gardening

Six On Saturday: So far behind

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The London Marathon was run in under 2 hours last weekend. Meanwhile I am trailing way behind in my gardening jobs. I still have seed heads to cut back on the phlomis even as new flower stems arrive. My tomatoes did not germinate, not one. I have resorted to buying in for the first time in years. Clematis needs tying in but in all honesty it has done its own thing and found other plants to wrap itself around. I’m sharing here so that I don’t become too much of gardening bore at home! But onwards to six stars in the garden this week.

One

The roses are raring to go, here’s ‘Wisley’. I gave this a thorough cut back this year and it is full of buds.

Two

The weigela also surged into flower, this was among the first additions to the garden almost 10 years ago and it really is an easy one to grow.

Three

I shared this last week mixed in with the camassias but it deserves a spot of its own, I think I referred it to as possibly ‘Totally Tangerine’ but I’m sure it’s ‘Scarlet Tempest’.

Four

I bought three of these Polygonatum x hybridum in 2023 and foolishly planted them near some Japanese anemones. The anemones had been well behaved for several years but have got into their stride this year and so the poor polygonatum is being crowded out, so much so that I can only find one at the moment. Perhaps the snails have got to the other two.

Five

The alliums have opened up, but smaller than usual. It could be the lack of rain, there are promises of some this weekend. I’d be happy if it comes overnight so that I can garden during the day.

Six

This is ‘Natasha Richardson’ in amongst the libertia. I wonder who will win the battle for space.

I’ve time this morning to weed the raspberry beds. I’ve had erratic germination in flower seeds but there are a few trays of seedlings to come out of the greenhouse. I’ll convince myself that gardening is not a race and will take the time to enjoy the moment. Jim at Garden Ruminations hosts the Six On Saturday meme, so I hope you can find a moment to enjoy his garden and the others of those who share on this weekly meet-up. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: April flowers

/ n20gardener / 6 Comments

I didn’t get to visit many SOS gardens last week as I finally had a weekend to spend in the garden here. My time was spent weeding, weeding, weeding. Top thug was wood avens, followed by bittercress and whatever that weed with the very thin stems and tiny blue flowers is! Of course there’s bindweed and ground elder and, well I could go on but there are six more joyful things to share this week.

One

Such a simple plant but I really enjoy its colour, geranium phaeum. As I write this I seem to remember buying the white version of this plant, where is it now? Gone, as so many others have, to the mysterious lost plant farm.

Two

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum Mariesii, in its third year in the garden so still quite low growing but with a good number of flowers on show this year.

Three

I was tempted by this dwarf weigela a year or so ago, it fills a spot but it’s not very stunning. Maybe it needs more attention. It’s not as vibrant pink as this in real life.

Four

The first rose has opened. ‘Madame Alfred Carrière’. A certain on-line supplier lists it as flowering from July. Pretty early then! It grows over an arch and needs to taken in hand every now and then. But lovely all the same.

Five

Libertia grandiflora. I added four of these to the garden after seeing them at the Olympic Park in London. Of course that’s a vast space and I saw them in their early years. I certainly hadn’t anticipated how much they would bulk up. A couple of years ago mine were dug up and re-distributed around the garden. They are evergreen and give some winter structure and at this time of year the lovely flowers held on long stems are very attractive.

Six

Tellima grandiflora. Should I have kept these for next week? They are almost at peak fringe cup status. I can’t resist them, perfect for shady spots. As these have self-seeded they are gradually appearing in sunnier spaces too. Not a problem – at the moment.

April flowers indeed but no sign of April showers. Two of my large water butts sprung leaks last year and so my water storage capacity is well down and I’m almost out. Never happy eh? I’m also not happy with the fox who has taken to snuggling up in the centre of some of my phlox and shasta daisy new growth. Broken stems was the result. But the weather is beautiful and there’s much to appreciate. There’s more to enjoy at Garden Ruminations where Jim is getting ready for his first open day.

Six On Saturday: Filling out nicely

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The garden is plumping up nicely. A little rain would help it on its way and I can’t believe I am saying that after the deluges of the first part of the year. Dry as it is the slugs are out and have nibbled the first of my asparagus spears. I spotted a thrush running across the lawn this week, I hope the food supply is suitable. Here’s six things from my garden this week.

One

The apple blossom has been out for a few weeks now, but this week it really was shouting ‘look at me’. Looks like another good crop to come.

Two

Another shouter: Euphorbia palustris. I gave this one a go when I kept losing e.wulfenii to the wet weather. It’s a yellow zinger and perhaps a little too brash for my taste but it seems to love it in this spot.

Three

The camassias have opened up. Here they are combined with a geum. I’m pretty sure it’s ‘Totally Tangerine’.

Four

I planted a sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ about three years ago and it’s making good progress. It works well with the ‘Negrita’ and ‘Ronaldo’ tulips nearby.

Five

The Hart’s tongue ferns cling on stubbornly in a really dry part of the garden – for which I am very grateful. Here are this year’s emerging fronds.

Six

The iberis is another plant that has been in flower for a few weeks now but this week it looked particularly profuse. A simple doer that falls nicely over the wall.

It was a glorious start to the day but clouds have moved in. I’ve got plenty of weeding to do and some watering of pots. I hope the weather is enticing you out to enjoy your garden spaces. Jim at Garden Ruminations will be hosting as usual for which I send much appreciated thanks.

Six On Saturday: Bits and pieces

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There is no doubt that the garden is moving along. This week’s cold winds, sleety snow and showers may have deterred me but things keep popping up in the garden. Here’s six things I found this week.

One

A miracle! I planted probably fifty of these a couple of years back and they have come to nought, except possibly they are fighting back. I have this one and potentially one or two more that might flower this year. Pheasant’s eye narcissus or Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus to be correct.

Two

A random tulip, one of a group that came free with an order of other tulips. Incredibly resilient, it has been re-flowering for about five years now.

Three

The white anemone blanda, a favourite of mine.

Four

Blown in on the wind? These violets have colonised the base of the vine. I’m very happy to see them in the garden.

Five

More of the fritillaries, this time in combination with a euphorbia and some ipheion or starflower.

Six

This really was blown in on the wind, from my neighbour’s garden. It almost dies but then rallies again. You can’t beat a free plant!

My gardening job this weekend is to finish off the rebuilding of the compost heap. It was a false economy to hope to reuse some of the old slats. They had warped and would not fit into the nice new posts. More had to be ordered and have just arrived. I have plenty of other jobs to do: more twiggy brown stuff to cut back and the dead heading of the tête-à-tête daffodils which are rapidly going over. The first mow took place last week and is waiting patiently to be moved to a compost bin. The clocks go forward this weekend. It must be Spring and Jim’s camellias still look good – take a look at Garden Ruminations. Happy gardening to you all.

Six On Saturday: Tulips, daffodils and anemone blanda

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Spring is truly getting underway. It’s the second day of astronomical Spring, which I prefer to use as the start of Spring gardening. More colour is creeping into the garden and I’m gradually working my way round cutting back the brown stems left over Winter. It’s all feeling good. Here’s six things from my walk around the garden today.

One

Anemone blanda mixing in with the primroses – the very essence of Spring.

Two

The first tulips to open here are always ‘Purissima’. These are planted in amongst the hellebores are have returned well over several years.

Three

These are closely followed by ‘World Friendship’.

Four

Then in an east facing spot, ‘Negrita’.

Five

Next to these are daffodil ‘Thalis’ much loved by me and the snails. I’ll share them now while I still have them.

Six

Lastly, back to the tulips. These are in a pot: tulipa cretica Hilde – the cretian tulip. Pink on the outside but opening up to creamy pink with yellow stamens. Very lovely. Should I move them into the border for next year or will they get lost. I’m pondering this question for all my pots of bulbs this year,

It’s time to feed the roses and with dry weather forecast until Tuesday I am hoping I can get it all done by then. I’ve sowed a few seeds, am I too early is the constant question. Tomato seeds are next on my list. I’m also trying to fit in a first cut of the lawn before the rain comes again. Monday is the day the compost bins are reconstructed so I have held off until there is a strong bin ready to take the grass cuttings. Here’s the link for Jim at Garden Ruminations if you want to see what other SOSers are up to. It’s a genial band of gardening folk. Jim is now a TV star with an appearance on Gardeners’ World last night. I hope to be watching it this afternoon.

Six On Saturday: Delightful daffodils

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Confession: I had to get the winter hat out again. The winds have been cold but at least the weather has been a little drier. Here’s a quick look at the garden this week.

One

The narcissi in pots have opened up in the last few weeks. Here’s ‘White Petticoat’, a hoop variety.

Two

This one is ‘Toto’ according to my order and the label.

Three

This one is ‘Snipe’. Spot the difference. I’m sure there must be some but it’s hard to tell them apart. Perhaps Toto has a narrower corona.

Four

The short lived euphorbia oblongata lives on for another year, possibly eight years now.

Five

I had to include these tulips in bud, showing to much promise of things to come.

Six

This last one is a bit of a cheat. Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’, a cheat because it’s in my garden at the moment but will be heading off to my daughter’s garden along with a few other things that tempted me when I went to buy my compost. It’s that time of year.

No gardening for me today but I hope to be out there tomorrow, cutting back the stems of perennials and pulling a few weeds no doubt. I’ve got the potatoes chitting and my over-wintered perennials seedlings from last year have really picked up in the last few weeks. There a good feeling developing. Thank goodness for that. Don’t forget to check up on Jim’s news and see the other SOS blogs. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Sunshine and showers

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There’s still plenty of rain around but increasingly the sun has shown its face. A welcome entrance indeed. Here’s a quick look at my garden this week.

One

This one is a regular feature at this time of the year. It has been some years since I first planted a ring of ‘tête-à-tête’ around the persimmon tree and over time they have bulked at well. This is the best year yet.

Two

Back in Autumn last year I planted up six pots of various narcissi and tulips. The first has just opened up. It’s a pot of the most delicious miniature daffodils – n.cordubensis. The photo is not doing them justice but it’s raining again so no second chances!

Three

I’ve been overlooking the lovely dark red hellebore ‘Pretty Ellen’. She fills up a small corner to the side of the shed and really deserves a more prime position but at this time of the year as visits to the shed increase it is an added bonus to discover them again.

Four

The bergenia have been flowering for a few weeks, they are entirely neglected for most of the year and still do well in their shady spot.

Five

The euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii, are hitting their stride, the lime green flowers shine out well in the gloom. I’m currently not having much need of their famed drought tolerance.

Six

Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’ is one I was planning to share last week. I’ve always wondered why it’s Red Giant when it is clearly purple.

I gave up my post last week as my Hemmingway Rewritten theme was not displaying accurately in the edit mode. Apparently it will look alright at the front end when I post. Here’s hoping. All looks well at Garden Ruminations so do stop in to Jim’s place and see all the other SOS posts. Here I will be hoping for some drying out time.

Six On Saturday: Time to trowel up

/ n20gardener / 13 Comments

It may be hard to find six things in the garden at this time of the year but as I walked round this morning it was clear that the weeds are having a lovely time. They shine out as splashes of green in amongst the soggy brown mess of collapsed perennials. I spotted a forest of euphorbia seedlings that need dealing with and I must start thinking about potatoes and veg seeds. Last weekend was a family weekend as will be most of this one. Those roses are still waiting their prune. I’ll have to start soon, when the rain stops. Here’s my six for the week.

One

Off the edge, a fellow SOSer, reminded me that there are cyclamens out there. Mine are in the front garden and this photo was taken last Sunday at about 4pm. The leaves are quite striking, the flowers less so – I think the snails have been munching.

Two

The snow drops have just produced their first buds. Little spots of white that I can just detect from the kitchen window.

Three

I wasn’t such a fan of the slightly metallic foliage of this heuchera but it did look rather good today,

Four

I have to add another of the hybridised hellebores, these self seed quite happily and I have been known to move them around, even though they apparently don’t like to be disturbed.

Five

New buds are forming on the Rhododendron ponticum, I thought it was on its last legs last year as it struggled through drought but it hangs on.

Six

This euphorbia characias subsp. Wulfenii could be the parent of the seedlings in a nearby border, but the new leaf growth on the seedlings looks slightly different. I’ll pot up some of the seedlings and see what develops.

That’s my six for the week, I hope you can find some things to enjoy in your gardening spaces. Jim at Garden Ruminations shares his treasures and the links to other posts so do drop by, Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Released

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The garden has been frozen for about a week but the lying frost has gone now and warm temperatures are heading this way – for a few days. Storm Goretti howled around for a while but thankfully did not do us any damage. The lowest temperature recorded in the greenhouse was -4.5 degrees centigrade. The garden tour this morning revealed plenty of new shoots, jobs to be done and plants going over. Here’s the six for this week.

One

The hellebores really do some heavy lifting at this time of year. I have some that readily self seed but these ‘Pretty Ellen Red’ just stay in their place and do their thing. I have not yet cut back any leaves, a job that is weighing on my conscience.

Two

The flowers on the viburnum have just begun to open. I lost one old shrub this year and this one had a very severe chop back. It was more of a tree than a shrub. Here’s hoping it will grow back well and into a good shape.

Three

The ornamental grasses have done well but are beginning to look scruffy. Cutting them back will be a job for the end of January, but here’s a miscanthus that still looks good.

Four

Losses to box blight and caterpillar damage has left me with one sole survivor, this sarcococca confusa which is generously showing its flowers and berries. I hope it can hold out against attack again.

Five

I have four ‘Wisely’ roses that I allowed to grow up tall and wide. They need a thorough prune each year to thin out the stems. This year I am thinking that it is time to reduce the height as well. I could be some time.

Six

The wooden compost heap bins were installed about six years ago and are rotting away. This has been on the ‘to do’ list for about six months. Perhaps going public with it will encourage me to order the replacement slats and posts and get started.

Things are stirring in the garden, which means that although it’s all a bit lean at the moment there are good things on the horizon. Our host Jim at Garden Ruminations continues to turn up new gems, including updates on Beaver the hedgehog so do stop by and have a look.

Six On Saturday: Full moon on the rise

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Today is the first full moon of the year, a supermoon. This one is known as the wolf moon. The clear skies that are keeping my garden frost bound will no doubt ensure a good view of it tonight. There is something magical about seeing a supermoon, bizarrely they make me think of the garden and all that is to come. There are plenty of jobs to be done here but this is not the weather for them. Here are six things I found on my frosty walk round.

One

As I result of not posting over the last few months I do have one or two unshown plants that are just hanging on. Here’s the very last of the hesperantha.

Two

The Corsican hellebores have been in flower for a few weeks and look as though they are standing up to the frost well.

Three

I was quite excited to think that at least I would have the hellebores at the end of the garden to show. But on turning the corner I was met with a very sad sight. Frost here has encouraged them all to hang their heads even lower.

Four

The plan in this section of the garden was to give the space over to two oak leafed hydrangeas and fill in around them with hellebores, tulips and camassias. It’s a work in progress and hydrangeas are quite slow growing. The leaf is quite lovely though.

Five

There are one or two primroses having a go at brightening up odd corners of the garden.

Six

Lastly the berries of iris foetidissima do shine out from under the hedges. All generously donated by the birds. These appear wherever there is a good resting perch.

Not too bad for the first week of the New Year. Goodness knows what there will be next week. My list of jobs to do includes pruning roses and blackcurrants. I can leave them until the temperatures rise a little. I can see new shoots coming through for the miniature daffodils. As always the garden continues. Jim at Garden Ruminations provides our rallying point for SOS so do drop by and take a look around the other gardens.