From the garden - Six on Saturday at the start of September

 It feels as if Summer is over, the light levels have plummeted, we have had lots of rain, and very little sun.  Sadly I cut a slow worm  when I was cutting back the thick top growth off the Phuopsis stylosa, which really upset me.  Later I saw another large one disappear down a hole, and today as I started to clear the Kenilworth Ivy from the wall, I was surprised to see a few of them quite a way off the ground.  They probably were enjoying the warmth of the wall.  For now I am leaving this job till much later in the year when they will have gone into hibernation..  The weather forecast for next week is much better, and I look forward to seeing a different phase in the garden.  Meanwhile I am linking this post to Jim's blog, where lots of other keen gardeners congregate.

Here are my six this week: 

1. This allium seems to be later than usual this year, compared to last year it is nearly a month late. 

Allium carinatum  subs pulchellum

In the front drier Mediterranean plantings it hasn't fared so well. I have decided to dig them all up, separate them and replant them with a little enrichment of the soil in slightly different positions.

I continue to cut things back especially as they get bowed down with the rain, but in several cases , I feel that I need to leave the remaining flowers for the last bout of foraging by the bees and other flying insects.

2. It certainly pays to cut back plants at least ones such as these Nemesia Wisley Vanilla from time to time, I did this about five weeks ago and now it is flowering again.  I first acquired small plug plants in 2022, and with heavy pruning around twice a year, these plants bounce back and there is a nice froth of white blooms ready to scent the garden again for a few weeks. After I cut them I apply a compost dressing and give them a feed.

Nemesia Wisley Vanilla in the same pot for two years

3. This Echeveria is spilling out around the pot, and is almost a colour match for the blue table. 

Echeveria elegans

Rather than have the bottom of the half pan sitting in water in the saucer, I turn the saucer upside down.  I could remove the saucer altogether but little bits of soil are apt to fall through and stain the table.

4. This week a friend noticed and admired another succulent.  It is Crassula perforata variegata which I purchased as a small plant when we were staying on Tresco last year.  I cut back the mother plant when it was growing well, and placed the cuttings in a pot of gritty soil.

Crassula perforata variegata

They grew tall over the summer, and only recently I have noticed that new growth is starting from the axils.  I have a 'succession' plant, and some to give away.

I have now cut them right down to these and potted them on individually.  I could of course start again with all the cuttings, but I don't really have enough room especially through the winter when they would need to be under shelter.

5. As well as the alliums, the asters have been a magnet for the bees, and this one has so many flowers.  It has a pleasant lax habit, but I have chosen to prop up some of the stems to add height to this section.

What is great about this plant as well, is that it is definitely mildew free.

6.  I've already picked a few tomatoes, and I am hoping the sunshine next week with ripen those now turning red.

I'm off to the Rare Plant fair at the Bishop's Palace tomorrow morning, just for a look and to see what is on trend.  I shall report next week if I fail to keep to my no more plants promise!  I do have a few plants on my wish list, but I have not yet cleared space for them. 

Celebrating the Fig

 What can be finer than a perfectly ripe fig?  I've loved figs since I was little, so I am bound to be drawn to them. It is the time of year that brings ripened figs from across the continent and sea, and I certainly enjoyed the two trays of Turkish figs from Wells Fruit and Veg up at Rocky Mountain Nursery bought last Thursday.  At £4.00 a tray with more than 1.5Kg of fruit in each one, it was just the moment to feast and to make preserves for the winter. 

Fig and Orange Preserve infused with bay

I made some standard fig conserve, using the zest of two oranges and their juice, with just half their weight in sugar, meaning 500g sugar for 1Kg prepared fruit, plus three bay leaves. I didn't add any extra spice, this time.  If you follow this link, it will lead you to various Fig preserves I set out over several years over on my other blog.

For my second lot of Fig Preserves, I wanted to make something a little different.  Inspiration came flooding in.  As I was preparing the figs, my mind wandered over to the holiday we had near Dubrovnik and the dried figs I had bought straight from the grower at a small market for locals. Then memories from our holiday to Sicily ten years ago got me inspired. Though since it was spring, there were no fresh figs, enjoying sweet meats made with dried figs and  pine nuts and other delicacies as well as our visit to the famous Marsala wineries and our tastings at the Cantine Florio. It is no wonder therefore that when I was leafing through 'Mes Confitures' by Christine Ferber and coming across her recipe for Fig and Gewürztraminer with Pine Nuts, I thought why not create a preserve to celebrate Sicily!

Again on Sicily we visited a farm on the slopes of Mount Etna and enjoyed one of those lunches for ever remembered, with all produce from the farm, followed by a walk amongst their lemon orchards and an invitation to pick just two lemons each.  Instead of orange I used the finely zested aromatic skin and juice of two lemons.

Fig, Marsala and Pine Nut Preserve. The detailed recipe is on my other blog: 

Fig, Marsala and Pine Nut Preserve - Celebrating the Fig and Sicily

This will be the perfect filling for tarts or flans in the Italian or Sicilian style, with a covering of a Ricciarelli.

In a Vase on Monday on a very grey day

For IAVOM hosted by Cathy, I usually collect a variety of material from the garden.  

Today I offer this one element from my pruning in the garden yesterday in its simple grey vase,  The vase is perfectly sized and reflects the colour of the seed heads and also the weather today.

 The Eryngium Tetra Petra is able to add a striking element  perfectly balanced at the edge of the mantlepiece with gentle shadows against the plain wall as the sunshine through the window strengthens or as today lights are turned on in the gloom.