It looks like last week’s prediction of beautiful weather after the summer solstice is coming good. Of course it will be extreme, that is only to be expected these days! Greenhouse windows wide open and pots regularly watered. Here’s hoping the garden stands up to the next onslaught. The pests are increasing their attacks – sawfly on the gooseberries, slightly less than last year, slugs and snails everywhere, box moth caterpillar munching the box and whitefly in the greenhouse. I am using encarsia wasps to combat them. But there is much to enjoy at this time of year.
One
This is a side view of the long border. It is now approaching its mad, chaotic crescendo. Geraniums, knautia, roses, penstemons, astrantia and salvias all pushing and shoving to make an appearance centre stage. I love this disorderly behaviour but every now and then creep in to put in a little essential staking.
Two
The sun was shining the wrong way when I took this photo but I hope you can get the sense of the lovely combination of salvia nemorosa and astrantia major. They are are dream together.
Three
This is penstemon ‘Firebird’. I like the penstemons for taking on the baton of flowering from the alliums.
Four
In the greenhouse the first tomatoes have appeared. But pride of place goes to the lettuce. Growing lettuce outside has always been hit and miss for me so this year I tried a few in the greenhouse. I now have an awful lot of lettuce to eat, I am hoping the hot temperatures are not going to ruin it.
Five
My salvia ‘Amistad’ did not survive the winter or so I thought. But just days after buying three new plants I spotted shoots on two of the old ones. I dug those up and moved them to a nursery bed where they are making slow but steady progress. I might have some flowers by August. In the meantime the new ones romped away and are looking dramatically sultry. As I planted the new ones I snapped a stem but encouraged by everyone’s advice that salvia ‘Amistad’ cuttings are easy peasy I planted it up. It took almost immediately so now I feel awash with these wonderful salvias.
Six
This fuschia is another small success. It came with the garden and I spent the first few years saving it from the clutches of bindweed and couch grass. Once freed I gave it a judicious prune and this year it is flowering well and in much better shape. Its a var. unk. to me but maybe someone can identify it. I love the strong colours.
If you’d like to see some more Six On Saturday posts from other sixers then go along to The Propagator’s blog. There is much that will inform and amuse!
n20gardener 
I’ve got a collection of fuschias I bought as a cheap addition to a Thompson & Morgan order that I need to find a space for. I think a few in pots then a few in the border. The long border looking good. I’ve just trimmed a lot my geraniums spilling over my border and pulled the forget-me-nots out ready for the annuals to go in. But I have enjoyed that abundant stage of flowers spilling over.
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I’ve just planted out some annuals and sprinkled the forget-me-not seeds around. Interesting that as individuals we are in sync!
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My penstemons are coming, I should introduce them next week. Yours have a deeper pink.
About encarsia wasps, is it effective? How do you use them : can I leave them in the greenhouse for a long time? and only against whiteflies?
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Effective – yes. You don’t see them at all. They come on small cards which you hang on the plants and they hatch from those. I think only for whitefly.
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Beautiful fuchsia. Our penstemons are just starting to flower but I think we lost our red one. Firebird looks like it would be a good replacement. The long bed looks lovely.
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It’s a ‘thinner’ penstemon than my others, if that makes sense! Not quite so chunky.
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Very pretty flowers and those lettuce are really impressive!
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To my mind you can never have too many salvias! All looking lovely, I am an anarchy (slightly controlled) fan. 🙂
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I am in complete agreement with you. I’ve added a couple of others this year.
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Yeah!
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Your long border looks wonderfully exuberant. Your Firebird is quite a bit ahead of mine. I can just see the colour coming in the buds. It’s the only one that is reliably hardy in my garden. Great Six
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I have a few penstemons which so far seem to be hardy here. ‘Sour Grapes’ was a slow starter but seems to be catching up.
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Apparently, Amistad is better as a new cutting than as last year’s survivor. More floriferous. Maybe best to take more cuttings in the next month or so and overwinter them. I too had this experience with them: if they survive, they come late.
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That’s good advice which I shall heed! The first cutting was so easy.
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Oh the long border is just wonderful, and the Salvia/Astrantia combo delicious. I love purple and pink together. I’m glad your cutting grew so well. My Amistad is looking very frost bitten, but it will return in spring.
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Thank you. I’m definitely taking more cuttings of the salvia. They are so dramatic.
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All looking fabulous N20, really lovely. That shot of the long border is great, and I agree that salvia astrantia combo is great.
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Ahh your long border looks fantastic N20. Hardy fuscias always remind me of my Childhood my mate had one in his garden and we always used to pick off the flowers much to the annoyance of his mum
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Smashing lettuces there- enjoy all those lovely salads. I’ve got cut and come again varieties in a pot in my greenhouse which are pretty tasty.
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Excessive lettuce is disappointing, since it can not be canned, dried or frozen. Most surpluses can be stored for later. I would hate to discard something that I worked to grow.
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It’s always difficult to get the balance. This year I’m enjoying the sight of them – previous years have been hard work only to produce slug food !
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Slugs would not be such a problem if they were more edible than they are, like the meatier snails.
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If they were edible (and delicious) I’d never have to buy meat again!!
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Have you ever seen a banana slug? They are quite large, but no one eats them. Actually, they are harmless in the garden because they eat only decaying plant material and fungus.
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Your garden’s at that lush, plush stage of summer. I like that salvia/astrantia combo. Didn’t realise they could grow in the same light conditions (not that I’ve researched it). Mine are next to a burgundy leafed actaea but your salvia gives such a nice contrast, while complementing it as well. Are those geranium in the background? Whatever they are add to the effect very nicely. As to the surplus lettuce, I was surprised that certain organisations that feed people will take produce off your hands. And of course, there’s always neighbours. In my little cul de sac, folk put stuff at the end of their walk & let people take what they want.
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It is geranium in the background- Brookside, very lovely big and sprawling. You have the perfect solution to excess produce. When I had the allotment everything was shared around. Here it seems a little harder to do for some reason!!
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All looking very lush and overflowing and wonderful. I love it when plant combos come to fruition as with your Salvia/Astrantia. I may have to make room for Astrantia next year, I believe they like shady places? I hope we do get some heat, my tomatoes are looking somewhat feeble, but I fear the heat will make my Basil plants bolt. Have to get making lots of pesto! Unfortunately I am not sure what you can do with lettuce. Give some to the neighbours?
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Yes to astrantia in shady spots but I have some in sun and they do quite well. I fear my neighbours are not the allotment veg types! But maybe I’m wrong.
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