Month: May 2025

Six On Saturday: Careless gardening

/ n20gardener / 15 Comments

I’m not going to be too harsh on myself but…I did realise yesterday that the ‘Wisley’ roses have really taken over this year. The bearded irises and my last remaining clump of delphiniums are hunkered down beneath them hoping for a chance to break through. It is also very evident that the yellow phlomis and the red ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ rose are not a match made in heaven. I can’t really be blamed for the self-seeded geranium psilostemon that have sprung up everywhere. I like them, but they are crowded in out other things. Like the verbena they will have to be thinned. I noticed this disarray as I was dead-heading roses, their scent rising in the sunshine as bees bobbed in and out of them. It wasn’t all bad in the garden. Here’s six for this week.

One

I looked this one up on my almost reliable planting list. Hydrangea anomala sbsp. pelitodes, to give the climbing hydrangea it’s full name. I planted two in 2019 and this year they have finally met in the middle and are looking wonderful.

Two

While the list was open, I checked the planting date for Viticella Clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’. Planted autumn 2021. This is also doing well this year and is twining it’s way through the roses.

Three

Planted long ago, geranium ‘Kashmir White’. I love the pink veins.

Four

I caught the sisyrinchium in full sun yesterday. It’s a ‘put your sunglasses’ on shot.

Five

The first day lily has opened. Seems a little early for this garden. This one is ‘Gentle Shepherd’. This is one of the plants being shoved out of the way by the psilostemon.

Six

The astrantias have just opened up too. This group is ‘Roma’, sprinkled in amongst the seed heads of allium ‘Mount Everest’.

The flowers are coming thick and fast now. I am trying to plant out seedlings and have trays of tomatoes, French beans, courgettes and cucumbers to deal with. There’s not much rain in sight but I did get three water butts filled this week so I have some resources. It’s going to be a busy weekend. Jim at Garden Rumination shares the SOS links, all welcome to join in. Happy Gardening.

Six On Saturday: Roses

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

It’s not all roses this week but the garden is full of them. They seem to have enjoyed the conditions even as I was fretting at the lack of rain. Last night rain arrived and the water butts are filling up again. They are not all full but there’s a good quantity and more rain is forecast. Here’s the six for this week.

One

Almost open and not damaged by the rain, the beautiful ‘Lady of Shalott’.

Two

‘Darcy Bussell’, a lovely colour, susceptible to black spot but I persevere.

Three

‘James Galway’, a climbing rose so intricately petalled.

Four

‘This Scepter’d Isle’, a lovely shape, delicate shade and wonderful scent.

Five

Now I divert, here’s ‘Johnson’s Blue’ and absolute doer of a hardy geranium. Mid height, so useful for filling holes!

Six

The phlomis russeliana has absolutely forged ahead this year, borderline thuggish! Described as vigorous and spreading and tolerant of drought it has clearly got its feet into the ground. I will have to watch this one but for the moment it is doing a great job of filling out what was a difficult spot in the border. It’s just about to flower so it will be sure to feature again soon.

My garden will have loved the rain, I fear that in my daughter’s garden the bindweed will be greedily sucking up the moisture ready for another surge. But we are getting there. I took a tray of seedlings over yesterday. Today I fear they may have been flattened by the rain. The next project is to get the lawn back in to better shape. Bare patches to be seeded and some of the tougher grasses to be dug out. Last week my daughter dug up a collection of iron bars – the purpose of which is far from clear. Gardening eh!

Jim’s page Garden Ruminations is the place to go for more gardening news and all the links. There’s also the Participants’ Guide if you want to share your favourite garden goodies. Happy Gardening all.

Six On Saturday: Mid May border

/ n20gardener / 18 Comments

Mid May, I am watering the garden and the lawn is drying up over the old path. There was thunder and lightning on Monday but no rain. That’s the moaning done with, here are six things from the garden this week.

One

I shared this iris on Bluesky in the week. I believe it is ‘White City’. It starts out as the palest blue and then turns to white. Quite lovely.

Two

The roses seem to be covered in buds and are flowering well despite the dry conditions. This is ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ which has been a little thin in previous years. I am wondering if taking down the fig tree has improved the situation for this rose.

Three

An unknown rose from the front garden, looking very fetching earlier in the week.

Four

This is a two for one, ‘Totally Tangerine’ geum with a young viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum Mariesii. The viburnum has a some growing to do but it looks pretty even now.

Five

This persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’ is known for spreading but it has done so gently so far. It’s a great plant for just getting on with things.

Six

Finally a view of part of the border. My delphiniums were munched to ground last year and I can’t see a sign of them this year. But it’s pretty crowded out there anyway.

Stop by Garden Ruminations to see more SOS posts from the gardening gang. Jim has a wonderful selection on show as usual. I’ve got dead heading of roses to do and I’ll be looking up and performing the most effective rain dance I can find! Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Old favourites and a newcomer

/ n20gardener / 16 Comments

The garden is grappling with the conditions but is definitely beginning to put on a show. There has been no rain here for about three weeks and I’m out of stored water. I don’t think I’ve ever watered the garden using mains water this early in the year. The roses are opening but flowers seem smaller. The slugs are definitely out and about but they do not seem to be wreaking the same damage as last year. Here’s my six for this week.

One

First, I have a question. Do I have English bluebells in the garden? I spotted these as I was pulling out swathes of those annoying ones. I stopped just in time. Should they stay or should they go?

Two

These are pretty standard in most gardens at this time of year, purple alliums and in this case ‘Purple Sensation’. I like them for their strong colour.

Three

I also have the white allium ‘Mount Everest’. I have several clumps of them that seem to take it in turns to flower. Last year the slugs/snails stripped all the green of the stems. This year, so far so good.

Four

The climbing rose ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles that was moved a couple of years back. It seems to have settled in and although it could do with a few more leaves in certain places it is flowering well.

Five

The variegated weigela is a reliable shrub that has been in the garden since the very beginning so about eight years now. The pink flowers work well with the leaf colouring. I do also have a hankering for my neighbour’s dark red one. I get a small glimpse of it over the fence. Borrowed gardening.

Six

The dicentra spectabilis has been in the garden for about three years now and is really becoming established. I love it’s whiteness in the surrounding greenery. There’s a white rose nearby that is just in flower and they do look good together.

There’s more bluebell pulling to be done and the in/out with the seedlings. Weeds galore but there are more and more flowers every day so there’s plenty to enjoy. I had a chuckle in the week as I started to organise the Alhambra photos, the yellow climber that I couldn’t put a name to is so obviously a rose, probably a multiflora one. I am ashamed to call myself a gardener! I blame the thornless stems. I hope you get to enjoy your garden space over the coming week. Jim, as usual, hosts the merry SOS band at his site Garden Ruminations.

Six On Saturday: Garden treasures from Spain

/ n20gardener / 17 Comments

I was away from SOS last week as I was travelling in Spain and yes the power outage did have some impact but fortunately the visit to the Alhambra in Granada was not affected. I came back to find my garden had exploded in to action. All those planting spaces that were so clear in March have now been elbowed out by new growth and I now wonder where I will squeeze in the seedlings currently in the greenhouse. I’m sharing from the Alhambra this week. It provoked some thoughts, in many ways it seemed so English to me. Box hedging, roses, irises, wisteria, pansies, alyssum, all so familiar but the use of water, the architecture and the air so heady with the scent of citrus flowers made it all so very different. Tightly clipped myrtle was used in many places where a crisp medium high hedge was required. It worked well. Here’s my six.

One

White wisteria creating a shaded walk at the start of the gardens of the Generalife.

Two

Further on, blue wisteria mixing with a yellow climber that I didn’t identify! Too early for mimosa I think.

Three

There where so many places where water played in the sunlight, I have to share two here.

Four

Here, both sides of a central water feature with a multitude of colourful plants.

Five

In contrast to the more formal planting contained inside edging there were also some loose meadow style borders.

Six

Finally, oranges. They were everywhere, lining the streets of Granada, in cloisters of monasteries and all around the Alhambra site. Wonderful.

I realise I haven’t shown the use of standard roses and the various underplanting ideas or anything from the Los Jardines del Partal with it’s beautiful reflecting ponds. There’s just too much!

In my garden the roses are just beginning to pop. The alliums are out and the later tulips are going well. My plan for the weekend is tidying up the stems of the tulips that have finished and sowing some French beans and courgette seeds. Nothing too energetic here but there will probably be some bindweed digging in my daughter’s garden, it is of course loving the warmth. Jim, our host will be ruminating in a most informative manner and there are the other SOS links to enjoy. Have a great gardening weekend.