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The first tomatoes in Richmond gardens

The first tomatoes in Richmond gardens are ripening now. You notice them one morning, a flush of orange breaking through the green. The smell hits you when you pinch out the side shoots: sharp, green, faintly chemical. It clings to your fingers for hours.

This is the moment gardeners wait for. The fruit has been there for weeks, hard and pale. Then the weather shifts, the sun holds, and suddenly you have colour. You check them daily. You resist picking too early.

Tomatoes are oddly forgiving. They grow in pots on balconies, in raised beds, in the corners of communal gardens. They tolerate neglect better than most vegetables. The leaves tell you what they need: pale and they want feeding, curled and they want water.

Elsewhere in the borough, lavender is at its peak. The bees work the flower spikes from dawn. The scent carries across gardens, mixing with the sharper smell of tomato foliage. Both plants like the same thing: sun, not too much fuss.

The first fruit rarely makes it to the kitchen. You eat it warm, standing by the plant.

What grows best in your garden this year?

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The garden in Richmond at midsummer

The garden in Richmond at midsummer

The garden in Richmond reaches its peak in July, when the air thickens with heat and the borders crowd with colour. Lavender spikes stand tall along paths, their purple blooms humming with bees. Roses sag under their own weight. The lawn, if you have kept it watered, glows a defiant green. This is the moment […]

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The lavender is out in Richmond gardens and the bees are everywhere

The lavender is out in Richmond gardens and the bees are everywhere

The lavender is out in Richmond gardens and the bees are everywhere. You can hear them before you see them: a steady hum rising from the purple spikes. They work the flowers in a kind of methodical frenzy, dusted yellow with pollen. The scent thickens in the heat. It hangs in the air around benches […]

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The shady corner in Richmond gardens where lavender meets old walls

The shady corner in Richmond gardens where lavender meets old walls

The shady corner in Richmond gardens becomes a refuge when the sun is at its worst. You find it behind the south-facing wall, where lavender spills over brick and the air smells sharp and sweet. Bees work the purple stems with a low hum. You sit on a bench that has been there longer than […]

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What survives a heatwave in Richmond gardens and what doesn't

What survives a heatwave in Richmond gardens and what doesn’t

What survives a heatwave in Richmond gardens and what doesn’t becomes obvious by mid-afternoon. Lavender stands firm, its grey leaves designed for drought, while the bees work overtime in the purple spikes. Sedums, salvias, and anything with a Mediterranean backbone keep their composure. Roses droop but recover. Hardy geraniums fade to papery wisps. Hostas give […]

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Courgette glut in Richmond gardens: what to do with them all

Courgette glut in Richmond gardens: what to do with them all

Courgette glut in Richmond gardens arrives when you least expect it. One day you have two modest fruits. Two days later, you have seventeen. The bees working the lavender this week seem to know something you don’t. The trouble starts when courgettes hide. They camouflage themselves under big leaves, swelling to marrow size overnight. You […]

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