Six On Saturday: Foggy day in London town

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The change in the weather has been noticeable: temperatures dropping and several foggy days. Today’s fog has lingered so this week’s six may look a little gloomy. I heeded warnings that the temperatures were heading down and wrapped up the evergreen agapanthus just in time. The overnight temperature in the greenhouse was 4.5 degrees centigrade with lower forecast for Sunday. Here’s what I found in the murk.

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Through the fog little spots of pink shone – the new flowers on the roses. This one is ‘Natasha Richardson’ looking delightful.

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A step away is the fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’. Looking wonderful in the cold.

Three

The silvery green leaves of euphorbia wulfenii always look good in winter.

Four

This is an unknown variety of fuchsia that I inherited. It suffered from gall mite and I thought I had dug it out. But here it is again, manipulated by me because I love the purple underside that is hard to photograph.

Five

In the north border the three ‘Little White’ hydrangeas are changing colour. They are still little but I’m hoping they will get to about 60cms soon.

Six

Here’s miscanthus ‘Silberfeder’ against an elaeagnus. The hedge was inherited and doesn’t offer too much to the garden except at this time of the year when it provides a backdrop to the changing colours of the miscanthus. Oh, and the birds like to nest in it.

The fence panels have been replaced. I’m waiting on a visit from the tree surgeon for the rhododendron and I still have some bulbs to plant. It’s winding down time. However, Jim, our host, has a Bengal tiger on show! You can’t miss that – head off to Garden Ruminations immediately.

Six On Saturday: After the storm

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The garden escaped the first storm but Boelo came with more force and two fence panels were lost. Fortunately there was no damage to trees and shrubs. After the storm came a mixture of sunny days and early morning fog. Everything that had been moved got a good watering in and I managed to plant out some of the crocus bulbs. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

Starting off with today’s very blue sky and a climbing rose ‘James Galway’. I may have shared this recently but it looked so good against the sky, it deserved another outing.

Two

I’m taking a leaf out of Colour in Cornwall’s book and showing textures and patterns here. It’s the dew on the scented leaf pelargoniums that are still out in their containers.

Three

I have been meaning to share the annual persimmon photo for some time. They ripened a good month earlier this year and it has been the magpies that have stopped by to eat them rather than the paraquets.

Four

The erigeron karvinskianus which I tried to settle in to a border much prefers to self seed around the terrace and is thriving.

Five

A summer delphinium is having another go at flowering. Well done.

Six

And the lavender in pots is still putting out flowers.

There’s my six for this week. There will be plenty to see at Garden Ruminations where our host Jim share’s his fabulous garden and the links to other Six On Saturday posts. Everyone is welcome to join in, even at this time of the gardening year when things tend to go a little quiet. I’m hoping to finish of the bulb planting and of course the endless task of weeding my north facing border. Argh!

Six On Saturday: All change

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It’s not the end of the line but it’s all very different in the garden now. I have been editing. Out went the last of the sanguisorba ‘Tanna’, a low growing variety that offered little more than the perfect shelter for slugs. Out went a euphorbia palustris. Moved to a holding space but very likely to go permanently. It grew too big for the space and I didn’t really like the yellow flowers. I’ve moved a clump of penstemon ‘Garnet’ to a sunnier spot and added a mahonia in the empty space. There’s more to be done, some of which features below.

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Here’s the newly purchased mahonia ‘Soft Caress’, a spineless variety that should be able to cope with the semi-shade here.

Two

The Hart’s Tongue fern has recovered after the downpours of this week. It probably should be moved to a space that gets a little more rain. It’s on ‘the think about’ list.

Three

This is a sad situation but also a great opportunity. The rhododendron that has been suffering for years looks very much worse. The decision is whether to cut the top half off and see if it will regenerate from the bottom or whether to go for broke and take the whole thing down. I have to decide before the birds start nesting in it.

Four

The dead grass is being very slow to recover over the area of an old path. But is seems that it is the perfect place for some little brown mushrooms to grow. I plan to take off the top layer to see if the old path is something that can be easily removed.

Five

New to me, and I’m sure it was from a fellow SOSer that I picked up on these. Honey lily or allium nectaroscordum siculum, these need full sun to light shade. I’ll be hunting for the perfect spot to plant them out this weekend.

Six

I also hope to find time to add in some more crocuses. Some for the front garden, probably the Jeanne D’Arc and then the Ruby Giant for spreading around out back.

It was a stormy end to the week but we got off lightly and the garden did need the rain. It’s always a worry when high winds are forecast: trees down, loss of power and flooding. I hope there’s not too much damage elsewhere.

Jim, our host for SOS, gardens in Cornwall which was the first port of call for the UK section of the storm, but all seems well. Take a look at Garden Ruminations. The next storm should miss me so I’m hoping to fit in some gardening today. The clocks go back in the UK so happy extra hour to those who will get it!

Six On Saturday: A last colour blast – from Seville

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I managed to find six things from the garden last week but it wasn’t looking good for this week. Fortunately I took off for a few days to Seville, Spain. In the time I was away the weather here made a leap into Autumn. Rain has made the garden easier to work but the dried out patch on the lawn where the old path was really does look dead. It’s a good time to sow grass seed so that is the number one job for this weekend. I am taking the liberty of sharing six things from Seville this week. Fred, fellow SOSer, knows I am taking a step toward more exotic plants starting with a few cannas. They are used to great effect in Seville’s lush public planting. I don’t think I’ll achieve such success but I am giving them a go from seed.

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Yellow cannas from one of the public squares in central Seville. I have two yellow cannas from seed that I hope I can overwinter.

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Orange cannas. These were in the gardens of the Real Alcaza. They had reached an amazing height. I am wondering if they are tuerckheimii. There’s some deadheading to be done! I have a few of these too.

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A stunning red hibiscus, also from the Real Alcaza gardens.

Four

Lantana camara. This was growing through the railings of garden in the Triana district. I’ve seen this around and about on travels but is it happy in the UK? The RHS suggest full sun and frost free conditions.

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Plumbago is another of those plants that I see on travels. It seems to be very popular in Spain and in the South of France. The RHS gives it a H2 rating so probably another one that would be marginal here.

Six

Of course, if it is Seville there must be oranges. The bitter variety used for making marmalade. They are to be found as street trees and in gardens everywhere.

The temperatures in Seville were high twenties with a warm breeze, perfect for evening strolls to restaurants. It was a shock to land back in the UK to mid-teens temperatures but the seasons are changing so I must adapt. There are plenty of Autumn jobs to do. Jim continues to astonish with another great selection from his garden. I hope I can drag something up for next week. Happy gardening to you all.

Six On Saturday: Heroic last stands

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I was not very optimistic about finding things to share this week. There hasn’t been much rain but it seems that the few showers that we have had encouraged some last surges in the garden. Here’s what I found.

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Of course, the roses go on and on. Here’s a climbing ‘James Galway’.

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And this is ‘Darcy Bussell’. I know she suffers terribly from black spot but the colour is gorgeous and she flowers forever.

Three

Here’s a surprise find. I don’t remember planting this variety of Michaelmas daisy in the garden, it could be a blow-in. It’s welcome for adding some late colour to the shady end of the garden.

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The marigolds that have hardly been watered are popping again. There’s some dead heading to be done there.

Five

I shared this penstemon when I first bought it. It’s back in flower again and coincidently I discovered the plant label again. It’s full name is penstemon phoenix ‘Apple Blossom’ What difference does the phoenix name make? It’s a modern variety bred in the USA around 2006. It grows bushier, is weather resistant with non flopping stems. Sounds good to me.

Six

I can tell you it’s a heuchera, but I’ve lapsed in my list keeping. I think it is ‘Grape Timeless’ with it’s dark purple leaves and pink flowers.

Phew. I managed to find six and I reminded myself how striking ‘Grape Timeless’ is. It’s all change in the feel of the garden now. The trees at the back of the garden and the low sun combine to put the back third of the garden in shade for much longer. It’s been a warm start to October but temperatures will begin to drop away. It really is time to decide on whether to plant more tulips. Don’t forget to drop by Garden Ruminations to see what our host Jim is up to. Happy gardening to everyone.

Six On Saturday: The end of a golden month

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September is ending well in terms of sunshine but I still feel I’m missing out on rain. The quantity of stored water is diminishing as I continue to water specific plants. Our apple harvest is good and bad. So many apples fell during the heat waves and there is high incidence of brown rot on one of the trees. Although we could probably get a few bottles of juice this year we have decided to enjoy the crop as eating apples. The good ones are particularly crisp and tasty. Here are six other things from the garden.

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The garden feels a bit topsy turvy. Here’s a resurgent antirrhinum, flowering again after a desiccating summer.

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I kept a number of young plants in pots over the summer rather than plant them out. It was easy to see them all together and remember to water them. Here’s a Japanese anemone that I propagated from a root cutting. This went into the garden this week.

Three

This liriope has been in the garden for several years and hasn’t really caught my attention. This year is the best it has ever looked and it’s still rather scruffy. Probably time to divide it.

Four

I thought I had dug out this fuchsia last year. It did not look happy, but it has fought back and although it is quite small I give it huge respect for re-appearing. I’ll leave it alone.

Five

The hylotelephiums are having a very good year. I’m enjoying this phase of colour before it turns deeper red.

Six

This is one of the plants I’m still giving a can of water to every now and then. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’. I’m showing this again because it still has it’s ivory colouring which I like.

I’ve sown a few seeds that I collected from the garden. I can report that the hollyhocks that seed themselves quite happily have rejected my seed tray of peat free compost topped with gravel. I wanted to have a few more white ones but only one has germinated. I have managed to get two blades of pennisetum villosum to appear which I consider to be a great success. Astrantia also turned up its nose at a space in the greenhouse. We can but try. We have a new fox cub in the garden. A gorgeous creature but not a welcome one as it chews the compost bags and strolls through the border with impunity. I hope to be able to start on moving a few plants soon. I have definitely got my spacing wrong and this needs to be sorted out. I hope your gardening spaces are enjoying the gentler conditions. Jim’s garden is closed for visits but generously, visitors to Garden Ruminations still get to have a peek.

Six On Saturday: Seasonal changes

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I was in denial last week when fellow SOSer One Man and his Garden Trowel posted cyclamen, but it’s true. Time marches on and I find that I also have cyclamen to share this week. Only a tiny one but it does show that plants just do their thing and when the time is right they flower again. It was a bit of a scrabble to find six things but here they are.

One

Here’s a rarity this year. The alchemilla mollis with pearl drops of rain. Yes, at last I have had some rain. While it still hasn’t been enough to fill the water butt, I’m sure there are many plants in the garden that are very grateful.

Two

Here’s the tiny cyclamen. A little star amongst all the brown that is most of the garden now.

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Another sign of change, the hylotelephium are just beginning to take on their Autumn colours.

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I found this blue jewel lurking around the allotment end of the garden.

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I tend to overlook the heucheras which is a sure sign that they just get on with things of their own accord. I have completely failed to record the name of this one.

Six

Lastly the rose ‘Blush Noisette’. This is a comeback star. For unknown reasons this one of a pair just faded away last year. I cut it to the ground and hoped. Here it is putting out flowers again and starting the climb back up the wall.

That’s a quick six from me. I’d like to be thinking about what to move and what to divide but there’s more rain needed before I start any of that. It will be interesting to see what comes through for next year so maybe it is time to just sit back and wait. Jim continues to amaze with his Mary Poppins’s magic bag of a garden. What will he pull out this week? Stop by at Garden Ruminations to find out. Happy gardening everyone.

Six On Saturday: Looking on the bright side

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Venturing out into the garden is a challenge these days. Sometimes difficult as the effect of the drought continue to take its toll and sometimes joyful as something fights back. We had a few minutes of drizzle, gone before it hit the ground. The temperatures have dropped at least and I did manage to spend some time in the garden cutting back the alchemilla mollis. A moment of joy because I found the long lost hand fork buried under their leaves. This completed the well known gardening rule – as soon as you buy the replacement the lost item will be found. Here’s six other things that I found in the garden this week.

One

I cut back geranium ‘Brookside’ about a month ago. It’s great for sprawling amongst the roses in June but quickly becomes an untidy bully by July. It gets cut to the ground and this year I didn’t expect anything more from it. But here it is putting out a few flowers again. No watering here at all.

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The aforementioned ‘Brookside’ sprawls through the rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’. Here it is putting out a perfectly formed new rose bud. I couldn’t resist featuring Gertie again.

Three

This is another repeat I’m sure, but Pennisetum villosum looks just lovely with its sandy coloured frothy pannicles. No wonder it is also known as feathertop

Four

This is a variety unknown kniphofia. Again entirely neglected but putting out another flower spike.

Five

The grapes are ripening well this year. There are those higher up that are shrivelling but these on newer stems are doing well. So well that the magpies have discovered them and come for a bite to eat every now and then. The grapevine is grown to shade the pergola so I don’t take offense.

Six

At the beginning of the summer when I was full of optimism I took cuttings from the osteospermum. So easy to do and a number took. By the time they were ready to plant out it had become clear that this was going to be a dry summer so I decided to keep several things in pots near the house so that they could be watered easily. This sturdy specimen has decided to be brave and flower. Well done.

Don’t be fooled, most of the garden is looking awful. I’ll be out watering those that are suffering the most and hoping that rain comes along soon. I’m on the last of the tomatoes so that is one less part of the garden to water. Hydrangeas and hellebores are looking very sad. Let’s stop there, I could get downhearted again! Take a look at Jim’s garden and enjoy, the SOS crowd continue to post and find something to share. For that I give you all a loud cheer! Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Ouch

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This is getting painful now. There are so many wilted plants in the garden. Surely the persicaria will come back, the pachysandra has disappeared, hopefully lying dormant until it rains again, the hebes are beginning to look distraught. We are all longing for an end to the drought. Can I find six to show that offer a glimmer of hope. Here goes.

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The first flower on the miscanthus has showed up this week. This is a plant that is surviving without watering. Yay to it!

Two

The basil by the back door does get watered regularly and is flourishing, providing the appropriate accompaniment to the continuing crop of tomatoes.

Three

I have a number of hydrangeas in the garden and these are suffering badly. Here is dwarf variety called ‘Little White’ that I planted out in a line of three last year. They present a goldilocks situation. The one in the most shade is doing okay, the one in the middle is not so bad but the one in the sun is really not very good. This is the middle one. As new plants to the garden these are getting a weekly watering.

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The apples have been falling for some weeks now and I can see that we will not get the usual quantity of apple juice this year. There are less apples and they are smaller in size. The idea of picking them in this heat is not appealing. We may skip a year.

Five

The plums are as bountiful as ever and must be nearly ripe. So far they still feel hard, maybe in a week or two we will have these to pick.

Six

The verbena bonariensis seeds itself happily and has popped up amongst the grass ‘Karl Foerster’. It makes for a good combination. Both of these do well without additional water.

There, it’s done. I am holding in reserve for weeks to come the idea of sharing six suffering plants. I am sure we all have them, perhaps it is time to share! I am sharing my shower with a bucket and the water collected goes to the hydrangeas. I hope it will keep them alive. Wishing you all well in your gardening spaces, we can only do our best and hope that nature will surprise us when finally arrives. Jim at Garden Ruminations is suffering too and has garden open days to come. I’m sure the visitors will be sympathetic and appreciative of all his hard work. Jim also has some great pictures of the solar eclipse – well worth checking out.

Six On Saturday: Watering woes

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Fine, warm and dry. It continues. There was one brief shower but the garden barely noticed it. On we go. Here’s my six for this week.

One

The hibiscus has been putting out flowers for a few weeks now. This is one gets a can of water a week. It seems to be managing quite well.

Two

The roses continue to amaze. Yes the flowers are smaller but they are surviving without additional watering. This is ‘Gertrude Jekyll’.

Three

I managed to plant out some nicotiana before the drought really took hold. Some have shrivelled up, but these in part shade have survived. It’s a surprising mix of white and lime green in what was a ‘Lime Green’ packet of seeds. I much prefer the white. These are also treated to a watering every now and then. Behind are the wilted stems of phlox, which doesn’t get watered.

Four

The geraniums and lavender in pots are the pampered ones. These are probably watered four times a week.

Five

Salvia blackcurrant (salvia microphylla), This seems to be doing pretty well on virtually no water. The leaves have such a lovely smell and the colour pops beautifully.

Six

The lawn. Not watered at all, of course. The old garden path reveals itself every year but this year I do wonder if the grass will come back. It’s interesting that other parts of the lawn are still green(ish). I think we have some underground water that drains down from further up. Historically there were ponds in the area. Something is keeping the lawn green in parts. The apple tree on the left hand side has put out so much summer growth this year. It used to be in the shade of a large fig tree and clearly enjoying its freedom.

My six is getting posted later and later as I spend the early part of Saturday morning watering. I was patting myself on the back for not getting blossom end rot on the tomatoes this year but today I was proved wrong. The cucumbers are slowing down and several young fruits have dried up. Clearly they were not getting enough water. I’m up to two courgettes. Certainly no glut there. I thought temperatures were dropping off but oh no, another heatwave arrives next week. On a brighter note the warm weather has brought a humming bird hawk moth into the garden. I’ve spotted it twice now but I’m never quick enough to get a photo. I’ll keep watch. Jim our genial host continues to find plenty to share, even though there are some casualties there too. Take a look at Garden Ruminations. Happy watering for those without the magic stuff from the sky!