Sunday, June 27, 2010

Our Summer Garden: Bay, Bananas, Grow-bags - and Babysitting!

I posted some photos of our garden and the new grow bags at the start of June in this post here - so as I have been busy with babysitting granddaughter Sofia (a labour of love!) yesterday and mooching around the garden today weeding and admiring the progress of the grow bag veggies I thought to post a few photos of them.

There are plenty of flowers on the tomatoes and courgettes, and there are even a couple of green tomatoes putting in an appearance. I've staked the tomatoes today, as they were starting to keel over. There's a bay bush that's grown like a triffid in the past month since being repotted to a bigger home - it's hard to credit it started out as a windowsill plant from the supermarket for 99cent three years ago.


Also the banana plant has come on in leaps and bounds and hubby has split it and put two of the dozen suckers (that's what they're called, baby banana plants - not a term of abuse!) in a barrel that previously housed a nice palm that didn't make it through last winters record sub-zero temps. It's already put out two new leaves so it seems to like its new home.

So we are planning to get some new plants for the bed where we lost all those palms last winter - now the area's been cleared of weeds and the irises and allium have died off there are sad gaps and we need to fill them up with some hardy perennial shrubs and plants that will give cover and colour. We have some fuchsia and lupins and lavender in the bed, and a few lilies that have seen better days.

I took these photos of the garden this evening, and there's also one of Sofia who is nearly 5 months old and as cute as all babies are at that age. I spent yesterday babysitting while her mother was at work and her dad played cricket in Kerry. A good granny-bonding day!

7 comments:

Stephanie V said...

Isn't Sofia a happy little girl? You must have fun being a doting granny.

The banana plants are wonderful. There are a lot grown in gardens around here, too. It never occurs to me to grow one but it would be fun.

Irene said...

Your granddaughter is adorable. I can imagine that you have a lot of fun with her.

I can't believe that you can grow a banana plant in Ireland. Did you ever have bananas?

Abhiman said...

Hi. I came across your blog after clicking the "Next blog" button on top. So I thought that I'd leave a comment.

I liked your blog and see that you're enjoying life's moments to the fullest. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours in your zestful life.

Thank you.

Catherine said...

Hi All - thanks for the comments!
Stephanie V - I do indeed have fun being the doting granny - she's changing so fast it's nice to be able to follow her progress. The bananas are great - we wait each year to see will they survive and they haven't disappointed so far! They would do well in Vancouver if they do here- but you have more snow, don't you? I mean you had the winter olympics!We'd have to move the Gulf Stream to allow that to happen here!

Nora/Irene - Sofia is a lot of fun, and yes, the bananas grow here but no fruit in the garden ones - now we have one in the sunroom and it is very tall and could possibly have fruit. In the tropics (Africa) we had bananas in the garden and they fruit within a year, so here that doesn't happen as they die off each year with frost.

Abhid-d - thanks for visiting - glad you found the blog and like it - I had a look at yours and it seems very detailed and quite intellectual! I will revisit and hope you follow my blog again - you are welcome!

All the best, Catherine

menopausalmusing said...

What a beautiful baby! Loving to read about your bananas. We lost our bay tree to the hard winter here. I didnt cover it up and could kick myself because I have spent a lot of years picking out the growing shoots to train it into a standard shape where it has a ball of leaves at the top. that'll teach me!!!

Abhiman said...

Thank you Ms. Catherine, for your comments.

Peggy said...

Hi Catherine, the gardens are coming back to life after the long winter but with some losses all around.We found that the rhubarb, and other fruits are especially good this year I think due to the fact we had normal seasons,ie; a cold winter where the plants went dormant and sprung back to life with the warm Spring.
Sophie is becoming quite a beauty and cutie!