Six On Saturday: Gone missing

/ n20gardener

Definitely the sun has gone missing and one or two other things. I read a post on Twitter(?) about the amount of plants that gardeners lose over the years. I lost so many last Winter. I can’t see any sign of a monarda I added to the garden last year, all this year’s annuals failed to thrive and don’t get me started on the plants I lose to slugs and snails. It is part of a gardener’s life. I don’t worry it about it too much now. I walked the garden this morning, braving the rain, and laughed out loud when I saw that every single lettuce planted out two weeks ago had disappeared. On my journey round I collected twelve fat slugs which were served as breakfast to the toads in the compost heap. I hope they get to them before the slugs escape. Here’s six things that were found.

One

Let’s start with some brightness. Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’. I think the slugs did have a nibble at the new shoots earlier in the year but ‘Goldsturm’ fought back and shines in the gloom. This does spread very happily and I have given many a pot to friends.

Two

More cheer in the shape of shasta daisies. These were grown from seed many years back. Some have been flattened down by the rain but this group, in the shadow of an apple tree, have remained upright – so far.

Three

Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Album’ also manage to shine out through the low light. I’ve had these for about five years and it’s only now that they seem to have settled into a good strong clump. The RHS does indicate that it takes five years to reach ultimate height and I can’t argue, well perhaps a little. I don’t think they’ve made it to 1.2m yet!

Four

New to the garden last year to replace a blighted box shrub, this hydrangea ‘Limelight’ isn’t doing too badly. It’s in the shadow of a very large and very old rhododendron so it has had to compete. This year’s rain will have helped it get its roots down.

Five

These kniphofia nearly went missing, one of the early spikes was felled half way up the stem by the munching menaces. I moved one clump last year and it doesn’t seem to have enjoyed it as so far there have been no flowers.

Six

I am considering abandoning all hope here. This is/was hosta ‘Thomas Hogg’. From time to time I have wondered if it was the birds or the slugs who were shredding the leaves. This morning the culprits were caught with their mouths full. Off to the compost heap they went. Maybe it is time for the hosta to be relocated to a pot.

Losses, yes. Gains, yes: from the many self seeders, from plants shared by friends and from new purchases that settle in and last for years. On balance I will keep gardening. It’s a wash out this weekend but I’ll be back out there as soon as possible. Jim, host of the links for this SOS posting meme, continues to show great variety from his garden. Join him and the others for a cornucopia of gardening news.

23 thoughts on “Six On Saturday: Gone missing”

  3. You have very cheering plants there despite the losses and the rain! Love the combo in photo #5, orange and magenta pink. Lucky that toads are in residence. I have small frogs but the slugs are now bigger than they are so I fear the predator-prey dynamic is not in my favour!

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  5. I wonder – have you tried to grow red varieties of lettuce? When I lived in Seattle, where slugs are king, I found that they did not prefer red lettuces, such as Merlot. I would seldom find evidence of nibling on the red varieties, so now I usually grow red out of habit, though I should brach out, since slugs are not an issue here. I have seen tiny ones under the dandelions, but they don’t visit the garden as far as I can tell.

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  7. If everything I’d ever planted was still going, and growing bigger, I’d need a hundred times the space I’ve got. The saddest thing is I don’t miss them. I have Hostas that look exactly like yours, in pots but in the wrong place near where the slugs and snails hide. I’ve resisted pointing a camera at them. I think of them as bait plants, they lure the slimeys, I kill the slimeys.

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  8. My worst culprits are snails, they sneakily hide under the lip of some of my pots so I’m always checking. I’ve all but given up on hostas, even the thicker Blue Mouse Ear (?) gets nibbled. And yes, there have been many losses, but fewer casualties now that I am understanding the environment better.

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  10. Kniphofia uvaria is a surprise. I associate them with warmer situations within warmer climates. A few grew wild on the edges of some of the old orchards of the Tomas Aquino many years ago. I suspect that a neighbor plugged them about many years prior. It seems to me that they bloomed most colorfully after warm weather, but if I remember correctly, they could bloom randomly whenever they wanted to.

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