#clematis

Six On Saturday: I’m calling it Summer

/ n20gardener / 12 Comments

The first raspberries have been picked, just a handful and I found two ripe strawberries so for me Summer has begun. It’s been rather wet but my garden did need some rain so I’m not complaining. I even spotted the first cucumbers ready for picking. My walk round the garden this morning revealed plenty more jobs to do but here’s six things to enjoy.

One

The hydrangeas suffered so much in the dry spell but this one in particular has responded to the recent downpours. It’s ‘Runaway Bride’. It is really filling out a big space now and makes quite a statement.

Two

I mentioned a while back that I hadn’t tied in the clematis quickly enough and that they had found their own way to spread out. Upwards of course! I like to train these along the fence to hide it away for the summer. But without a few early ties this ‘Etoile Violette’ has managed to romp upwards into my neighbours shrubs. It does make quite a nice waterfall of flowers though.

Three

It was time to mow the grass this morning and the non-gardener was not impressed by the sprawl of geranium ‘Brookside’ that was obstructing the lawnmower’s journey to the lawn. Fortunately I was on hand to sweep it gently to the sides – for a moment.

Four

I have three pots along this border sitting on three concrete slabs that were put in when a soakaway was installed. I’ve tried various things in the pots over the years, one of which was stipa tenuissima. They didn’t do well and so the following year I replaced them with plantings of Hakonechloa macra. They seemed quite happy but this year a remnant of the stipa has made a come-back and is looking much better than it ever did. I think is has bullied out the hak mac!

Five

I get excited at this time of year. The agapanthus stems start to appear. The pot on the left has a miraculous ten stems. The pot on the right looks very sad and is currently producing only one stem. I hope it can come with a few more as the weather warms up.

Six

Another come-back. Thank you to Fred who sent some poppy seeds a year ago. They seeded themselves and this year have really achieved a good height.

There’s a great crowd of people posting their Six On Saturday blogs in the comments section of Jim’s Garden Rumination site. Join in, stop by for a look around, have fun gardening.

Six On Saturday: Welcome rain

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

I know correlation is not causation but I did order some new garden chairs last week and I planted out the summer pots. The rain has fallen every day since. It was much needed and I am celebrating full water barrels again. I was even able to plant out a few annuals but then I lost my hand fork in the borders. I don’t think you can be a gardener without losing hand tools, or secateurs, or balls of twine every once in a while. I’ve retraced my steps many times but I’ve not found it yet. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

Here’s one I took earlier. The rambling rose ‘Wedding Day’. It runs along the fence at the rear side of the garden and gives a glorious display of small yellowish flowers that fade to white. It’s a sight to behold.

Two

A few years back the slugs demolished my large established clumps of delphiniums. I hoped they would miraculously reappear but there’s no sign of them. I’ve started again from seed and here’s the first to flower. So far no slug damage but then this is the perfect weather for the little darlings.

Three

Onto the rainy photos, this one is geranium psilostemon. It is overly generous with its seedlings and I dig them out ruthlessly but still I have plenty. The deep magenta with the black centre is very striking.

Four

Here you can see them appearing amongst the phlomis. The phlomis was planted to give good ground cover. It does but psilostemon finds a way.

Five

I failed miserably to spread out the clematis stems this year but they find their own way to wriggle through the roses. Here’s clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’.

Six

I like these white nigellas. They are self-seeded from last years ‘Persian Jewels’ sowing. I don’t remember any white ones from last year. Interesting how the petals are different to the blue one.

The weather will prevent gardening today, I will just mourn the lost hand fork and hope that it will re-appear in the coming weeks. I think I will be spending a great deal of Sunday dead-heading roses which have all gone over in the last week. I hope you manage to have a happy gardening weekend. If you have time, do stop by Garden Ruminations where Jim hosts the Six On Saturday meme.

Six On Saturday: Popping!

/ n20gardener / 18 Comments

I’ve put away my winter gloves and hats. The weather can be variable even so but the sun has been seen a few times in the last week. Spring flowers are emerging and encouraging me to garden more. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

The first flower of Leucojum aestivum ‘Gravetye’ popped out during the week and today from the kitchen window I saw that more had opened.

Two

The first flower of ipheion, the spring starflower, also opened and was then drenched by rain.

Three

Another first, the blue scillas that I bought last year have survived the slug attack that followed their planting out. Well at least this little clump survived. Such a beautiful blue colour.

Four

Just opening up, the various clumps of muscari that are dotted along one border. These have been in for a few years now and are beginning to spread which is fine by me.

Five

The very first of the fritillaries, very low down at the moment, it will probably be eaten by slugs by the end of the weekend.

Six

I had to snap of photo of the clematis armandii on a blue sky day. It’s the ‘Apple Blossom’ variety. This is definitely a sign that Spring is here.

I’d love to be mowing the grass soon but I need help reinstalling my collapsed compost bins and don’t want to add the grass to the heaps before they are moved. Help is arriving in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime I am visiting my daughter’s garden for the first time this year. I suspect it will too wet to do much but we are stopping off at the garden centre with a long shopping list. That should be fun. I hope you get to have fun in your gardening spaces. Jim has a great display as usual and all the links to other SOS posts from around the world.

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: Things to come

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

It’s been a cold week but night time temperatures look to be on the rise for next week. I may try to sow a few seeds. I’ve been cutting back the brown stuff, admiring the ability of weeds to keep on coming at me and the patch on the lawn for a new flower bed has had the turf stripped. It is very dense with the old fig tree roots but I’m hoping a few annuals will find a home there. There’s much on the way in the garden but not much in flower, but six must be offered each week and here they are.

One

There’s always a cry to sow a few early carrots and over the years I have tried: buying early varieties, warming up the soil by covering it with cloches, waiting until the weeds start growing before sowing but it never comes to anything. Last year I didn’t sow until the end of May. This year I have been tempted to sow a few seeds in a deep pot in the unheated greenhouse. I have germination so I am intrigued to see how they will progress. I will update regularly.

Two

So very nearly, almost there. The first flowers on the clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’ have been spotted. This is mine but it sprawls wonderfully over to my neighbour’s side where it is much appreciated. I think it does better there!

Three

I have climbing hydrangeas growing up a fence on the North side of the garden. A few weeks ago the soil here was frozen but the hydrangea buds are now opening. They have taken a few years to establish but I think it is looking good for this year.

Four

An East facing corner of the garden is home to tulips, aquilegia, phlox, geums and hardy geraniums. They are all putting on good growth and although it will be a while before the flower explosion takes place it is very encouraging to see everything reappear.

Five

I’ve been to the garden centre for compost and of course their tempting displays of spring bulbs in pots called to me. I bought a trio of pots of snakeshead fritillaries to plant along side the hellebores. I couldn’t bring myself to plant them out last weekend as there was evidence of slugs and snails. That hasn’t changed but the plants are a little taller now and the flowers have formed. It’s time to be brave.

Six

Lastly, three pots of hydrangea macrophylla ‘Little White’ that I’ve had since Autumn. These are destined for the North facing border. It’s a dwarf variety that grows to approx 60cms. They are replacing the pittosporum that were lost over the winter of 2023. This whole border needs an edit so they’ll be in their pots for a few weeks more.

The compost heap was filling up with the March cut back material and so some turning was required. Gently does it as the toads over-winter there and I was pleased to spot one very fat one. There were plenty of worms too. No doubt there will also be a crop of interesting seeds which will reveal themselves once the finished compost in the last bin is used. There were no visits to the Daughter’s New Garden this week. I don’t think I’ll be back there until April by which there could be much more in evidence. Hopefully it will include a new lawnmower! Recommendations for small lithium battery lawn mowers gratefully received.

Wishing you a happy gardening week and hoping that a visit to Jim’s Garden can be fitted in as well.

Six On Saturday: New shoots and leaves

/ n20gardener / 22 Comments

February is the time I start to cut things back and if it stopped raining I would make a start. It seems that the sunny days fall when I need to be elsewhere. Even if I’m elsewhere the garden moves on. In one part of the garden I have had camassias bulbs pushing through the soil for weeks now. Elsewhere a planting of 30 new bulbs has yet to break the soil. That old gardening trait of impatience is creeping back. Here’s six signs of garden growth for this week.

One

The new tree has arrived. I was very willing to spend a little more to purchase a taller tree but the variety I chose was only available as a 1.5 – 2metre specimen. It is sorbus sargentiana, chosen because it has a slightly narrower growth shape. I fully intended to buy a native sorbus, but this one hails from W. Szechwan, China. It seems to have made it’s way to the UK around 1910 which sits happily with the age of this garden.

Two

The clematis armandii buds are a bit of a garden marker. When the first fat ones appear I know the garden is getting going and so must I.

Three

The other clematis plants are also shooting, this one is ‘Madame Julia Correvon’, a viticella variety that was raised in France in 1900.

Four

These are the glossy leaves of the cherry laurel seedling that appeared mysteriously in the garden last year. I let in stay and it is doing very well. This may eventually move to my daughter’s new garden, once we see what is growing there.

Five

The new rosettes of buds on the hylotelephium. I have several of these in a holding bed. Also waiting to see if they are needed for the new garden.

Six

Lastly, the flowers on the iberis sempervirens are just beginning to open up. An easy doer and reliably hardy. I might be persuaded to share a little of this too.

It’s a sunny day tomorrow so I plan to start some cutting back. Sunny days at this time of year often mean cold overnight temperatures but I for one will be happy to see a blue sky. Jim at Garden Ruminations hosts as usual, stop by and take a look at everything that is going on and happy gardening to you all.

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: New things, old things

/ n20gardener / 26 Comments

How quickly things change. Last week I was gardening in dry soil and this week the garden had a good soaking. Yes, we have had heavy rain but thankfully we do not get flooding. Today there are glorious blue skies and it feels like a perfect gardening day. Hopefully the soil won’t be too wet. Here’s my six for the week.

One

Let’s start with some goodies. I’ve ordered a few things for different parts of the garden. Three hydrangeas to replace the sarcococca confusa that have been eaten (box moth caterpillars?). The sarcococca replaced the pittosporum nanum that was lost last winter. Let’s hope the hydrangeas will be more resilient. Then there are three ostrich ferns aka shuttlecock ferns, to fill out a shady corner, and then veronicastrum ‘Alba’ to give some height to the borders – these were chosen because the slugs did not munch those I already have this year. Finally there is a new calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’. I’m having another go at symmetry. This one will replace one that failed on the other side of the steps. All good solutions, I hope, to gardening challenges. Hardy, slug proof and in the case of the ferns space fillers!

Two

More goodies, just a handful of crocus bulbs that were purchased from a market stall. They always tempt me. These are white Jeanne D’Arc. Isn’t it always the way, you identify the perfect spot to squeeze in a few more bulbs and lo and behold there are already bulbs there. I was luckier on my second attempt.

Three

A few years back this pot suffered in a very cold winter. I tried to repair it but things got worse. This year I concede. It was home to lily bulbs which are always attacked by lily beetles. I’ll do away with the bulbs, I thought, and find a corner of the garden where the pot can look ornamental while empty. I unearthed far more lily bulbs than expected and will almost certainly be trying to find a place to replant them. The hunt for suitable home for a wrecked pot starts this weekend.

Four

Blue skies and roses are perfect. This one is the climbing rose ‘James Galway’ which intertwines with the clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’. The clematis is winning.

Five

Speaking of clematis, here is the wonderful seed head of an unknown variety. So intricately beautiful.

Six

Lastly the astrantia are in flower again. Quietly getting on with things, always enjoyable.

I’ll be splitting overcrowded plants, re-arranging and re-planting. As the veg plot empties out I move any un-homed plants into empty spaces while I work things out. There are more bulbs to plant and I must decide whether to plant more tulips this year. Here’s hoping your plans are going well. Jim is also embarking on new projects, specifically on his allotment. Amazingly he also finds time to host the SOS links. For which many thanks.

Six On Saturday: Welcome home

/ n20gardener / 16 Comments

We’re back from a short break in Cornwall. It’s a long way to go for a short break but we were seeing friends which made it worthwhile. The garden looked after itself quite well. It’s still very dry but the flowers made a special welcome home effort. Here’s six things from the garden this week.

One

Most pleasing were the seed heads on the hakonechloa macra. It’s a great plant but I did laugh when I looked it up to check the spelling – ‘lends a Japanese air to planting groups’ – I must be getting my planting groups wrong.

Two

I also liked the just unfurling bud of an unknown climbing rose. The picture does not do it justice but it looked so bright amongst the verbena bonariensis. The yellow leaves are probably a result of the dry conditions against the wall. Looks like watering will be on the agenda for the weekend.

Three

Darcey Bussell had also turned out to greet me. Which is a little bit of shame as I have pretty much decided to give her up in favour of a group of white roses that are not so prone to blackspot. Poor Darcey is very defoliated at this time of year.

Four

I think this is a first for me, the first time the geums have put on a decent second half of the year show. With a little more watering they would probably look sumptuous.

Five

I don’t think I’ve shared the osteospermum this year. Doggedly getting on with things and always popping out a new flower. They can be a little riotous here though.

Six

The unknown clematis which managed one bud a little while ago seems to have flourished in the last week and there are several flowers now, enough to call it a good display.

It’s all a bit scruffy here at the moment. Some decent rainfall might lift a few things and the hedges are ready for a good cut back. The grass needs mowing and the ivy needs a trim. I’d better get going and do some jobs. Jim is hosting as usual and once again has plenty to share with the SOS crowd. Envious, me? Not at all. Happy gardening to everyone.

Six On Saturday: Olympian efforts

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

Gardening has been hard work this week. The temperatures have been high at a time when the hardy geraniums needed their summer cutback. Once they were cleared a forest of willowherb seedlings were revealed. On the upside, the veg plot has been delivering cucumbers, courgettes, red onions and potatoes and, when I can get to them first, a second crop of strawberries from a later flowering variety. Blackberries have been picked and the autumn raspberries are beginning to flower. Today’s six was interrupted by rain. Not a satisfying downpour but fine, mizzley rain that will barely dampen the soil. Here’s a hasty six for the week.

One

An orange burst of a cactus dahlia. The only one I grow and I really don’t have much involvement with it. There was a slug attack as the new shoots came through but once it became established it just powered away. This year I pinched it out to keep the height lower to avoid having to stake. It shares a raised bed with the asparagus and so it is allowed to sprawl a little. Bronze medal.

Two

I cleared back some rampant verbena bonariensis to give space to other plants and this penstemon was a happy beneficiary. I think it is ‘White Bedder’.

Three

The hollyhocks seed themselves in all sorts of places. Here a pink one has combined with the pink rose ‘Wisley’.

Four

Another hollyhock, the darker ones are my favourites and I will collect seed and try to propagate this one. Silver medal.

Five

The magenta phlox could do with a heavy downpour and I have my fingers crossed for that this afternoon. If not I may have to resort to the hose. That will be the first use of the hose for the flower garden this year.

Six

Last week’s single bud on the clematis has opened. It’s gorgeous. Definitely worthy of gold.

I’m narrowing in on some plans for Autumn. New roses, hydrangeas and another miscanthus will be ordered. I’ve lost salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, all of them. But I’m going to try again in a different location. I am at that impatient stage when I want to get on with the new plans but I’ll have to settle and enjoy the new month first. Jim our host, has some wonderful plants to share this week, a never ending supply of colour and inspiration. Happy gardening to you all.