As the season stops thinking about turning and starts to actually progress meaningfully into Autumn, I thought it would be a good time to give an update on the Smell me and Dye Garden.
This garden has developed as the year has progressed. Primarily it is Dye Garden where I am growing plants to make natural dyes from.
The woad has grown very well. It is a plant that likes to grow well. You use the year one foliage of this biennial plant to make dye from. I have not made any dye this year, I wanted to get plants to establish and get the cycle going for the biennial plants. You will notice the big pink cosmos plants, there are here to attract pollinators, which they do very effectively.
The soapwort has grown well too. This is in a planter in an attempt to stop it taking over the whole garden. I will let you know how that has gone next year.
The nasturtiums are taking on their 'we're getting a bit chilly' look and are marauding around quite happily. These are not dye plants either, I just like growing them.
It I am not sure what this plant is, it might be some germinated bird seed....
The marigold patch is almost over, I am letting it die back and hopefully set seed. I stopped deadheading it a couple of weeks ago so that seeds could develop.
The Dahlia Waltzing Matthilda has had a great year. I put these in the garden as there was unused space and they have been brilliant.
This part of the garden used to be the veg garden, so I decided I would still grow some veg in it. The courgette plant has been very polite this year, providing enough but not too much.
The purple sprouting broccoli is settling in well and getting ready to broccle later in the winter.
and the sunflowers have added height and joy.
There are various roses planted into this garden too, There is Sweet Honey, Meteor, The Generous Gardener, Its a Wonderful Life, Queen Elizabeth, King Charles Coronation Rose, Sir Clough and Belle de Jour.
When I see them written down like this I realise that is quite a list! They have done well this but are all newly planted so I expect better from them next year. The King Charles Coronation Rose hasn't flowered at all though it is growing well. So next year that really does have to do better.
The roses in this garden have two, nay three important functions: firstly I had acquired a few roses that needed somewhere to be planted. I had been toying with the idea of a rose garden and so this space provided that opportunity. Secondly they create a structure to the garden that will be by its nature largely annual-based and therefore transient. This means things can move around the garden and it will hopefully not look exactly the same two years running. Thirdly: they add scent - I love the scent of roses.
(don't hold your breath.....)
