Life is very busy at the moment and it has been hard to find the time to spend in the garden, watering is being neglected and the veg patch is suffering. The courgettes are tiny and the borlotti beans are barely climbing up the bean pole. The latest pest is mice who are taking tiny bites out of the leek stems. So here’s a very short six:
One
Phlox. Evidence of my poor watering regime! I am just about keeping the flowers going.
Two
The flower stem of Acanthus mollis. I took a small division from a large plant when we moved house two years ago. It was tiny but it has taken hold and this year produced the first flower stem. Fred has some of these!
Three
Passion flower – Fred has some of these too. His are p. edulis but I wonder if this is Passiflora caerulea The link is to the RHS page. Since this survived the cold winter I think it could be a caerulea. It came with the new garden and grows rampantly over an arch.
Four
The apples are growing but I have these brown leaves. Same happened last year so I don’t think it is a watering problem – but then again I didn’t water the trees last year either. Any ideas. Dahlia lovers among you will have noticed the photo bomb from D.Thomas Edison. My first foray into a non white dahlia!
Five
Agastache Black Adder – it my very hot dry sunny border. The perfect place for it but as a new plant it does require regular watering. It’s one I am trying to keep and maybe this is where I introduce some grasses.
Six
And of course I have to keep watering the containers. I am managing to keep these going by collecting the cold water than comes through before the hot in the kitchen tap. What a palaver! But I am enjoying these scented leaf pelargoniums.
That’s my six, for more links please visit The Propagator. I have been so busy I haven’t read last weeks comments but I am hoping next week slows down and I can catch up soon. And of course I should say – haway the lads – or something similar. Those who know will know!
n20gardener 
Love that Acanthus!
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It seems many of us are struggling with watering issues.
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Like you I have almost given up on watering except for a few things I want to keep going. Gardening is meant to be pleasurable.
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It is so difficult at the moment. And too hot anyway!!
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3 plants that I have in your Six. You’re right. ( Phlox too : I’m trying to make a time lapse of the opening flowers). Your acanthus is beautiful too !
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Those brown leaves hanging on the apple tree seem to be fire blight! There are probably the remains of old flowers in among the leaves. Fire blight most often infects through the flowers. Pruning to eliminate fire blight is severe and disfiguring, but is very important. It can kill the tree if it gets into the main trunk. The infected bits can break away and fall into the crotches of other stems and can infect where they land if the conditions are right (although it typically gets in through bloom). If a stem that catches the dead bits happens to be attached to the main trunk, it can kill the tree above! I am sorry for such bad news, but it is more important that you investigate this earlier than later. Fire blight had been a serious problem within the area that I was working a few years ago, and did some serious damage. It comes and goes in phases. I had not seen much of it in the 1980s and early 1990s. It was serious again a few years ago, but seems to be on the way out here.
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Thank you so much for giving me this information. I will read up on it and get pruning straight away. I did cut out the dead stems last year but sounds like I need to go further back. Many thanks.
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You are welcome.
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Every time I visit the National dahlia Collection at Penzance, most years, I make a note of Thomas Eddison as being superb and one to get. Still don’t have it. Next year, there’s always next year.
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I really came across it by accident. It seemed to be the colour I was looking for! But it does look great.
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Agastache is one of my favourites. Tough and dependable and floriferous as well.
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It’s really doing well in the heat we are having so scoring high marks from me too!
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Your garden looks quite exotic. Love the Acanthus – must get one of those. Hope you have a quieter week!
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Your garden looks quite good, not at all neglected. I lost my bear’s britches in my last move somewhere & yours is making me miss it madly. If you’ve got a moment, what scent are the pelargonia? I might have to fall in love w/those, too. Hope your apple tree gets healthy again.
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There are three – attar of roses, pink capitatum and prince of orange. They have a sort of rose scent coming from the leaves. I have to say so far I haven’t noticed them wafting as much as nicotiana does but maybe last night I began to notice them. If you brush the leaves it is much stronger.
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🦋 Beautiful as usual. 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂
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