#geranium

Six On Saturday: almost in full voice

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It’s tantalising, so nearly there, one more week surely and the garden will take a leap forward. I’m impatient and yet wanting things to slow down at the same time. The sun has some warmth but cold winds and rain suggest it’s not a wonderful Spring yet. Perhaps May will arrive with a burst of energy. I took inspiration for my subtitle from a poem by Philip Larkin The Trees. Well worth a read. Here’s six from the almost there garden.

One

I was tempted at the garden centre by this low growing weigela, called ‘Pink Poppet’. It could be a replacement for the dying daphne you can see in the top corner. It supposedly flowers from March to August and is ‘perfect for pollinators’. I hope it’s a no-nonsense space filler. I could do with a few more things that just get on with it!

Two

The first rose opened and was immediately drenched by overnight rain. One step forward…. The rose is Jacqueline du Pré. I will surely be revisiting this corner of the garden to share with you in May.

Three

Definitely in the ‘just getting on with it’ category, the reliable geranium phaeum. It’s spread itself enough here that it is time to move a few on to other shady spots in the garden.

Four

The tiarella is also in flower in a shady corner. This one is tiarella cordifolia, planted in 2021 in a dryish shady spot. It doesn’t flourish but it’s an inhospitable corner. It should be snuggled in with some hostas but those have been dug up and placed in pots in a vain attempt to save them from slugs.

Five

This is not the aforementioned hosta but another one, well established in a large pot – ‘Francee’. The new leaves are just unfurling and look wonderful. Vigilance is my motto and there are regular inspections for the slimey lurkers.

Six

Lastly a tale of woe from the fruit and veg patch. Before I left for Dorset I noticed flowers on the currants but I didn’t get round to netting them. The white currants have survived this unforgiveable negligence and fruit is forming. But sadly the red currants seem to be seriously depleted of flower. Picked off by pigeons is my bet. I’ll be netting both this morning. If the rain stops.

It looks like rain all day Sunday, which means that my weeds will grow even more luxurious. The tall ‘Maureen’ tulips have put on another 5 cms and seem amazingly resilient to the wind. I am planning to pot on tomato seedlings this weekend and that I can do even if it rains. Cucumber seeds have germinated and I have potted up rocket getting stronger before I risk offering them up to the slugs again. Flower seeds in a gappy and unheated greenhouse are going slow. I may sow again but keep them on a sunny window sill inside. Jim hosts all the SOS links and shares his own wonderful garden each week. Take a look and join in! And Enjoy your gardening space this weekend.

Six On Saturday: Late flowerers

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September has flown by, pushed through on the back of some strong winds. Storm Agnes fortunately passed this garden by and the month has been benign. I have cleared the garden of courgettes and cucumbers. The chilis ripened to a wonderful red colour and as the plans to revamp the veg garden are still in hand, there will be no new planting here for me this year. The hydrangea quercifolia are now in their new positions and will be joined by some white tulips and white hellebores. I spent a great deal of time weighing up replacements for winter losses and a few weeks ago I had settled on osmanthus delavayi but having spotted it in a garden recently I am now going back to an earlier choice – fatsia japonica. I think I will hold firm on that one, but watch this space. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

Some weeks ago I showed a plant rescued from the pity bench at a local supermarket. It was echinacea ‘Delicious Nougat’. Here it is in flower.

Two

I also have some flowers on a newly purchased penstemon which if my notes are to be believed is called ‘White’! I can’t argue really.

Three

The tough and reliable osteospermum are also in flower again after a quiet spell.

Four

And I couldn’t resist revisiting salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’. This has been in flower for some time but has suddenly become a real focal point and is always thronged with bees.

Five

Some weeks ago Jim, our host, showed some hylotelephium spectabile which had benefited from a timely Chelsea Chop. Here are mine which did not get the benefit of the chop. They fall in this interesting way as they grow out from a dark corner of the north facing border. How they came to settle in this spot happened well before my time and they are deeply entrenched in some walling and seem to be impossible to dig out. I’ll leave them be.

Six

I’m really scrabbling around for my last one and I’ve opted for a re-flowering of geranium psilostemon. It’s valiantly trying to fill the space where the fatsia japonica might end up.

Thank you to all who comment on these weekly posts. I didn’t manage to respond last week but I will be in touch soon. I hope all is well in your gardens and to find out about other SOS gardens stop by at Jim’s to find the links. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Out goes cold May

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Shakespeare was right about the rough winds shaking the darling buds! It was a week of cold winds and those tomato plants that were looking terrible last week, look even worse now. I’ve written them off. Fortunately June has arrived and the garden fills up a little more each day. I have one or two end of May flowers that deserve a turn in the limelight before we get to full blown June. Here’s this week’s six.

One

I have a handful of irises in the garden. Sibirica, Germanica and Bearded but I this iris foetidissima is one of my favourites. It has such beautiful markings and a subtle colour. They can so easily be overlooked as they settle themselves into shady corners beneath the shrubs. They are presents from the birds who perch above.

Two

There have been sunny days, even as the cold winds blew and the hardy geraniums have opened. This is an unknown variety that smuggled itself in with a bulk buy of white ones. Some relocation was required when it first flowered!

Three

This gentle pink one is the bloody cranesbill, geranium sanguineum var. striatum. A low growing variety that I sneak into edges and corners as often as I can.

Four

A last aquilegia, ‘Lemon Sorbet’. This was planted in shade and has self seeded itself out into a little more sunshine. The plants always know best.

Five

Thalictrum ‘Black Stocking’, grows happily in a part shade area of the garden. It’s been here for about three years now and has filled out nicely.

Six

Have I saved the best until last? I was so impressed with this astrantia yesterday. It’s ‘Claret’, a wonderful colour but sadly not a self seeder. My fave of the week, nevertheless!

Summer is here. The bees are buzzing through the buttercups on the lawn and there’s already a scarcity of rain. For more Six On Saturday posts from gardens around the world take a quick trip to Jim’s Cornish garden and enjoy the delights on offer there. I wish you well in your garden this weekend.

Six On Saturday: Ups and downs

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The garden is filling up well but losses are still being revealed. I’m adding to the carnage with my own impatience. Last weekend I cut back a blackcurrant sage, having decided it was dead. Only as I collected the twigs did I notice two small green shoots. I’ve left the roots in in the hope that it will grow back. I’ve also had poor germination with seeds. Again, some of my own making. Old seeds sown in giddy optimism only to end in failure. But new seeds too have not delivered in quantity for me. But there are more and more ups to choose from. Here’s this week’s six.

One

Starting with an up. This weigela florida ‘Variegata’ was one of the first plants I added to the garden nearly seven years ago. It has been trouble free, delivers lovely pink flowers and has pretty variegated leaves. It’s in the thin border so I have to keep it line with the border edge and it has a midsummer tidy up of the old flowers but otherwise I pretty much leave it alone. It gets an up from me.

Two

Two for the price of one here. Two downs. I unwrapped the agapanthus and lemon tree last weekend. One probable loss of agapanthus and although there is one green stem on the lemon tree I think it will let it go. Following the demise of the large greenhouse in a winter storm there is nowhere to shelter the lemon tree. It was never very happy in an unheated greenhouse so I think it is time to give the space over to something new – and hardier. Happily four agapanthus did survive.

Three

This is a special up because the newish libertias were dug up last year and moved to new locations. At least two are flowering, perhaps the other two will follow this week. Libertia chilensis syn. Libertia grandiflora to give it it’s full name, is described as reliable and long lived. I hope they all settle in and do well in the years to come

Four

Another up and another mover. Tellima grandiflora or fringe cups. I really enjoy these and they are suited to dry shade so that is where they went. But they were not doing so well on one side, perhaps crowded out by other plants. So one group was dug up and moved to a more open space and there they have flourished. I also have one self-seeder which is another plus.

Five

Another plant for dry shade is geranium macrorrhizum ‘Bevan’s Variety’ which has settled in well, and is fighting back the bluebells. I also had geranium macrorrhizum ‘Mount Olympus White’ in this area but so far no sign of a white flower.

Six

Lastly a second group of camassias. These are paler blue and shorter than those shown last week, and I think are the quamash variety. Tsk, tsk, I really should keep my plant list up to date.

We are due some sunshine this weekend, yes please. I did sow parsnip seeds and I think they have had enough watering but are in need of some warmth. The tulips are just finishing and deadheading them is a great way to discover the hiding places of the slugs. My toads in the compost heap are very happy. The roses are all in bud and the delphiniums are climbing. This is the time to walk the garden with a ball of string in hand ready to tie in anything that needs support. Jim’s garden is open once again and he reminds me that SOS has been running for six years. Thanks to our original host The Propagator and to Jim at Garden Ruminations for taking on the baton. Much appreciated.

Six On Saturday: Exuberance begins

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Ping! Pow! Pop! That is what the garden has done this week. Sunshine and showers (and a small amount of hail) have turbo-charged the growth of the perennials. All is looking good for the summer time splash. The rainy days were a welcome change from April’s drought and gave me time to plan a tulip buying extravaganza to rival that of the seventeenth century. Forgive me, I am getting over-excited. Here’s my six.

One

Geranium phaeum.  One of my favourites for this time of year.  It reminded me of the move to this house four years ago.  The borders were empty and I brought with me a small selection of self seeders and spreaders to give me some bare bones to build on.  The velvety phaeum was one and it has done its job, I divided them last year and have a decent sized number now.  A reliable doer.

 

Two

I couldn’t bring it with me, but I always enjoyed the weigela that came with the old garden.  I didn’t know the variety but I thought weigela ‘Florida Variegata’ looked a good match and it is.  

Three

The plum trees have been pruned, one by myself and one by the expert.  Here they are.  Ailing plum is doing okay at the moment, the second one looks much better for the prune.  The photo is taken from the other side to give a better view of the open structure of the middle.  I can confidently say the blackbirds can swoop through the middle any time they want.

Four 

The Prop’s tiarella from last week prompted me to search out mine.  They are in a dark corner on the way to compost heap, squeezed in between the gooseberries and the blackcurrants.  What a delight, they shone through the gloom.  This is ‘Emerald Gaiety’.

Five

When I say the borders here were empty when we arrived I should say there was plenty of weed clearing to be done.  Amongst the weeds was a self sown aquilegia vulgaris, the common columbine.  I left it there and over three years it has settled itself into a very happy clump about a metre high.  It’s now too dominant for my liking and  distracts the eye from the nearby irises.  It’s time to find it a new home. 

Six

The last of the tulips have opened.  These grow in a corner that heads towards the shady cold north border so they are always the last to show up.  There should be a good show of ‘Angelique’ combined with ‘Spring Green’ and ‘China Town’.  But the combination is thinning out and needs revitalising.  Hence the great tulip search.  For this year there are just enough coming through to make a good display.  

Like Mr P I shall be potting on some seedlings this weekend.  Also on the to-do list is planting out the dwarf french beans, some more lettuce and rocket and the February sown sweet peas.  I shall continue to urge the three remaining lupins on to their next stage and take a look at the no-show Californian poppy seed tray, again.  Happy gardening to you all, I hope you get some time to catch up with the links on Mr P’s site.  It’s going to be a busy weekend.  

 

Six On Saturday: Flattened

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It was a week of hunkering down.  The water butts filled up impressively.  I then emptied them by filling up all the watering cans and then watering the greenhouse.  It was mad, crazy, wet.  I was happy from Monday to Wednesday, a little peeved by Thursday and downright fed up on Friday.  But the garden did need it.  I reviewed the damage: slugs and snails feasting on the lupins and flattened roses but most other things just soaked up the magic water.

One

The flattened and rain soaked ‘Scepter’d Isle’.  The petals just fell off them as I deadheaded them.  The alchemilla mollis underneath was cut and joined the forlorn rosa ‘Darcy Bussell’ in a vase.  I was reminded of some beautifully crafted staking of roses at Waterperry gardens and again made a note to do better next year!

Two

The collection of small plants I bought at the Finchley Horticulutral Society plant sale were short enought to withstand the rain, and positively thrived on it.  These are alchemilla mollis alpina, tellima grandiflora or fringe cups,  geranium ballerina and erinus alpinus, also delightfully known as fairy foxgloves.

Three

I was pleased to see a mistreated geranium had forgiven me.  ‘Ann Folkard’ was planted five years ago in the old house, moved around several times there, came to the new house and has been moved around several times again.  I hope it’s  in the right place now, I’m going let it stay for a while and see how it fairs.

Four

Just before the deluge arrived the ailing choysia left.  I now have that most desirable of garden commodities – open space.  I wish I had worked out the plan of what to do next first but the urge to remove the choysia was too strong.  Normally I would fill the space with annuals but I don’t think they will do well in this north facing border.  On the other hand it is at the western end and I do have two or three trays of annuals looking for a home.

Five

The much awaited melica altissima ‘Alba’ arrived.  The final piece in the shady north border planting.  Now it all has to knit together, the weeds are doing that rather better than the plants at the moment.  The climbing  hydrangea is making good progress but the first flowers on the geranium sanguineums were dashed to the ground by the rain.

Six

The small and dainty dianthus deltoides stood up to the rain.  They are about 18cms high and edge the border very well.

A little bit warmth would do very nicely now but dark clouds are looming again.  The weeds are growing upwards and the slugs are growing fat.  It is summer solstice next week so I am optimistically  expecting a change in the weather!  I think rain will be the word of the week for other SOSers.  Take a look at The Propagator’s blog to see how everyone faired.

Six On Saturday: Red, white and blue

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Oh go on,  indulge me!  It’s Harry and Meghan’s day and here’s my Six:

One

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I’ve planted up the containers.  I’m very predictable.  It’s always two geraniums and something else.  This year I have two trailing ivy leaf geraniums, this one is Merlot.

Two

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And the something else is a trailing bacopa snowflake.

Three

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And the first of the blues is Polemonium caeruleum or Jacob’s ladder.  I strayed from my plan to plant in blocks and just bought one of these.  I am now trying it out around the garden to be sure I find the perfect spot for it.

Four

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The second red is of course a geum, Blazing Sunset.  Bought last year at the Finchley Horticultural Society plant sale – which is where I shall be on Sunday, manning a stall.

Five

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The second white is a Cistus or rock rose.  There is a label for this somewhere,  but for now I am joining our noble leader in the var. unk. club! (I think it might be Alan Frapp).

Six

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The second blue was a difficult choice but I’ve decided to save my favourite one for next week… For this week it’s going to be Geranium himalayense ‘Gravetye’.  It’s just coming into flower and is doing a great job filling out the new border.

Okay, so maybe the blues are a little purple and one of the reds is on the verge of orange but I think you get my drift!

Happy weekends everyone, be it weddings, football, plant sales or gardening!  And save some time for reading all the other sixes as featured at The Propagator’s blog.