#geraniums

Six On Saturday: Chaos!

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I’ve been away from the garden for a week for a short break on the East coast of England where it was cold, rainy, windy and occasionally sunny. Before I left I hedged my bets with the outdoor tomatoes, planting some outside, leaving some in the greenhouse and a few still in pots in a sheltered space. I was expecting those in the greenhouse to dry out, those planted out to be eaten by slugs and had my fingers crossed for those in the sheltered space. All have survived, so I may have a surplus of tomatoes, if there is any sun to ripen them. In the meantime the garden has romped away. Geranium psilostemon has never been so tall, nor have the verbena bonariensis. The weeds are flourishing and beginning to flower and the autumn fruiting raspberries need tying in. There is much to do, but not today as it is raining again. Here’s my six for this week.

One

It’s hardy geranium time. The first is an unknown magenta variety that came with a batch of white ones ordered for a north facing border. It was swiftly relocated.

Two

These are the white ones, geranium sanguineum ‘Album’. They were given a strong talking to earlier on in the season as in previous years they were a little underwhelming. ‘If you don’t flower you are going.’ They have flowered, quite delicately so but enough to allow them to stay. And so to has the insidious cinque foil weed. So difficult to remove unfortunately.

Three

This is a low growing geranium, perfect for edges of borders, trouble free, flowers well and just gets on with things. Geranium sanguineum var. striatum if you are interested.

Four

The astrantias have also come into flower, this one is ‘Roma’. I feel sure I have some ‘Claret’ elsewhere but I haven’t spotted them so far.

Five

Knautia macedonica joins the magenta team. I like this, but I have too much magenta in the garden this year. It is normally offset by the blues of delphiniums but you know who ate them all.

Six

The last for the week comes from Suffolk, where the edges of an old railway track were lined with towering foxgloves. They looked wonderful.

I’m hoping for a dry day tomorrow. I have courgettes to plant out, euphorbias to cut back and weeds to be pulled. I hope there will be time for your gardening tasks this weekend and also time to stop by Jim’s site to visit other SOS gardens.

Six On Saturday: Trials and tribulations

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

There has been an attack on free speech in the N20 household. I have been restricted to “two or three mentions” of the slug word per day. I am hoping that this is my safe space and I that I can fully rant at length about the slimy munchers and you won’t take too much offence. So here goes, and then I will shut up. After a day and half of continual rain even the slugs decided it was too much and invaded the greenhouse where they took the express elevator up the damp glass to the top floor where the tomato plants were thriving. Fortunately only one loss there. The coffee grounds placed around the onions were only a temporary deterrent, and soon the onions came under attack once more. Slugs are also eating the potatoes stems. The beer traps have caught two. Two! As you can imagine that is not a great impact. I could go on, and on. But even I am becoming a little bored by the whole thing. In amongst all this there are some positives and I am back singing the praises of roses and their scent.

One

This ‘Darcy Bussell’, which last year was having a battle with black spot. This year the rain seems to have encouraged a mass of flowers.

Two

‘Scepter’d Isle’ has a wonderful scent and is always a reliable flowerer.

Three

I visit again ‘Blush Noisette’ the myriad of buds are now rushing to open and its fabulous scent fills the evening air. The David Austin notes describe it as having ‘a rich musky clove fragrance.’

Four

This just about to unfurl bud is ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’. It is a climbing rose and used to cover the rose arch. I am not entirely convinced by rose arches, the roses on the top do well but the sides seem to suffer. Our arch rotted away and so was removed last winter. ‘Tess’ was moved to a wall and is putting in a remarkable effort to re-establish itself. The long stem that was bare up the side of the rose arch has just put out at least half a dozen new buds, which may or may not make it to flowers this year. Watch this space.

Five

Elsewhere the hardy geranium ‘Kashmir White’ has opened up. I do like this one and it could be ready for a division this year.

Six

The foxgloves have been severely munched (there I go again) but one or two have made it to flowering. Excuse the blurry astrantia, more from those next week.

It has been a strange May. The greenhouse does not seem to have been consistently warm, it’s either cold and wet or very hot. The cosmos seedlings are really slow growing. In the border my white alliums, ‘Mount Everest’, had their stems stripped of the green and the flower heads are much smaller. They are almost over without making the impact they usually do. On the positive side courgette seeds were sown about two weeks ago and have germinated, even the very old seeds that I decided to use up. I can’t imagine when I will be foolish enough to plant them out!

Thank you for listening to the rant. I’ve more time this weekend and it’s a long one. Dead-heading roses is top of the to do list and I spotted some tulips that need to be dealt with too. Happy gardening everyone. Jim as usual hosts and share his garden with us all at Garden Ruminations.

Six On Saturday: Eyes peeled

/ n20gardener / 22 Comments

Unfortunately I had my eyes tight shut during last night’s solar storm over the UK. Pictures from neighbours suggest it was quite impressive. Elsewhere I have had them peeled as more and more of the late Spring garden is emerging. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

This is one of my favourite corners of the garden. It’s planted with thalictrum ‘Black Stocking’, three of them, with the rose Jaqueline du Pré and geranium ‘Wargrave Pink’. I had to cut back two branches of the dying viburnum that sits behind to the right. This has turned out to be a good thing as the view has opened up. There is still one branch of the viburnum standing and this one is full of new shoots. We shall see how it fares.

Two

The first wave of camassias are over, the second wave has just arrived. These light blue ones have the long name of camassias Leichtlinii subsp suksdorfii Caerulea group. I had a plan to plant a white form of camassias in another part of the garden but today’s Dig Delve newsletter from Dan Pearson has persuaded me otherwise. He says they self-seed mercilessly. I will have to have another think.

Three

Just along from the thalictrum is a clump of persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’. It has a reputation for spreading but so far has been reasonably well behaved.

Four

The aquilegias have got into their stride now we have had some sunshine. These are all self-seeders.

Five

Speaking of sunshine, put your sunglasses on for this one. The new leaves of the Hart’s tongue fern, or asplenium scolopendrium. I’ve finished cutting back the old fronds from three of them that seem happy in a dryish shady corner.

Six

In another dark corner, north facing, these melica altissima ‘Alba’ grasses are thriving and give a light softness to this border.

Elsewhere in the garden, I have offered up my dwarf French beans to the slugs – with coffee grounds and beer traps as protection. I don’t really have enough coffee grounds but I’ll be adding to the defences on a weekly basis. The tomato plants are getting stronger and I have sown courgette seeds. I don’t have too many flower seedlings as a couple of half trays look non-germinating but that means less toing and froing in and out of the greenhouse to harden things off. I hope things are going well with your garden, there’s more to be discovered on Jim’s page. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Lagging behind

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

I’m not sure what I have been doing of late but clearly it is not gardening! The borders have gone wild. Self-seeders abound and there is still much to be cut back. I am not alone. Off The Edge Gardening is having a similar experience which has prompted this week’s confessions. Tidying up after Summer has to be done but in the meantime here are six from the garden this week.

One

The pity bench at the local Supermarket called to me. The echinacea was substantially reduced in price and all it needed was dead heading. Home it came and here it is ready to flower again.

Two

The Japanese anemones are enjoying their time. This group of ‘Honorine Joubert’ are happy enough but I have two other plants that have been in the garden for many years now and they do not shine. This is the year to accept that they are in the wrong place and get them relocated somewhere else.

Three

If geranium ‘Ann Folkard’ flowered earlier in the year I did not notice it. Here it is now, gamely making the best of of dryish, shady location.

Four

This mallow is a pretty flower but I made the mistake of putting the seed heads on the compost. Now I have a sprinkling of it in all corners of the garden.

Five

An unknown fuchsia that looked a gonna after the winter. I cut it to the ground and it has regrown happily.

Six

Another compost bin self-seeder. Astrantia major. This one is in the raspberry patch. I’ll move it soon. I think I am also going to have move the raspberries when the new beds are laid out. The measurements do not quite allow them to stay in place while work carries on around them.

Our host Jim, invites you to share his garden and all the links to SOS posts from around the world. Somehow I will try to fit a few hours in the garden this weekend. I hope you can too. Enjoy.

Six On Saturday: A wet and windy weekend

/ n20gardener / 15 Comments

Unusually for me I am writing this on a Friday. The forecast for Saturday is heavy rain and gusting winds. Today it is just rain all day. It has been a showery week and you would think the garden would be well lubricated by now. But the late planting out of dahlias in pots revealed dry soil just an inch down. Of course a wet top surface is perfect for the slugs and snails and sure enough by the next day the new shoots of the over wintered dahlia I spotted last week and one of the newly planted dahlias had been munched. Hopefully the potted dahlias are strong enough to push on. Here’s six from a gloomy garden.

One

This is ‘Etoile Violette’, a viticella clematis that has been flowering for weeks. It is putting the neighbouring trachelospermum jasminoides to shame. I though it would be a good combination if they entwined but so far the TJ is being a little weedy!

Two

This is an early arrival on the anemone front. But I seem to remember they came early last year too. This is ‘September Charm’, so well in advance of expectations. They have bulked up well this year after a worrying year when I thought they had a disease of some kind.

Three

I admired a white form of geranium phaeum being shared on twitter. I succumbed and bought some, really thinking it was too late in the season and I would have to wait for next year for flowers but rather generously they have put out one or two new blooms. It’s in the northish facing border but there is a moment of morning and afternoon sun. I hope it does well.

Four

I didn’t have my secateurs to hand when I took this photo so I share spent blooms and new blooms of the red rose ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’. It’s a climber and I was also lacking string to tie in a few wayward stems. Must be better prepared!

Five

Another inherited plant that gets by without too much attention. The magenta phlox was thinned out last year and divisions added around the garden. They have all done well. Easy peasy plant! In the background is the grass Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’. Second year in the garden and beginning to clump up quite nicely. Also in the background, gooseberries which need picking!

Six

A survivor! This hebe – inherited and unknown – is on it’s second move in three years. I think this will be its forever home. It coped with the move and the cold winter. The bees appreciate it and I hope it will be happy here.

I’m not sure what I’ve been up to lately but I have neglected my SOS reading duties. I’ve also neglected to give the roses their mid season feed. Last weekend the blackcurrants were picked and some of those gooseberries. The summer raspberries really didn’t have enough watering to do well this year but with the current forecast I’m more hopeful for the autumn variety. Sometimes the garden is neglected a little but it pulls through. Jim, the SOS host, had an abundance of blackcurrants last weekend, stop by and see what’s happening at Garden Ruminations this week. There’s always a surprise.

Six On Saturday: July and jobs to be done

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July is here. It’s a busy time in the garden as the May and June flowers need tidying. The roses have had a good year and I need to catch up on the deadheading. There hasn’t been much rain and my watering has been on the light side. I am trying to train the garden to get by with less. This does mean smaller flowers but on the whole things are managing. It’s about time I dug up some potatoes to see how they have got on. I can already see that the onions are small but the basil and chilies are flourishing. Here’s six from this morning’s walk round.

One

I was late putting in my summer pots, being late is the story of this year. This week saw the first flower on some geraniums I bought as plug plants at the beginning of June. I hope I can overwinter these.

Two

I grow a few varieties of achillea and each year seem to lose them over winter. I thought it was the weather but this year I spotted the snails munching the new shoots. With some extra vigilance I think I have managed to keep two varieties this year. This one is ‘New Vintage White’. It’s a low grower, around 35cms. It is surrounded by self seeded verbena bonariensis, which has grown very tall. It’s a very odd combination which would work much better if they intermingled.

Three

The salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’ was the only salvia that overwintered. There was plenty of brown at the beginning of the year but it was cut back to promising shoots and it did pull through. This is the third attempt to get this in focus and I give up!

Four

I inherited a clematis when I moved here. It was on its last legs then but after freeing it from bindweed and giving it some attention it gained strength. This year it is not so lush. There are some beautiful flowers but it is in need of some watering and feeding. Adds to long list of jobs to do!

Five

The very tall verbena bonariensis deserves a photo. They self seed happily here but never quite where I would like them to be.

Six

The first of the day lilies has opened. I do enjoy them but these ones are so prone to hemerocallis gall midge that I sometimes wonder about digging them up. The affected buds need to be picked off. Adds to long list of jobs to do!

The weather is kinder to weekend gardeners this week. Cooler temperatures will see me out and about working through the borders. I hope you are able to enjoy your gardening spaces this weekend. We all need to switch off and immerse ourselves in the beauty of flowers every now and then! This week Jim, our host, is down on the allotment. Stop by and take a look.

Six On Saturday: June madness

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The garden has had a week of neglect. No watering from me and one downpour from the heavens. It is surviving. Many things are in overdrive, thriving in the heat and enjoying being left to their own devices. Here’s six for this week.

One

This just about sums it up. Lychnis coronaria with ‘Brookside’ geraniums and astrantia major. It is madness but I love it.

Two

The madness has its downsides. The path is impassable as geraniums psilostemon and ‘Brookside’ and the alchemilla mollis reach out to join together. The lawn mower shall not pass is the message.

Three

On the other side, in a shadier space, it is the froth of the grass melica altisssima ‘Alba’ combining with geranium sanguineum ‘Album’ that creates a haze of green and white.

Four

In a new planting the purple spires of salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ is beginning to work together with gaura lindheimeri. This is the first year in the garden for these two together. I have lost gaura overwinter before but I am hoping this sunnier spot will suit them better.

Five

I will definitely be coming back the agapanthus again. This the first flower on the evergreen agapanthus. They grow in pots and are wrapped in fleece over the winter. One pot was lost. One has just about pulled through and the other three are pushing up an encouraging number of flower spikes.

Six

The lavender is just on the verge of bursting forth. The bees will have something to move on to from the madness of the borders to this space on the patio. It’s all happening out there.

It is going to be a very hot weekend here. I will not be gardening in it! But I will enjoy the mid summer madness. I will not give a single thought to the fact that the days begin to get shorter now. Oh no, there is still so much to appreciate. I encourage you to take a look at more SOS gardens by visiting Jim’s place where all the links to other SOS blogs are posted each week. Of course you will also get to enjoy Jim’s wise words.

Six On Saturday: Billowing roses

/ n20gardener / 9 Comments

There’s plenty of dead heading to done as the roses have gone into overdrive this year. But seeing the left hand side of the garden frothing with roses is a wonderful sight. The garden is surviving on minimal water rations. One hour of rain on Monday but it didn’t completely fill the water butt so more is needed and indeed we might get some this weekend. Here’s six for this week.

One

The first of the roses is ‘Blush Noisette’ I planted two of them to cover a good stretch of the wall.

Two

In the middle of the two ‘Blush Noisette’ I planted ‘This Sceptre’d Isle’. I underplanted that with some alchemilla mollis. The geranium psilostemon had other ideas and self seeded itself here as well. I have to agree it works very well.

Three

At the far end of the garden the rambling rose ‘Wedding Day’ is having a fabulous season.

Four

On the opposite side of the garden I planted two climbing hydrangeas to cover the fence and this year they are getting close to achieving that aim and have had their best flowering year yet.

Five

In one of the sunnier borders the pale yellow of sisyrinchium works well with geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’

Six

In a shadier spot geranium ‘Kashmir White’ settles in with more alchemillia mollis.

That’s my stroll round the garden for today. There are plenty more gardens to stroll around at Jim’s place. I think in the UK and in Northern Europe we are all hoping for some rain this weekend. I hope we all receive enough to keep us going. Happy Gardening.

Six on Saturday: Whose garden is it?

/ n20gardener / 19 Comments

June is the month, that seven years ago, I took over this garden. The previous owner had loved his soft fruit and fruit trees but much of the rest of the garden had gone to weeds. That family was the second family to garden here. There is evidence in archived local newspapers that the first owner also loved his soft fruits and had won prizes for raspberries. There has been over 100 years of gardening here and I am gradually leaving my mark. I have come to appreciate that I share this garden with the past, with the numerous slugs and snails, with the foxes and cats and with the birds and insects. I share it with my neighbours too. Sometimes they have no choice as the clematis armandii knows no bounds. I also get to share theirs. Their roses peek over the fence. The hawthorn and ceanothus in Spring take my eye to their gardens and in June I enjoy a superb display of flowers from a neighbouring elder tree. Seven years of this garden has passed by so quickly and there is so much more to do. Here’s six for this week.

One

This is the creature that prompted this little outburst. A red admiral butterfly on a hosta. The hosta is in a pot at the end of garden. At this time of year it basks in the evening sun and this a favourite end of day spot for a visit. Clearly the butterfly also agrees but it is not so keen on sharing and each evening it dive bombs us in an effort to persuade us to leave this little corner. The butterfly always wins. This is the third year of this interesting behaviour.

Two

A combination of persicaria bistorta ‘Superba’ and alchemilla mollis. This has probably been in the garden for about five years. The persicaria has spread a little but not too aggressively.

Three

The suns rays shining through the lovely geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’. This is a garden share from an aunt and has been divided and lifted many times. It has been with me for, and it seems incredible to say this, about twenty years, joining us in each house move.

Four

The roses are exuberant at the moment. This is ‘Darcy Bussell’, great colour and scent.

Five

And this is ‘Jaqueline du ‘Pré’. Looking at its very best in this photo.

Six

Lastly, the very rampant geranium ‘Brookside’ with the rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’. One of the previous residents of this house was a Gertrude so I hope this meets her approval.

The Six On Saturday meme is all about sharing gardens. Our host is Jim of Garden Ruminations and each week he shares the links to the posts of other SOS gardeners. All are welcome to stop by to have a look and to take part. It’s going to be very hot this weekend, I will briefly mention the lack of rain and the diminishing water storage. But let us enjoy what we can – it is Summer.