Six on Saturday: Limbering up

March 24, 2018March 24, 2018 / n20gardener / 33 Comments

There have been the occasional forays out into the garden over winter but I have been mainly gardening from my armchair or computer. That’s all about to change and it is important to make the right start. It’s time to limber up, get those muscles going again and really importantly, stretch them out after your gardening session. Take care of your back! The warmer temperatures lured me into the garden and here is what I found.

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It’s not all flowers and veg out there. I uncovered this creature whilst turning over a pile of turf that had been left to rot down. He was buried under the soil and he quickly pushed his way back down again. It reminded me that the wildlife have pretty much had the run of the garden over the winter and I need to go carefully as I start to make my presence felt.

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The landscapers who laid the path left some free gifts. I have two pieces of 6 x 2, which I am sure I will put to good use – or they can join the rest of my ‘might come in useful one day’ collection. I do have more immediate plans for these sections of re-enforcing grid. I’m going for the industrial chic look and will use them as supports for a climbing rose. I will let you know how I get on.

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The hydrangea buds are bursting forth. I think I’m pretty safe to cut back the old flower heads now, but I’m going to leave it another week – after I’ve seen what the next beast brings.

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Sweet pea update: Gwendoline is just coming through, Black Knight is about an inch high, Midnight Blue is definitely making a show but Anniversary is a non starter at the moment. All were sown on 15 February. My pot of autumn sown sweet peas need to be planted out but I’m trying to get hold of some hazel poles. Request made, response awaited.

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The mahonia in the front garden is about to shine forth. The bees love it, the smell is great and it is one of the few yellows that I like in the garden.

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By contrast, a yellow I’m not so fond of: the forsythia. I find it just a bit too much to take en masse. But a few branches in a vase are a definite statement of spring.

For more news of spring explore The Propagator’s blog. I spied a lovely tulip bud there. Happy Gardening: In the UK it’s time to spring forward with the clocks!

Six on Saturday: Growing things

March 17, 2018March 16, 2018 / n20gardener / 23 Comments

The work on the paths was delayed by the wet weather but finally it is finished. Sort of. I have to add in soil where I have gained a few extra inches of border and of course sorting out one corner throws up uneven levels in another area. But that is for another time. I have got the garden back – just in time for the arrival of the mini beast from the east. A cold weekend is expected. Here’s what I spotted as I walked round.

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So this is the path looking shockingly new but I will soon get that sorted out with a few trips up and down with the wheelbarrow!

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IMG_2054 (2) The clematis pruned before the last batch of cold weather has survived and is surging onward. It will soon be covering the trellis again.

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A sure sign that everything is growing. This is most likely an ash tree seedling. Neighbouring gardens are well forested and every year I have to be super vigilant to pull up all the seedlings that come my way. Ash and sycamore are the most common and then the odd oak courtesy of the squirrels.

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The tulips are coming through. This beautiful pink edged leaf could be from China Girl or Angelique. These two were planted along with Spring Green in a mixed clump in November. They should be in flower come April/May.

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Right plant, right place I think. I planted half a dozen cowslips in a very wet border last year and this year there is a great crop of seedlings. I shall gently separate them and spread them around this border and elsewhere. Lovely free plants!

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Don’t they look tempting. The first lush shoots of the delphiniums. I can just hear the slugs smacking their lips. More vigilance required.

I am feeling excited and frustrated. So much new growth but such a cold weekend forecast. And I’ve still got the nerines to plant. Patience is a virtue…

Check in with The Propagator to see what else is growing this weekend. Gardeners from both hemispheres take part so there is always something to enjoy. Happy gardening.

Six on Saturday: Paths

March 10, 2018 / n20gardener / 11 Comments

The much welcome higher temperatures are having their effect and growth in the garden is very apparent. Roses, irises, phlox and clematis are all pushing out new shoots. But I’ve not been doing much gardening this week. I’ve been observing the garden through the window as the new path is being laid.

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My old path was broken, uneven and collected water. The new path will be well drained, carefully sloped and smooth. But I am already missing the patina and idiosyncrasies of the old path’s age. The builders are taking great care to keep the new path clean but I will be out there soon rubbing in the mud and possibly some yoghurt!

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In another area of the garden I am replacing a very broken up brick path and here I am using brick again. I’m slightly curious about the brick with the number on it but I feel much happier about this path as the clay bricks already have an aged feel. This was the most dangerous path in the garden, twisted ankles beckoned at every step. I am looking forward to striding down this path with confidence.

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IMG_2030 (1) The laying of the paths sadly means that some things in the garden get trampled on or have been dug up to allow for the base to be laid. I don’t think I will see any fritillaries this year and I know that one or two tulips have been snapped off. As I always say ‘you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs’. And of course I will have the chance to add something new to omelette! On the upside I will lose the ugly concrete edges and gain a precious couple of inches of border.

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I managed to get out the greenhouse this morning and was very pleased to see that the rocket seed sown on 16 February has germinated. The sweet peas sown at the same time are only just breaking the surface but they too are on their way.

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My daffodils are still in bud, the pheasant eye narcissus are coming along but the pulmonaria is definitely in flower. The clump was planted last year from divisions given to me by a friend. I think I’m going to divide this up again this year and use it to soften the edges of that new path.

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And here’s a couple of new ingredients for that omelette. Some nerines – bowdenii Ostara, and dahlias. The dahlias are a combination of greeny whites and are destined for pots. The path should be finished by Wednesday, whereupon I will become a gardener again.

I hope you have all been able to get to your garden and observe all the changes taking place. Pop along to The Propagator to see what else is going on in gardens around the world.

Six on Saturday

March 3, 2018June 4, 2018 / n20gardener / 23 Comments

It’s a white out in my garden. There are footprints from the wildlife and frozen flora abounds. I was going to give you a peek into next week’s project: new paths. The path project is a big one and ‘the professionals’ are coming in to do it. Work is scheduled to start on Monday and fortunately temperatures are set to rise. As the paths are covered with snow I’m going to show you some pictures of the garden last summer. There will be the odd glimpse of the path along the way, but more importantly there is some beautiful colour from plants that were sown from seed last year and from the frozen perennials that now lie under the snow.

This is how the border started out. The roses, irises and euphorbia are in. The canes mark the spots for delphiniums, salvias and astrantias to be planted. It is the path on the right that is being relaid.

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The borders were filled in with annuals, here are calendula and ammi. The wonderful delphiniums were brought from the old garden. More perennials were added through the year. Some grown from seed, some from 9cm pots.

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This is the top end of the border. Sweet pea, cosmos purity and nicotiana lime green were sown from seed. The lambs ears in the foreground looked bedraggled in last week’s six. Will they survive after the freezing weather of this week? This path is staying. It’s not very attractive and if I had a magic wand it would be transformed into a lovely brick cottage garden path. I have also planted alchemella mollis and geranium brookside, both of which tumble onto the path edges.

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This is another view of the path that will be relaid. It is very patchy and uneven in places. The agapanthus and verbena thrive against the sunny wall. The rose in the centre is Scepter’d Isle and a pink hollyhock climbs skyward in the distance.

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The height of summer. I am sowing calendula seeds again. The bright orange was such a highlight. They are scheduled for sowing in April. I will sow in modules again.

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The clematis in flower and with some of those fascinating seed heads. It’s now one of the frozen flora. It was already putting on new growth and had been cut back to about 50cms. Here’s hoping those new shoots are made of strong stuff.

It’s a bit of a bending of the rules this week, but did you really want 6 shades of white? I am curious to see what other sixers will post. I encourage you to take a look at The Propagator’s blog and see what materialises. I am hoping all UK sixers are warm, dry and safe this weekend. Over to you in the sunnier climes!

Six on Saturday

February 24, 2018 / n20gardener / 24 Comments

I was going to dial in my apologies for this week. There is much potential in the garden but could I really subject you to six photos of emerging shoots. Could I cobble together something or would it end up a busted flush? Well the social streak in me is strong and I enjoy being a part of the #SixOnSaturday meme so here I am again.

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As the new growth on the perennials comes through I cut back the old stems. But the seed heads on these Agastache foeniculum can provide some winter interest in the border for a while longer. They are ‘Alabaster’ and give lovely white spires of flowers for the butterflies to feast on in the summer.

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Other plants do not fair so well over the winter. Here are two plantings of Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’. Those planted at the sunnier end of the border are holding their own but those at the shadier end are disappearing fast. This is their first year in the garden so it will be interesting to see if they pull through. But if not, I have the spot at the shadier end earmarked for some more hellebores. It’s so important to have the right plant in the right place!

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Yes, here is another hellebore photo. I am becoming a great fan of them and love it when the white ones catch the sun.

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There was a tweet in the week about a rosemary being in flower. Yes, it is in my garden too. This border has the sun from early morning to mid afternoon and with its back against the brickwork the rosemary does well here.

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Also doing well are the penstemons. Known for being on the tender side, the advice is not to cut them back until new growth starts to come through. These penstemons have come through the winter in strong leaf but I won’t cut them back until the weather is warmer and then I will cut back to points of strong growth a couple of centimetres up from the ground.

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And here’s where I bust my flush! It’s an emerging shoot. No apologies for being excited to see so much new growth on this iris. It is an allotment share from a well established clump and has a lovely tall stem with white flowers but I don’t know the variety. I’m looking forward to the warmer weather and this shows that spring, although postponed for a week, is on its way.

The Propagator is the place to go to read more #SixOnSaturday posts, just what’s needed after a chilly session in the garden.

Six on Saturday

February 17, 2018 / n20gardener / 19 Comments

After a productive morning in the garden I now present my #SixOnSaturday. And it is not quite as I anticipated. My plan was to sow a few seeds and get the pruning of those blackcurrant bushes finished off. It was a frosty start so I thought a light brushing down of a few cobwebs in the potting shed would be a good warm up.

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We all have our favourite tools and for me brushing down the cobwebs is done with the old brown brush. First I had to find it. So the rickety old shed was emptied out. The brush was found about half way through the emptying but I’d started so I had to finish. First job of the day turned out to be a spring clean of the shed. The second job – look away now if you are faint-hearted – was also shed related. If you are ready, read on.

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The dangers of plastic bags to wildlife are much in the news and I can only think that this rat fell foul of one my garden refuse bags. I’m not a great fan of sheds at the best of times and my survival instincts were on the alert for large spiders. I was not expecting to find this. But it was dead, recently so I think, and so I coped rather well. Disposed of it, had a cup of tea and with nerves steadied, moved on to brush down those cobwebs.

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Whilst I had my feet up in January, those more resilient than I were washing down greenhouses, washing up pots and scrubbing plant labels clean. Well today I made a start on a few of those jobs in preparation for a little bit of seed sowing. Once some of those jobs were done, sweet pea Black Knight, Gwendoline and Anniversary were planted in root trainers and the first rocket seeds were planted in modules. I decided against planting the half hardy antirrhinums as the greenhouse is on the cold side and I think they can wait until early March. As a bonus I’ve included the latest photos of the autumn sown love-in-a-mist and end of summer penstemon cuttings.

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I sowed the love-in-mist in seed trays and when I potted them on I took the chance of planting a few directly into the soil. They have survived the winter so far. In the background is one of the foxgloves sown from seed last year and planted out at the same time. The foxglove should be in flower this year.

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A little dot of colour to end on. The first of the anemones has pushed through and opened out. I had thought the autumn mulch had buried them, but one or two are beginning to appear.

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The half price tray of white cyclamen bought a while ago are evolving. They have begun to take a gentle pink blush. I wasn’t expecting this either but I find it far preferable to the dead rat.

For more garden excitement from around the world go to The Propagator for this week’s links to a lovely selection of six on saturday, generally horticulturally related but with the occasional meander off the garden path.

Six on Saturday

February 10, 2018 / n20gardener / 17 Comments

The fair weather gardener in me has been dominant this week. The temperatures are low and the lawn and borders are still squelchy and sticky. I did refill the bird feeders, pull a few weeds and tie in a stem here and there but very little else was done. Here’s my six:

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The new borders are going into their third summer. The first was spent weeding, digging, suppressing weeds and feeding. The second saw some perennial planting with annuals. This year it is the turn of bulbs. A mass planting of tulips and alliums took place in autumn and, with no apologies, I was very excited to see the first emerging shoots of allium Mount Everest pushing through.

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The last of the cutting back was done recently. The sodden brown remains of iris siberica were removed and there was more delight to be found in seeing the first signs of the new growth.

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Over on the veg plot the onion and shallot sets are progressing. I’ve kept the covers on to protect them from the birds but it is good to see there is strong growth.

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Every March I settle down to watch the new series of Gardener’s World and every year Monty brings out trays of seedlings he has sown in the depths of winter. They are all ready to drop into the beautifully prepared soil for early harvests. This year I have got wise and I check in with Monty’s website each month. Eureka! Now is the time to plant your rockets seeds. I’m going to put mine into modules so that I too will have a tray of plump rocket seedlings ready to drop into my beautifully prepared soil!

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My tray of violas from last week’s six was planted up and they are smiling away at the bottom end of the garden. A good enticement for me to get out and about.

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Gardeners are generally sharing souls and this little pot of persicaria red dragon was given to me by a friend. I’ve just got to find the right place in the new borders for it.

That’s my six. For the links to a great many other sixes go to The Propagator. You will find a treasure trove of good gardening from around the world.

Six on Saturday

February 3, 2018 / n20gardener / 16 Comments

Having spent the last few days wondering if three or three and half on Saturday would pass muster I finally knuckled down and came up with six. It may sound as though it’s an onerous task to post weekly. But no, I am enjoying the discipline of looking at the garden in a focused way. It may even be making me a more productive gardener!

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A week or so ago I succumbed to this impulse buy from a supermarket. Of course, when I arrived home I thought where on earth am I going to plant them? Their pretty little viola faces seemed rather dwarfed once positioned in the garden. This week serendipity struck. I remembered I had three neglected terracotta troughs. I think they will be just right for some block planting and then I can place them along one side of a raised bed. Perfect.

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Inspired by a tweet from Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire I am sharing with you my borders in February. First is the border that was extended in November. The line of snowdrops and emerging daffodils under the hedge shows where the old border ended. They will be moved to the front after flowering. The roses were planted in November: three Darcy Bussell and a Jaqueline du Pre. Perhaps now I need an artistic rose to complete the cultural theme.

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This is my long border. As you can see the foxes/squirrels love spreading the mulch around. I have used roses and euphorbia as the framework and I am filling in around them with astrantia, gernaniums, scabious, penstemon and a variety of annuals. The borders at Waterperry are famous for their careful staking of plants. Here’s a tip from Pat Havers, Head Gardener there. They start staking their perennials in April. I always leave my staking until it’s too late. This year I will do better.

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Hedges. The background to the new border is a mixed hedge. Elaeaganus, bay and viburnum. I like the bay and viburnum but I would love to replace the elaeaganus with a darker green hedge to give a stronger background to the foreground plants. Sometimes you have to garden with what you have.

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Last week I mentioned that I prefer primula vulgaris to the stronger coloured primroses appearing in the nurseries. The brightly coloured versions add colour at this time of year but the pale yellow of the common primrose is always the winner for me. I grow them in my spring corner. First the primroses and snowdrops appear, followed by anemones, bluebells and aquilegia and then I am hoping last October’s planting of pheasant eye narcissus will steal the show.

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And lastly, the February issue of Gardeners World came to my rescue. Mint is beginning to come through now and they suggest breaking up small clumps of it to pot up for the greenhouse. This will give an earlier crop. The perfect job for the weekend.

There’s a cold spell ahead and it’s a gloomy day today, but there is always something to enjoy. I hope you find time to garden or to reflect on your garden this weekend. It’s a lovely thing to do. More international gardening thoughts can be found at The Propagator who hosts this meme.

Six on Saturday

January 27, 2018January 27, 2018 / n20gardener / 12 Comments

I’m beginning to feel some sympathy for the long lasting month of January. Maligned in the old song ‘January, you’ve been hanging on me’ I’ve come round to thinking it does have much to offer. My hands are cold as I’ve just come in from completing what is the first of my sixes. Yes, I have been in the garden this week and here’s what I found.

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This morning’s main job was to prune the grapevine. It produce grapes which inevitably split just as they seem to be ripening so I’ve come to accept that its main role is to shade the pergola. This is my second year of pruning it (I’m in a new garden if you are new to this six) and I’m getting bolder. This time I cut out a whole branch on the grounds that it was very clearly crossing. Otherwise I restricted myself to cutting back to one or two buds, which were clearly visible. I think I did this job just in time. The tree in the background is my neighbour’s enviable willow.

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January is the month for pruning some types of fruit trees. Earlier on I pruned the Persimmon tree and this week it was the turn of the apples and figs. The smaller ones I did myself but I called in the professionals for the large fig and a large apple tree both of which had got to a height that had defeated me and my ladder. Which is not actually that great a height. This photo is the apple tree after the prune. It is much lighter, but I think the reshaping will take a year or two.

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I recently spotted a bargain buy of 6 helleborus niger and they arrived mid week after a deluge of rain. The lawn was sodden and the heavy clay soil of the borders was sticky and uninviting but in they went. The seem to have settled very well. There’s also a bit of colour from some primroses. I prefer the yellow common primrose but these are staying in for the moment. Just behind you can see the first of the daffodils pushing through.

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January is also the month when the first snowdrops appear. Mine, planted in the green last year, are now getting into their stride, edging the line of small apple trees.

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So despite the cold, windy and wet weather that we have had recently the garden is waking up. Today I also spotted the first new shoots of the lovely magenta phlox that is dotted around the back border. I can’t wait for these to be in flower again. But first I’ll need to cut out last year’s dead stems.

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Finally, a rosebud. It may not make it into a fully formed flower if the rain and cold weather continue but it is another cheering sign that the seasons are changing.

Yes. It’s a thumbs up for the end of January at least. For more news and views from the other sixer gardens stop by The Propagator’s blog for links to the posts for this Saturday.

Six on Saturday

January 20, 2018January 20, 2018 / n20gardener / 12 Comments

Whilst our esteemed leader is scratching his itch and beginning to sow a few seeds I am still at the pottering stage. The cold of January does not often entice me out into the garden but there are one or two things to be done. Here I should state clearly the level of my gardening skills: pottering amateur. So what I do in my garden is not a recommendation or a ‘how to’ guide. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

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I have been buying a few seeds. These are my Sweet Pea choices. Last year was the first summer in a new garden. It was a garden that needed clearing of weeds and then planting up. I put in some roses and some 9cm pots of a few perennials and some plants brought from the old garden but I needed to fill in the spaces. So I grew annuals. My wigwam of Midnight Blue sweet peas were a great success and I’m growing those again. I’ll also grow a mix of Gwendoline, Anniversary and Black Night for a second wigwam. I’ll start them off in root trainers in February. I also have a pot of autumn sown sweet peas in the greenhouse which are doing well and need to be potted on soonish. Eventually these will be planted out amongst some climbing beans on the veg patch.

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Of course buying a few seeds is nigh on impossible. Another success from last year was Calendula Indian Prince and I will sow these again but I also discovered, late in the season, the wonderful Tithonia. I saw a great cloud of tall orange flowers at a garden I visited and was smitten. I am trying out Tithonia rotundiflora ‘Torch’. The seed packet says height 1.2-2.5m and a flowering period of 3 months. If I am successful it will be a bargain splash of colour.

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Zinnias were my other success of last year. I planted zinnia Lilac Rose and after nurturing them through the early days of slug attacks they put on a dazzlingly long lived display. This packet of seeds is a mix of Benary’s Giant Lime, Benary’s Giant White and Benary’s Oklahoma Ivory. Sorry, I can’t tell you who Benary is. I will need to find the right spot for them as the flower height is 90-100cms, taller than last year’s zinnias which I used for edging. I’ll be finding a space for Lilac Rose as well.

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Featured in an earlier six was the wildlife attack on my old sink filled with succulents. I wasn’t sure that I really like them so the fox or squirrel did me a favour. This year I am going to fill that sink with a cascade of nasturtiums. I hope they will enjoy the gritty mix of compost that remained after all that furious digging.

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I have also bought my seed potatoes. May the chitting commence. I put out a potato poll on twitter and had a lovely number of great suggestions. I was influenced by the thumbs up for Sarpo Mira as the floury main crop choice and by the loyal support for Arran Pilot, a waxy first early. The other two choices were Ratte, a waxy second early and Belle de Fontenay, a waxy maincrop which caught my eye at the nursery.

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And just when you were thinking I hadn’t been out in the garden at all this week I bring you a clematis. And here I stress: pottering amateur. I had a lovely viticella which grew up into a lilac tree in the previous garden and I barely pruned it all, just pulled out the dead bits every now and then. In this garden there is a clematis growing up a fence panel on either side an arch. The top of the arch is dominated by a passiflora so I need the clematis to clothe the side panels. I noticed that the clematis was already putting on new growth so I took the plunge and cut it back. I hope the current drop in temperatures and the bitingly cold winds don’t freeze the new growth to death.

That’s the round up of my gardening week. Take a look at what other sixers have been doing in their gardens at The Propagator where you can also read about that itch

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