'Futuresound, the independent promoters behind the concerts and the castle's management team said they are committed to further establishing the venue as one of the country's best outdoor settings for live music; the castle and Futuresound had agreed a five-year deal to continue putting on live music at the historic site, creating and establishing the series of 5000 capacity events since 2023'.
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Dwarf Marigolds make good edging plants that may deter rabbits and some varieties are known for their ability to starve out root-knot nematodes when planted the year before and macerated and then ploughed into the soil where the chemicals that affect the nematodes are then released. This sounds like a lot of work to me and therefore probably not going to happen in my veg patch!
Not only do they look good but Nasturtiums sprawl out over the ground, so they suppress weeds and shade the soil when grown near tall plants like sweet corn, tomatoes or sunflowers. Zinnia are tall, single-flowered varieties which attract butterflies and look great grown with dill, fennel and cosmos. Hyssop, Catnip, lemon balm, lavender, mint, salvia, savoury, thyme… are all part of the Lamiaceae family and have a flower structure that can be accessed by a wide range of insects, including small bees. Insects need only a short tongue to reach the nectar and pollen hidden inside the two-lipped blossoms. Hero plant! Feverfew repels insects of all nature, so it is a good plant to grow near entryways – well, anywhere really! Here's an easy introduction and from people who know what they're talking about! www.gardenersworld.com/plants/10-companion-plants-to-grow/
Make tea tonics (for your plants); Comfrey tea is right in potassium, so this is the ideal time to give your plants a mid-season drink. See the link below to make both comfrey and nettle tea.
Gardeners World: Comfrey feed It’s time to sow biennials to flower in May/June next year and these ones are easy and cheap to raise from seed (according to RHS):
The RHS also says July is the time to try the Hampton Hack – as opposed to the Chelsea Chop at the end of May! This is the process of cutting back early-flowering perennials after they have flowered to promote fresh growth and often a second flush of flowers. I didn't know this was a ‘thing’ – but I have been doing it for a while now – especially with the lupins. It generally seems to work – if they haven’t been swamped by those damn daisies! (as per previous blog). Companion planting for roses: Phlox, Geranium, and Delphiniums are perennials which complement roses beautifully and require minimal maintenance (always attractive then), incorporating Allium plants (garlic and chives, for example) will assist in combating fungal diseases naturally. Additionally, planting lavender beneath roses effectively controls aphids, offering a natural and fragrant solution to pest management. Last but not least, planting Asters, Helenium, Rudbeckia, and Sedum near roses will compensate for loss of colour in the garden as roses fade at the end of the summer.
"I am recovered now and proudly claim that last Thursday the step-count on my phone read 128 steps for the entire day. I binged on a book “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” and 2 or 3 seasons of some show that I can’t quite recall - it was an exercise in exquisite and splendid nothingness. Quite naturally I displayed the appropriate pained face whenever someone entered the room. My body was giving me a gift, which some may say I wasted being super lazy, but rest is a form of resistance to a world that is ‘always on’. Of course, I was grateful for the access to a warm bed and bathroom knowing many who fall by the Wayside are forced to sleep rough when they're unwell. The caring tend to overuse ‘perspective‘ as a way to diminish the signals their bodies send, rather, I think it is all about being attentive and not dismissive, of the signals that bodies send. Like love, they are everywhere and everywhere in need of us. The lesson of convalescence was simple: rather than being alert, be attentive".
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