I’ve been away from the garden for a week for a short break on the East coast of England where it was cold, rainy, windy and occasionally sunny. Before I left I hedged my bets with the outdoor tomatoes, planting some outside, leaving some in the greenhouse and a few still in pots in a sheltered space. I was expecting those in the greenhouse to dry out, those planted out to be eaten by slugs and had my fingers crossed for those in the sheltered space. All have survived, so I may have a surplus of tomatoes, if there is any sun to ripen them. In the meantime the garden has romped away. Geranium psilostemon has never been so tall, nor have the verbena bonariensis. The weeds are flourishing and beginning to flower and the autumn fruiting raspberries need tying in. There is much to do, but not today as it is raining again. Here’s my six for this week.
One
It’s hardy geranium time. The first is an unknown magenta variety that came with a batch of white ones ordered for a north facing border. It was swiftly relocated.
Two
These are the white ones, geranium sanguineum ‘Album’. They were given a strong talking to earlier on in the season as in previous years they were a little underwhelming. ‘If you don’t flower you are going.’ They have flowered, quite delicately so but enough to allow them to stay. And so to has the insidious cinque foil weed. So difficult to remove unfortunately.
Three
This is a low growing geranium, perfect for edges of borders, trouble free, flowers well and just gets on with things. Geranium sanguineum var. striatum if you are interested.
Four
The astrantias have also come into flower, this one is ‘Roma’. I feel sure I have some ‘Claret’ elsewhere but I haven’t spotted them so far.
Five
Knautia macedonica joins the magenta team. I like this, but I have too much magenta in the garden this year. It is normally offset by the blues of delphiniums but you know who ate them all.
Six
The last for the week comes from Suffolk, where the edges of an old railway track were lined with towering foxgloves. They looked wonderful.
I’m hoping for a dry day tomorrow. I have courgettes to plant out, euphorbias to cut back and weeds to be pulled. I hope there will be time for your gardening tasks this weekend and also time to stop by Jim’s site to visit other SOS gardens.
n20gardener 
Wow to the Astrantia. I think I have the same white and magenta varieties – they have a nice leaf and the magenta one seeds itself around.
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Yes I find they self seed well. I did share a lot around last year.
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Advantage of knautia macedonica is that slugs don’t eat them. So yes, there are plenty of them in the gardens ( and they tend to spread easily). I obviously really like astrantias and dark purple geraniums
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All of which are slug proof! So they are popular here 😀
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Oh, I do hope my astrantias grow as well as yours! I planted three new ones (Shaggy) in different areas of the garden to see where they like best. Already one appears to have disappeared. I do like your geraniums. Album is another plant that disappeared. Unusual as hardy geraniums usually do ok here.
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Oh disappearing plants are troublesome! Astrantia seem to be slug proof. I wonder what the problem is. I like shaggy and keep meaning to sneak it in somewhere
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I suspect my new plants get smothered by older ones – especially the geraniums!
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So true
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All looking good and what a lovely display of Foxgloves for you.
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Wish they were my foxgloves but these were in the wild!
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That is a beautiful display of foxgloves. The hardy geraniums are very eye catching. Great collection of photos.
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There are more whites in that bank of foxgloves than I’ve seen down here outside of gardens. Picked up some stray garden pollen perhaps. I wish my Astrantia Roma looked as good, I think it’s losing the battle with an adjacent Solidago. Action required.
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White geranium is splendid! I tend to prefer white, of course, even if I know that some flowers are prettier with other color. Did you show a picture of them while they were not blooming well? Foxglove blooms like this on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Some of those who are familiar with it there are not so keen on it. I can appreciate it as a tourist.
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I probably didn’t show the geranium in its less positive form! I’d love to see tall foxgloves around a bit more
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Foxglove are splendid in the wild, even though I know that they are an invasive exotic species where I notice them growing wild. They can be awkward within refined landscapes though. We stake some of ours.
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They were impressive in the wild
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Lovely Six. The hardy Geraniums do seem to be doing well this year. I’ve removed Knautia from my border this year after several floppy growth years but I do love the colour of it
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I was always staking knautia. This year they seem to standing up!
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Those foxgloves really are a wonderful sight! Your Astrantias seem very happy and have formed a lovely clump. That Magenta Geranium looks like one I have called ‘Tiny Monster’…. and it is a monster, trying to take over!
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I have a blue geranium that is definitely getting out of hand!
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