There is so much gloom around at the moment, I need the garden to pick me up. It is trying very hard, many things are on the edge of flowering, the perennials are forcing their way up through the mulch and the birds are singing. I have much to do so the mojo just has to get going. This was how I started out yesterday but an energising night out in Shoreditch – yes I know, too old for all that really! – has got me going again. The potatoes are chitted and ready to go. This is the number one job for the weekend. If I do nothing else, this will be done! Here’s what is happening in the garden without my help.
One
The Thalia are just opening out on the south side. Those in the north facing border are about a week behind.
Two
The fritillaries have joined the throng. I did mean to plant more of these but I had such fun trying to squeeze in extra tulips that I just didn’t get round to it. On to the list that goes.
Three
My primrose border is filling out very nicely and I planted some anemone blanda ‘white splendour’ in amongst them. Just at the bottom right are the shoots of some white phlox warming up for later in the year.
Four
The onions started off in modules are going in the ground this weekend. The red ones have been slower to get going. Not sure why! They have been coming in and out of the greenhouse all week so should be well acclimatised. There are a few self sown cornflowers making themselves at home in the space allocated for onions. It seems a shame to move them on. Maybe they can grow companionably side by side?
Five
Pulmonaria ‘Sissinghurst White’. I have nurtured this plant for three years. It wasn’t doing very well in the first planting spot and so last year I moved it to a slightly shadier space. It is still very small but I think I have to give more time in it’s new home before I uproot it again.
Six
The north border of the garden is the focus of attention this year. There are two choisyas there which I have left alone until now, but the time for action has arrived. One of them is poorly. One side is yellowing whilst the other looks green and glossy. The plant has been hacked about in the past, with evidence of limbs having been cut off. As there is a very happy choisya not too far away I am not too sorry to say that this one is getting it’s marching orders. I could just cut off the yellow side and see what happens but no, decision made. Out with the old and in with something new.
I’ve also managed to throw out the new block editor and go back to the old classic editor. Yipee! More reasons to be cheerful. I hope you are feeling cheerful in your garden this weekend. Don’t forget to see what fellow sixers are up to, go to The Propagator for all the links.
A persicaria – labelled as ‘pink’ so I can’t add any further information. It goes some way to my getting persicaria into the garden but I am on the hunt for some of the dark red ones. I planted it next to the salvia ‘Blush Pink’ bought earlier in the summer and I hope they will be happy soul mates.
I singularly failed to record the other great gardening activity of the weekend which was the apple picking. It was a smaller crop this year, both in numbers of apples and size. Some were little bigger than a golf ball but as they all go for juicing they were all picked. In about a week I will know how many bottles this year’s harvest produced. The bent double apple tree of a few weeks ago is now nearly horizontal so I took a picture of that!
Every week I think about including this Cleome ‘Senorita Carolina’ in the six but for some reason it stays on the sub’s bench. This week it makes it into the team. I really don’t know why it has taken me so long, it’s been flowering like this all summer. The real colour is slightly less vibrant than captured here. It’s a tender plant so if the winter is anything like last year I shall probably lose it.
Just coming into flower is the Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’. Earlier in the year its poor leaves were scorched by the sun but as the season moves on it’s site is more in the shade where the splash of white shines through.
Given the size of the apples this year I was surprised and impressed by the persimmon fruits. They are much larger than last year and although I am not a great fan of the fruit I do enjoy their orange colour as they ripen in November.
n20gardener 