Three things

1. Watching my grandson (aged 4) helping to harvest the fruit and veg. He must have eaten about thirty mange tout straight from the plant and then went into the fruit cage to pick (and eat a great many of) the blackberries. He loves to join us on the allotment and his mother recently bought a T-shirt for him that says 'Get off my allotment'.
2. The strawberries and soft fruit this year has been amazing.
3. The roses outside my back door that are deliciously fragrant.

I have really tried this year to enjoy my garden, rather than worrying about it and spending lots of money. I have learned to love my mossy lawn, and the brown patches left by a friend's dog who came to stay for a few days. That dog loved lying in the shade, as long as I was in the garden with her, so I've probably spent much more time just relaxing in the garden than working in it. I have loved the broad beans, picked when tiny, and the mint, which combined with feta cheese was my lunchtime salad many a day.

1. The Blue Star Creeper that passes for lawn.
2. The buddleia - butterflies galore!
3. The swing seat, that overlooks the valley.

It truly has been a wonderful, momentous summer. I've absolutely lapped up the heat.

My best from our garden this year:

1. The wind playing in the tree fern fronds (we have 3 big, healthy tree ferns).
2. Our fantastic potato crop.
3. The flavour of proper sun-ripened tomatoes.

As an aside, we went to the newly opened kitchen garden at Hampton Court Palace yesterday, it is free to access and open to the public. They have replanted it from plans found, dating 1736 and it will eventually be fully restored. It fed everyone in the palace for 150 years. (Remarkable given the other thread about not enough food being in the UK).

My patio at the front.
1sitting under my vine when the sun gets too hot
2the buzz of the bees in the lavender
3the peace and quiet

1) The excellent and persistently flowering 'firebird' penstemon started in May and still going strong.

2) The 24 peaches we harvested.

3) The DGC building tents & sneaking blueberries, tomatoes, peas for their 'snacks' served on leaf plates!

Smiles - more than 3...

1 The grandchildren playing in the garden

2 Sitting in the garden because the DGC are too small to leave unattended

3 The bullfinch. We have sparrows, dunnocks, tits, goldfinches, blackbirds and flipping pigeons and, when we first moved here, we had bull finches and chaffinches galore. After having seen none for about 10 years, the most glorious bullfinch pays us a visit most days.

The vast quantities of roses, they have been amazing, so much so that I have had to acquire a new one-handed grabbing pruner. Any excuse for a new gadget...

The equally vast quantities of butterflies, which have kept OH very happy and occupied.

The very hot weather coupled with monsoon-like rains at night, which have meant that I haven't had to spend every hour of the day watering.

butterflies and bees, prolific output of sweet peas and the fact that the tall plants I put in last autumn, to gain a bit of height in the borders, have all taken.

1. Lavendar covered with bees of various varieties and so many butterflies this year

2. New Zealand flax flowered for first time since planting 8 years ago

3. Sunshine and warmth so it's possible to sit and enjoy the garden and views for such an extended period (usually a bit of a chilly wind where we are in Northumberland)

A truly lovely summer this year

3 plants new to us
Phlox
Sea Holly
Euphorbia

probably very familiar to seasoned gardeners but were new to pernennials formerly we just had a lawn and bedding plants in pots and hanging baskets.

I've partitioned a section of the garden off as my own area. I've fenced it and planted my favourite plants and shrubs though it will take a few years to mature.
My three favourite things are
1) it's private and not overlooked
2) I have an old garden swing I can relax on down there
3) when I am quietly lying on my swing all the shy little birds don't know I'm there and come out to feed.

The best thing about my hard n since about the middle of June, has been getting away from. To other gardens. Other places.

Gardens, after midsummer, are, like everything else, bloody over-rated.

"garden" Not "hard n"

Why am I finding that kindle typo really funny?

And I missed an "it" out

It's nice when the blackboard comes, about four o'clock to find his tea.

And the robin's nice.

You can keep the brown leaves on the sweet peas. And the deadheads still on the perennials. And the shrivelled up nasturtiums.

Oh, and there's all the fallen apples and pears to look forward to now.

Great!

blackbird

I'll give up on this now.

As you were.

1. pumpkins - bright yellow and the size of medicine balls. I don't know what we're going to do with them though.
2. onions - very useful, and expensive to buy
3. got to give it to the weeds - they have excelled themselves this year ( I think it was someone on here who said it's as if the plants were on steroids this year.)

Is it the autocorrect doing all these blunders?
Or perhaps you just can't spell?

I can't spell.

I really thought 'blackbird' was spelt with an 'oa'.

The hydrangeas this year have been gigantic, so many blooms,
As others have said, lazing on the garden swing watching the birds [and falling asleep.]
Having so many meals out of doors. What a great Summer it is.

Jingles