting for the washing line to be re sited. The path still needs to be done, but the side of the shed is getting tidier and I can now walk down to the gate and front garden needs building up so the shrubs grow properly. 

I cut up an old pool noodle to protect the door handles from banging the walls.

There's always weeding to do and the lawn to me mown and the plants watered, but in general now, our garden is just a place to sit and enjoy.

My Garden in May 2025

I'm not at home this week so the photos are all from the first 3 weeks of May.

There's been a lot of growth in the garden, despite the lack of rain. 

There's also been a lot of things that haven't grown, but I suspect that has something to do with very old seeds and not preparing the ground properly before planting. 

Root vegetables seem to be growing the best.

The tomatoes and chilli are taking their time but I don't have a heated greenhouse or anywhere inside to germinate seeds.

The peas have surprised me the most, planted 5 days earlier after being soaked in water for 24 hours, they popped through the soil in the morning and 12 hours later were like this.

I'm half expecting a giant to be in the garden by the time I get back (Jack and the pea stalk)

I realised that the brown bin was being emptied on Wednesday last week and there was nothing in it, so a mad flurry of activity and lots of pruning took place after work on the Tuesday.

A good job really if I'm away for a week.

We still haven't moved this soil.

We still haven't sorted out the front garden.

And I doubt this side of the house will ever be used for anything other than a dumping ground. However there some old bits of wood that can be chucked and I can dismantle the cold frame now.

The one raised bed only has beetroot growing in it and 1 cucumber plant as well as a raspberry bush. So I've decided to let all these seeds and weeds grow in it while I work out what is what. I know there are poppies and cosmos in there.

I've been using Plantnet app to identify everything.

My Garden in April 2025 - Flowers for Stephanie

I can't believe these photos are taken 20 years apart. Not much has changed, even the door mat is the same. The front door and the blinds have been replaced, the carpet in the hall has been replaced with wooden bamboo, the shrubs have been weeded out and the woodwork has been painted. In those 20 years, several other families have lived in our house as we rented it out while we lived abroad from 2010-2021 and Stephanie is no longer with us.

Peter and I bought the Jasminum x stephanense earlier in April and planted it by the front door in a pot. It is highly fragranced and we wanted it somewhere where we would see it every day.

We've involved our grandchildren with planting flowers in memory of Stephanie as they are too young to have remembered her and sadly our 3 year old grandson never got to meet her, she also has two new nephews born this year.

Our granddaughter planted these Angel Wings tulip bulbs after the funeral in October, given to us by a friend. As she watered them she said 'stay hydrated Stephanie'

They flowered in time for Mothers day.

Our grandson planted a rose bush 'In loving memory' that my mum bought for us to mark the 6th month anniversary.

We also planted some marigolds for great grandad (my father) his favourite flower.

In the rest of the garden, I finally planted the raised beds with a variety of vegetable seeds I had. I'm not hopeful for a lot of them, but I do have a good crop of radishes, beetroot, tomatoes, and one or two carrots, cucumbers, chilli and an abundance of parsley, coriander and Thai basil. 

The garden, although north facing, gets a lot of sun and isn't over looked. The old green house is ready for  the tomatoes and the compost is doing well in the new containers Peter built. We've bought a new post to re site the clothes airer so it doesn't block the view of the garden when sitting outside.

The back of our garden is quite stark with a wooden fence and the bare brick wall of the neighbours house but with do have clear open skies. I wanted to break up the brick work and the fence so I've bought a few fruit trees that are planted in pots to add a bit of colour and depth to the garden.

Apple

Cherry

Pear

They sit amongst the bamboo, magnolia, willow, bay and olive trees and shrubs, also in pots. There are a couple of exotic fruit trees, lemon and orange that are growing very well.

As well as the grandchildren helping out, Olive has been digging.

The front garden has been weeded and wild flower seeds sown.

BBQs are being enjoyed.

And the bluebells are out. Once they've finished flowering, this area needs digging out and the soil will be moved to the front garden to level it up and hopefully with some more soil the trees will grow and we'll have a hedge to stop the local dog walkers and kids from the local school running over our front lawn.

How is your garden coming along? Any plans? Or are you at the stage where you can just sit and enjoy it?