Sunflowers

Here is a photograph of one of the varieties of sunflower I planted, Earthwalker which grows to Triffid dimension, over 2 metres tall with multiple large heads, ring of fire, which I think is this one here, and Little Dorritt, which is a yellow dwarf variety. The large ones grow in among the other plants, e.g., tomatoes, peppers, beans, apple trees, etc., to attract beneficial insects and to divert the unwanted bugs. They add a lot to the garden, towering above everything else, and with lower heads in the midst of the lush green backdrop.

Zinnia, Green Envy

On the left is my favourite, or one of my favourite Zinnias, called Green Envy, for obvious reasons. This, unfortunately, seems to look more delicious than the other varieties to whatever insect(s) is/are eating them. But it seems the trick is to get them established and they will thrive. This one is becoming established.

Courgette Flower

Here is a photo taken of the courgette flowers. We have three varieties of courgette growing; lungo bianco, genovese and rugosa friulana; they vary in appearance, and texture and flavour. Bianco is white, and with small seeds but large fruits, genovese is a standard courgette, light green and striped. The latter is a rather rugged shaped courgette, which retains more of its texture after cooking. The plants are growing vigorously around the garden and in pots. in one bed there are three courgette plants, four or so sweetcorn, and a bunch of french bean plants growing together, harmoniously, if densely. These and the other courgettes are fed weekly with a liquid manure made from chicken manure, but with the rainy season finishing this feeding will be doubled.

Zinnia

Well today it is raining down in waterfall proportions with occasional lightning bolts variably near and far. So, the blog will be updated with some photos. Here is a one of the zinnia's growing in the garden. I don't know, but the amount of seeds that I sowed and the number of flowers that have grown are out of proportion; 10 to 1 at least! I sowed and I watered regularly, I sowed into pots and many did not survive the transplanting. I have more in pots, and they are growing well, marigolds in particular.
I like this zinnia, and think it is called whirligig. Closer inspections will reveal that it has been eaten, and that is probably why many of the others did not survive. But, I am of the view this is my first year growing flowers, so I am taking this as a learning process and will keep trying, this year and next.

Hungarian Bluebeard Poppy

Being obsessed with making breads of various kinds, and starting to grow various flowers in the garden meant that growing poppies for seeds is highly attractive. Spotting seeds for Hungarian bluebeard poppies last summer in a seed catalogue I bought a packet and sowed them, on the ground and in trays. The seed trays produced delicate seedlings, but i never did see the seeds sprout in the ground. Late winter I transplanted the seedlings into the ground, and watched and watched, as slowly they began to grow. Knowing where the seedlings had been planted did not convince me that the plants were actually poppies, but once they became bigger it became more obvious these were poppies, and now they are flowering. I took a picture of these yesterday, soon after watering the area around the plants, where new seeds had been sown; droplets of water are on the petals which are partially closed. The flower had been open for a couple of days, but the camera was reluctant to work the day before, battery exhausted... again! I will upload another photo when the flower opens or others appear in the neighbouring poppy plants.

Mange Tout Flower and Pods

Here is a photo of the mange tout growing in the garden. They were sown directly into the ground at the recommended distance in autumn, now they are a dense growing foliage covered in blossoms and swelling pods, also sporting leaf minor. The pods taste deliciously sweet without being overly sweet and crunchy, easy to snap off and munch in the garden as you pass. This is the first time I have grown mange tout, previously having grown sugar snap peas, but mange tout taste better to my mind.