Summer Garden

Here, in New Zealand, summer is in full swing and the garden is flourishing with flowers, herbs, vegetables, weeds and wildflowers. The beautiful larkspur made a magnificent show during late spring and early summer. The majestic blooms ranged from a deep violet colour to a lighter lavender. Sadly, they are finished now, but we have saved lots of seeds and want to try growing them against the house next year, instead of out in the open where the tall spires are ravaged by the wind.

Echinaceas that I grew from seed last year are flowering earlier this year. They always remind me of my time working at Weleda where they were grown to make herbal remedies.

Feverfew self-seeds all over the garden.

In the vegetable garden we have just picked our first beans of the season, and have been regularly picking lettuces, baby spinach leaves, radishes and spring onions for summer salads.

Lavender and borage are planted amongst the vegetables to attract the bees. This pretty purple plant self-seeds everywhere. I am not sure what it is called, but the bees love it, so I am happy for it to grow wherever it wants to.

The citrus trees are laden with fruit and we always have a jug of freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice in the fridge.

These pretty blue cornflowers self-seeded in the planter outside the studio, as well as elsewhere in the garden. There are plenty for picking and they last well in a vase.