Iris - final photos

 What a difference one day makes, and here is the proof.  The iris buds have opened to reveal the most beautiful deep purple flowers with splashes of yellow at the base of the outer petals.

The other amazing thing about these bulbs was that they were an absolute bargain at a pound shop - only £1.00 for 25 bulbs.  Not all of them will flower, but most have produced leaves and several have produced flower stems, so I am very happy. 
I also have more courgettes on the way and a few more beans too (although the slugs and snails are turning the leaves into stumps), so all in all, my vegetable growing hasn't been a total disaster.

Iris and Gladioli progress

I know my blog posts have become rather gardening-heavy just at the moment, possibly because things are growing quickly and the garden is changing every day.  You can just see a purple petal starting to emerge in the photo I took yesterday.

 

The gladioli flowers have opened and there is a pink pattern inside, although the outer petals are more of a salmon/apricot than white.

Here is the iris as it was this morning - showing more of the deep purple/blue flower that is going to bloom in the next day or so.  It goes well with the geranium that is sprawling all over the top of the pot.

The gladioli this morning, with another flower open, and a few more still to come. 

Modest garden success

 I have been experimenting with some new plants this year and am finally seeing some results, albeit in a modest way.  However, even modest success is really exciting for me!  Above is a lovely bud from some Dutch iris bulbs I planted a month or so ago.  I thought all that I had managed to grow were some very lovely green strap-like leaves and was ready to chalk it up to experience about impulse buying, but a little more patience and I have been rewarded with the promise of flowers.  Once they come out, I'll post a photo.

 More impulse buys, this time dwarf gladioli (not a plant I was particularly enamoured with), but I was prepared to give them a try.  I do have a couple of stems almost in flower, but most of the bulbs/corms/rhizomes have just produced leaves.  I think the flower has a pink strip on the inside of the petals, but I'll just have to wait and see.

 Here is evidence of my second attempt at growing something to eat in the garden.  Chris has mentioned (just the odd once or twice!) that he likes things you can eat, so I do grow chives and mint, but not a lot else in that line.  So, this year, I thought I would try again.  My previous attempts with carrots and shallots convinced me that I did not have what it took to grow veg.  This year, I bought seeds of Courgette 'Midnight' and Runner Bean 'Hestia', both developed for container growing. The seeds grew really well and I planted them into large pots.  I watered and fed them, but nothing much seemed to be happening.  Then, flowers appeared on the beans and then on the courgettes.  You can imagine my delight!  Unfortunately, the courgette flowers just kept falling off.  I then discovered that these were the male flowers and the female ones take a little longer to grow.  I fed the plants again and found an actual courgette, much to my surprise.  So, I am feeling encouraged, especially as the beans are also starting to develop.  If nothing else, at least I can say I have grown some veg this year!