Heavenly morning with butterflies galore

Today we have visited the garden for the first time in a week and it was quite beautiful. Its a long time to leave a garden but on the whole all seems well. It has been a warm sunny day with some welcome rain this afternoon. The last few days have been very hot so the newly planted bellis daisies were droopy. It hasn`t stopped the rampant weeds from growing but I was determined not to get waylaid from the more 

urgent tasks. Mainly harvesting.

I set to with gathering armfuls of flowers and felt like I was in heaven with butterflies 

and bees all around and swallows overhead. There were 120 helichrysum heads. (I have dried the first ones and they are for sale in the barn.) They are such stunning colours, sunshine yellows, bright pinks, fiery oranges, reds and palest creams. I am having some rather crafty thoughts about those.....more later.....need to do some experimenting. 

Next it was statice which takes a little more drying off. I hang it in bunches in our garden room. We have a predominance of white in the seed mix. The helichrysum just need to be spread out on trays in the sunshine. I usually pick both just before they are fully opened as they will continue to open when picked.

 It captures them at their best.

I am still picking sweetpeas which is most unusual in mid-August. The heady perfume is even stronger.

Next I gathered the dahlias, mostly oranges and reds.

Steve was busy digging potatoes. Unfortunately we have blight as well. The diseased haulms will have to be burnt. He also collected the second half of the onion crop. Together we planted three rows of French beans which will give us a crop later, in the early autumn, albeit not such a heavy crop 

as the one we are harvesting now. We have covered them.

Something`s been at the peas. Is it those mice again? Whatever it is , it`s small enough to get through the rabbit wire. I did get a good picking but it will be the last.

Our sweetcorn is mutating. This "growth" is at the top of the plant. It happened last year. We`ve no idea what it is. I need to do some research.

These single dahlias are quite striking. I bought them, (as tubers,) because the butterflies find it easier to land and find nectar.

Several butterflies in the butterfly garden. At last they are venturing out. I think this is a Gatekeeper, on marjoram. The bees love marjoram too. They seem to be resting for longer.

Here is our harvest for today. From the top......dahlias, onions, potatoes and two beetroot, French beans, runner beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, poppy heads, statice, sweetpeas, helichrysum, courgettes and calabrese. When we got home, it took us quite a while to sort through it all. Some is drying, some is frozen, some is going to POPPS tomorrow and some is eaten. 

My sister Paula, walked down for her "dinner" .... a bag

of yummy vegetables.