flowers

Six On Saturday: Gardens are getting going

/ n20gardener / 23 Comments

I was unexpectedly absent from last week’s SOS gathering. The non-gardener became fixated on problem solving and it was a problem that needed to be solved. It was. The non-gardener has also been helping out at our daughter’s new garden. Which is much appreciated by everyone. In the meantime what has been happening in this garden? Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

First the problem that had to be fixed. The new water butt had filled up very nicely but it was not willing to let go of its contents. A blockage in the tap was suggested with the helpful advice to stick a skewer up it and wiggle it around. Of course this was not the solution. The non-gardener decided that the butt had to be emptied. In the absence of a long enough extension lead to enable use of the pump a syphon was set up and the water drained off into watering cans and onwards to a water storage tank. As you can imagine this took some time and last week’s SOS faded out of sight. Once the butt was emptied it became clear that the hole for the exit point to the tap had not been drilled. We have now drilled it ourselves and there is an offer of some form of compensation coming from the supplier.

Two

Even though there has been a welcome increase in sunshine hours and warmth the garden hasn’t moved on much in two weeks. These ‘Tête-à-tête’ daffodils in the border have opened up though, and the slimy ones are out in force to feast on the flowers. Groundhog day, I think.

Three

The winter pots filled with violas have continued to be cheerful, this pot has done incredibly well.

Four

New growth is appearing and it is always lovely see the new leaves of aquilegia.

Five

I was also struck by the freshness of the leaves on hardy geraniums which are filling out nicely

Six

The primroses are having a great time self-seeding around the garden and I am very happy to see them here in a very shallow soil topped with gravel that runs along side a raised bed. I have sprinkled seeds of many an annual here but the primroses arrived under their own steam. The best way!

I am thinking that this weekly post may become a tale of two gardens. We have now made three visits to The New Garden. Brambles and ivy still abound, what a job that is. This week the non-gardener strimmed the lawn and I managed to plant some hardy geraniums in a small part of the border that had been reclaimed. One of the dead climbers has sprung into life but there isn’t a suitable place to plant it yet. The New Garden is in need of some proper garden clearance, watch this space and I will include a picture. In this garden I have been racing to complete the rose pruning and I have actually sown a few seeds. Coriander inside on a window sill which has germinated and in the new greenhouse, a small tray of half hardy annual phlox seeds that came free with a well known magazine!

I have some replies and some reading to catch up with and some weeding to do. The forecast is good and I will be grateful for my relatively sane and sensible life! Jim’s blog must be visited and good wishes are sent to all gardeners wherever they are.

Six On Saturday: Crocus time

/ n20gardener / 20 Comments

There’s a certain energy beginning to build. Goldfinches have started to come to the bird feeder and this morning a Great Tit was singing it’s heart out in the nearby hornbeam tree. A little warmth towards the end of the week encouraged a few more spring flowers. It’s all very inspiring. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

I have a habit of buying a bag of bulbs from market stalls. The bulbs are always named varieties and I fully intend to remember which ones I have planted where. Last year I bought a bag of Jeanne d’Arc crocuses and planted them here. Perhaps I didn’t, perhaps I planted them somewhere else, perhaps they were not Jeanne d’Arc at all. But this is what has grown. Lovely but clearly not Jeanne d’Arc.

Two

I’m pretty sure these are Ruby Giant, a tommasinianus variety. Quite happy with these.

Three

I love these dark purple ones. I have no idea what they are!

Four

That little bit of extra warmth persuaded the ‘Tête-à-tête’ daffodils in pots to open. These are going to be dropped into the borders when I see where the gaps are.

Five

I love the white primroses that sometimes pop up in the garden. This delight has been battered by life but still looks lovely.

Six

Lastly an evergreen filler from the front garden. The silver edge to leaves looked particularly wonderful today. Its a brachyglottis, could it be Silver Wave?

I’ve had my first gardening visit to my daughter’s new garden. Priority number one was to start on the brambles that are invading it from a neighbouring garden. Of course, a thankless task. But a start had to be made. I discovered four pots of climbing plants that looked newly bought. I think the previous owner’s health took a turn for the worse and a new project couldn’t be completed. Sadly I think they are all dead. But maybe they are just dormant. I will update as the seasons progress. Jim as ever, hosts the SOS meme at Garden Ruminations and all the other SOSers gather there for a weekly catch-up. Stop by, join in, all welcome.

Six On Saturday: At the Winter solstice

/ n20gardener / 18 Comments

The turning point has arrived. I’m ready to welcome in the ever-lengthening days and the garden is with me. There are new buds on the magnolia, the climbing hydrangea and there are flower buds forming on the mahonia. It is the time to celebrate seed heads and berries and the garden here does offer up some goodies – just a few. Here’s my six for this week.

One

I have been meaning to share the cotoneaster horizontalis for some weeks now and as you can see I should have done it sooner. The positive thing is that the birds have been enjoying the berries.

Two

Of course there must be holly at Christmas time. No berries here!

Three

For seed heads, I can offer the lovely whorls of the phlomis.

Four

And here the remains of the flower heads on the hibiscus syriacus ‘Red Heart’.

Five

The flowers on the viburnum are just beginning to open.

Six

Lastly, the lime green flowers of some hellebores. These are meant to be ‘Pretty Ellen’ but I have very strong doubts.

This is my last post until the New Year. I wish everyone peace and joy, a good gardening year to come and I look forward to catching up with you all in 2025. Many thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations for continuing to host our SOS gatherings.

Six On Saturday: These ever shorter days

/ n20gardener / 18 Comments

I’m feeling the gloom of a dull December. The garden is so wet that nothing can be done. Mild weather continues but with it comes the rain and so the lawn is still squelchy and the borders cannot be cleared of weeds. Finding six things is always interesting at this time of year but there were some pleasant surprises.

One

There was a brief respite from the rain and the ivy to decorate the house was quickly collected and brought inside. It’s used to hang elegantly around pictures and to wrap around the stairs. There’s plenty to choose from!

Two

The ferns are dying back, at this stage they provide a rusty brown contrast to the remaining greens in the garden. I inherited these but I think they are dryopteris filix mas.

Three

This is possibly my new favourite rose, so I share it with you again. It still looks spindly and I am hoping that this summer will see it really settle in. In the meantime it does put out the most beautifully coloured flowers. ‘Lady of Shallot’.

Four

I lost a euphorbia mellifera over the last winter but miraculously another one self seeded. It’s looking so full of optimism at the moment. Harsh weather may change that.

Five

There is another new flower bud on the climbing rose that I moved this year. This is ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’.

Six

Appropriately for this time of year the helleborus argutifolius is opening up its flower buds. Also known as the holly leaved hellebore it makes a good companion to the ivy.

I’m still confessing to not having planted tulip bulbs. Perhaps next week. I’ll be here for a last SOS before Christmas. Until then, join us over at Jim’s place for the weekly get together and have a good time enjoying some green spaces in this dull December. Better still, take a look at the SOSs from the Southern Hemisphere!

Six On Saturday: Decay and renewal

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

Having spent several hours over many days clearing out the old shed and greenhouse, the subject of decay is much on my mind. The exteriors of both buildings were clearly decaying and inside many of the contents were also in a state of decline. Plastic sacks that held netting crumbled as they were moved and piles of old black plastic pots were consigned to the dump. It’s a clean slate for the moment, the renewal begins on Monday when the site is cleared. The garden too takes another step towards seasonal decay and the cold weather forecast for next week will surely be the end for the dahlias. Here’s six from a garden in change this week.

One

I commented last week on how often the fox had startled me in the garden and sure enough it happened again. I went down to the back corner of the garden to investigate and there was a tell-tale depression in the leaf mould heap. The fox had found a very comfortable and dry place to curl up and rest. There’s not much I can do about that for now but after some rain it will become a little too soggy for comfort.

Two

Here is the fox, roaming the garden with not a care in the world, searching around for fallen fruit. Picking up the fallen figs and mowing up the leaves is a weekly task.

Three

The weigela is beginning to turn colour and the leaves will soon drop.

Four

There are still some surprising flowers in the garden. This is clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’, a viticella variety.

Five

The hellebores are beginning to flower, I think it’s a little early for this variety but I’m pleased to see it has fought back from a slug attack in the Spring.

Six

There are still flowers on the hebe, the hardy geraniums and the hydrangeas are putting out new panicles too. This one is ‘Limelight’.

The garden is full of bits and pieces from the greenhouse and shed. Those items that can stand the weather for a day or two are piled in every spare corner. Terracotta pots have been de-spidered and moved to the garage. The new shed arrives on Wednesday and then the process will begin again in reverse. The new greenhouse is not expected until January, just in time for the next year’s cycle of renewal.

This weekly post on the state of my garden is part of the SOS meme hosted by Jim of Garden Ruminations. Please take a look at the SOS Participants’ Guide if you would like to take part. Happy gardening to you all.

Six On Saturday: Through the gloom

/ n20gardener / 13 Comments

Anticyclonic murk is the order of the day yet again. Gloomy yes, a chill creeping in but still quite mild. As I peered into the garden this morning I caught sight of the first parakeet of the year on the persimmons. They are not quite ripe yet but the parakeet didn’t seem to mind. There have been squadrons of them swooping through the garden on a daily basis. Occasionally the menacing shape of a red kite circles above, coming closer in to the urban areas. Twice this week I have headed down to the back of the garden only to be startled by the sound of a fox scrabbling over the fence. It’s busy out there! Here’s six other things from the garden this week.

One

Work continues on emptying shed and greenhouse. I show this pile because it is all propped up against a water storage unit. I read Jim’s blog on storing rain water this week and recognised many dilemmas. I have emptied most of the water butts for the winter, keeping just one for the moment as I need the odd can here and there as I water in moved plants. But that one will be emptied out soon to give a clear path for the delivery of the shed.

Two

The seed heads are beginning to give some structure to the garden. I planted phlomis russeliana specifically for its seed heads and it does not disappoint. It also clumps up very tightly and gives good ground cover.

Three

I’ve not cut back the agapanthus yet as it’s starry seed heads are also looking good.

Four

The hakonechloa macra is turning colour. I have three lots in pots and three in the border. I count this as a successful foray into adding grasses to the garden.

Five

This heuchera is still doing well. I tried for a long time to find a couple more of this variety, ‘Grape Timeless’, as the flower and leaf colour are so good together but as yet no success.

Six

And of course, lastly a rose. Natasha Richardson, which does so well all the year round.

It’s the last push on emptying the greenhouse for me this weekend. At least the weather is dry. Wishing you all good gardening this weekend. I notice that I now have to option to add AI generated images. I can assure you that I have not been tempted so far but who knows what I will stoop to in the depths of winter! Please take a look at the SOS Participants’ Guide if you would like to take part.

Six On Saturday: Careful what you throw away

/ n20gardener / 13 Comments

It was a drizzly start to the day here. The skies grey but once again the temperatures were mild. The garden is slowly winding down which seems entirely fitting for November. I was doubtful I would be able to find anything for six today but this is a record of the garden over the year and this is what I found this week.

One

I have pushed the button on the new greenhouse and shed. Both bases will need some repairs and work to level them. The clearance of the site means we get to have a skip. This is always pleasing to me as there are endless bits and pieces that I keep just in case and once in a while it is good to take stock. There is also an accumulation of things put away in the shed that haven’t seen the light of day for years. Clearing out is the job for this weekend.

Two

Although the weather has been mild I decided to wrap the evergreen agapanthus. I still have to turf out the pellies from their summer pots in preparation for some tulip planting.

Three

In the borders, the deciduous agapanthus leaves are turning colour and I need to cut these back before the go slimy. Another job on the ‘to do’ list.

Four

These are the berries of iris foetidissima. The plant is prolific here, distributed about the garden by the birds. I let them grow in difficult corners but dig them out from the main borders. It seems that I missed this one.

Five

Last week I mentioned that the hebes were flowering again, and they still are.

Six

There’s always one more rose having a go at flowering again. This week it is ‘Jaqueline du Pré. Lovely.

The plan for today was to mow up the fallen leaves, but the drizzle has soaked everything. That job moves to tomorrow. I’ve made a start on clearing the north facing border of the weed cinquefoil. I guess every garden has its difficult corner and this is definitely mine. I know it is a thankless task but unless I try to contain it the cinquefoil will run riot. I need the border to dry out a little more though.

Here’s hoping that your gardening jobs are more inviting. I have to say thank you to SOS host Jim for keeping this meme going. It makes me look at the garden every Saturday and this week I noticed that the pots of daffodil bulbs I had planted up had been disturbed by the wildlife – foxes, squirrels? They are now under the protection of an old freezer drawer. Things do come in useful. I need to careful I don’t throw too much out!

Six On Saturday: Bizarre

/ n20gardener / 16 Comments

The garden has a topsy turvy feel to it. There have been swarms of ladybirds this week. The clematis is in flower again as is the hebe that I had carefully deadheaded for the winter. There have also been misty mornings and the leaves are turning. Here’s six things from the garden this week.

One

The leaves on the persimmon tree are turning beautifully shades of red. They don’t last long before they fall to the ground. This is the cue for starting up this season’s leaf mould heap.

Two

Last season’s leaf mould did not go very far. I decided to cardboard over one bed in the veg patch and use the leaf mould to cover the top. Since achieving this neat finish the foxes have had fun and have dug down to find the cardboard and have shredded it. I reburied it all again. I can see this could go on!

Three

The hydrangeas are really putting on a great autumn display, the colour deepens every week and this week the re-flowering geranium psilostemon clashes rather well.

Four

The heavy dew has left delicate edges on the scented pelargoniums. A visit from the greenhouse retailer confirmed that I will be without a greenhouse until January. Now what am I going to do with eight pots of tender pellies? I’ll be squeezing some into the shed and hoping.

Five

The climbing hydrangea on the north facing fence is putting on a show of yellow leaves. This is the border that is severely infested with cinquefoil. It is my last job to start, one I have been putting off I admit. It’s a thankless task but I will try to dig through the border and remove as much as I can.

Six

There always seems to be a rose having a go at bringing back summer. This one is ‘Lady of Shalott’. It hasn’t really settled into this spot but it is doing well enough that I will leave well alone.

I moved an hydrangea into the spot vacated by r. ‘Darcey Bussell’ and that confirmed that another one of the Darceys will have to go too. That might tip me into removing the last one as well. I have some veronicastrum waiting for a new home and this could be the space. A few leucojum bulbs have been bought and the camassias were found and planted out. the leucojums have gone into pots until I can see where the gaps are in the borders. I’m beginning to feel on top of things again. The clocks go back this weekend, time to start thinking of tulips pots.

Enjoy the autumn season, there’s still plenty to see in Jim’s Garden and of course he has all the links to other SOS posts. Happy Gardening.

Six On Saturday: Inspired again

/ n20gardener / 21 Comments

I always compile my six on a Saturday morning and this morning I had a heavy heart. What would there be? It seemed to have rained all night and was still raining. This was going to be hard. But small things lift the spirit and so it is with Six On Saturday, small things were found and here they are.

One

This is the one that did it. I have always envied my neighbours spread of cyclamens that sprinkle themselves around like jewels at this time of the year. The flowers are tiny but stunning. While searching for six lovelies for this week I found this small clump in my garden. Self seeded from over the fence. Do I thank the birds or the wind? I don’t know how long they will take to spread out in this garden but I can be patient.

Two

In contrast earlier in the week I had bought a pot of the larger variety. I knew the pot would fit into the top of an old chimney pot and that is my only excuse. How blousy they seem in contrast to the self-seeders above.

Three

The weather has been warm and wet this week, and many of the hardy geraniums are flourishing. Here is ‘Brookside’ having another go.

Four

I have managed to move a few more things around. This libertia was dug out from under the shade of the fig tree and moved to a spot with more sun. This meant relocating some sanguisorba and a colony of phaeums. The sanguisorba is a great home for slugs and digging them up revealed a quantity of eggs. The phaeums have been relocated or potted on for another time. The sanguisorba may be on its way out…

Five

I upended the summer bedding a few weeks back but the pelargoniums looked as if they could take a few more weeks so I potted them on and they have dutifully put out another round of flowers.

Six

Jobs to be done: I have been buying bulbs and a few packets of seeds. I didn’t manage to plant the camassias last weekend, prepping the ground took me up to the point when the rain came down again. So my last six for this week was going to be the bulbs, but I’ve lost them! In the shed? I hope so. In their place I offer you my seed choice, still unsown. I really was going to sow, at least, the Orlaya last week. Where does the time go?

The new greenhouse project has been joined by the new shed project. They are in the same corner of the garden and as the shed has developed a noticeable tilt I am going to replace both at the same time. A local company is making a site visit next week. This and those self-seeded cyclamens have got me planning again. One of the Darcey Bussell roses has been moved and if the ground wasn’t so saturated I’d be trying to move a hydrangea into the space. If I find the camassias I may be able to finish that job! Wishing you good weather for your gardening jobs and hoping that there is time to stop by Jim’s place for look at what’s going elsewhere.

Six On Saturday: Autumn arrives

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

Undeniably the weather has changed. There’s still plenty of rain but now the temperatures have dropped and the first frost arrived. My ‘to do’ list is still quite long but it was not a gardening week for me. I am feeling the pressure as the leaves on the trees turn colour but generally October is a genial month here and I hope I can fit it all in. Here’s six for the week.

One

A new job was added to the list last week. The second greenhouse has a wooden frame and age and a deluge of rain have taken their toll. Two panes have slipped and now hang on periously, held by grime and moss. The wooden frame has rotted away and there is nothing left to support them. Now I have a trip to the greenhouse supplier planned. I decided not to replace the greenhouse damaged by a storm but this one I do need.

Two

This is an interesting one, even though it is only a hebe. I moved this a couple of years ago to the back garden. It settled in but lost its dark leaf and then flowered white. It has now re-appeared in its original location with the dark leaves and the original purple flower. I’m leaving it where it is. Nature knows best.

Three

I have been moving things around in the garden this year and the trouble is there are always weeds that tend to go with the plants. Here, I would love to divide these hesperantha coccinea but this patch is riddled with cinquefoil. The RHS site encourages me to love this weed. I’m not sure that I can but I am stuck with it.

Four

This one moves around without my doing anything. The Mexican daisy has self sown itself into the patio cracks very successfully and now I even I concede there is a little too much of it. It is allowed to colonise steps and edges, the rest is strimmed back regularly.

Five

My fig tree. What can I say about it. It is pruned every year. It is quite large. One party would like to take it down completely. I feel it gives privacy to the garden. This year the first crop of figs was very poor. Now the second crop looks amazing but in all probability will not ripen enough. There is more muttering in the N20 household!

Six

Lastly a pretty little geranium is having another showing. Geranium sanguineum var. striatum. Long lasting, simple and slug proof!

I really hope I can finish off one or two jobs next week. I am having a dither about the hydrangeas that were recently purchased. They are going into a space backed by a climbing hydrangea. Is that going to be like double denim? Am I about to commit another gardening crime? In the meantime Jim, who claims he is struggling to find six things, does in fact deliver another six delights! Happy gardening everyone.