abundance of broad beans and herbs

I am not complaining but giving away broad beans and herbs can be hard work.  (From the top, broad beans, golden marjoram, pennywort with celery, oregano and coriander in bloom, and dill).  It is so wonderful to see the fat beans.  I have been harvesting them at different stages of growth.  The young ones are delicious, simply fried in a little butter and this dish makes a substantial topping on toast for breakfast.  The fat mature pods have been picked and the beans steamed.  I was going to freeze the excess but knowing the failure of home freezing I will dry the beans instead.  I may dry enough to make a small serving of falafel!
The dill plants are flowering and I am expecting a lot of seeds which I shall save to use in my cooking.  I will allow others to self sow for more dill plants in the garden.  A salad of broad beans and dill with a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil is delicious.  Just so I do not run out of dill in the next couple of months, I am looking after baby dills I am discovering in different parts of the garden.  I am doing the same with parsley as most of the plants are going to seeds and if I don't make an effort to nurture some babies found around the garden I will end up having to buy parsley in summer.
Coriander tends not to do well in summer, bolting after sending out a few leaves.  I have enjoyed the coriander in late winter and early spring and they now overgrown and full of flowers.  I will sow a few more seeds in shady areas and make sure they are watered well.
The golden marjoram patch is wonderful to look at.  It would look good in a hanging basket but I can be quite forgetful about watering them so I have decided not to bother with the decorative hanging baskets.  The oregano are sending out flower buds and I am picking bunches to dry.  They are handy to have in the pantry for pizzas and tomato dishes.
The pennywort is sending out suckers.  This has been called athritic herb as it is supposed to bring relief to those suffering from this dreaded disease.  I like to eat it raw.  I hope my patch will grow bigger so I can begin to harvest the leaves for a Malay salad.  

roses proudly displaying

 

The roses are blooming all over the garden at the moment.  The two proudly displaying their beauty are the Ballaerina and the Desert Glo.  The Ballerina came with me from my previous garden where it was providing me with cascades of pink blossoms through October  and November, year after year.  It was given to me as a cutting nearly thirty years ago and I have given away many cuttings since.  It is a graceful  climber with the added advantage of not having thorns.  It can easily cover a fence but do remember that its weight may not be good for the fence.  I have one growing near a fence but I will not allow it to establish itself on the fence itself.  I have learned my lesson.  If you look at the close up picture of the Ballerina you will see that the flowers appear in large clusters which make them so endearing.

The Desert Glo covers one half of the arbour over the path leading up to the house.  The colour changes from pink to apricot and in the late afternoon you can almost see the flowers glow.  The Pierre de Ronsard covers the other half of the arbour.  At the moment there are masses of buds.  I cannot wait to see them open up and when that happens I do hope there will still be some of the Desert Glo to make a perfect arch.  I shall be feeding the plants with potasium to encourage the flowering.  I shall also be looking for aphids.  I hope the lady birds I see amongst the leaves are working hard.