#pelargoniums

Six On Saturday: Gardening, life and dahlias

/ n20gardener / 14 Comments

Sometimes life gets in the way of gardening. Of late, small things have derailed my good intentions and the weather has poured cold water on any free-time plans. Gardening life has also thrown in a nasty with the discovery of honey fungus. This insidious fungus has been creeping through the borders unknown and unchecked for some time. For two or three years now I have been wondering why the established choisya and two skimmias have paled and ailed. Hot summers and cold wet winters offered possible causes for their gradual demise but this Autumn the honey fungus put out some mushrooms on an old tree stump and all became clear. The fungus is now probably wrapping itself round the rhododendron roots and if that one succumbs there will be a large gap in the garden to fill. In the meantime removal of the tree stump and cultivation of the ground is the advice. The rhizomes don’t survive once the infected source is removed. I hope I am in time to save the rhododendron. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

Let’s get straight to the dahlias. I do not have a good relationship with them. The slugs come between us and I curse both pest and plant. But I lifted the three remaining dahlias with the intention of trying them in pots next year. The ground was wet and I left the tubers in the shed to dry out before wrapping them up for the winter. Needless to say they were forgotten, they did not dry out and of course have rotted. I have salvaged what I hope will be salvageable and will ensure these are dry before wrapping them in newspaper for the winter.

Two

It’s that time of year when I roll out two old favourites. I always think of fellow SOSer Off the Edge when I include this one. It is not her favourite plant – cotoneaster horizantalis. But it puts on a good show, provides food for the birds and I have grown to enjoy it.

Three

The leaves have fallen and revealed the fruits on the persimmon tree once again. There were so many fallen fruits this year but still there are plenty to go round. I am expecting the parakeets to arrive soon.

Four

I have yet to plant out the winter bedding and with the first frozen bird bath of the winter I know I must get my skates on. The pellies are putting out the odd flower and the bacopa goes on and on. But I will sort these pots out this weekend.

Five

With the threat of cold nights I did make wrapping the agapanthus a priority. These are the evergreen versions. I invested in some good quality fleece a couple of years back and I have managed to get another year out of it. A successful purchase. The lemon tree, which has no greenhouse to go now, has also been wrapped. It was 0.3 degrees last night. I live in hope!

Six

The roses have been putting out new flowers every week only to have them balled up by the rain. Somehow these two from the climber ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ have escaped and give a good deep red focal point on the collapsing rose arch. Here the light does not show the colour but I went for the drama of the silhouette!

It’s cold but dry and my gardening list is long: pots to sort out, tulips to be planted and still some cutting back of perennials to be completed. The leaves are piling up but I did manage to empty out last year’s leaf mould cage ready to start again for this winter. The season moves on and I have a few weeks more gardening to do before I can ease up. I hope everyone else is finding enough time to enjoy their green spaces. Today’s blue skies are cheering and it is about the right time for some winter cold!

Don’t forget to stop by at Garden Ruminations, where Jim host of this meme gently guides us through each week.

Six On Saturday: Hanging on to Summer

/ n20gardener / 23 Comments

It’s a long weekend in the UK, the last weekend of August, the last weekend of Summer. What a thought! Here the roses are pushing out their second wave of flowers and look fantastic. I have neglected to share photos of the veg plot produce but it’s safe to say the courgettes are producing well. The cucumbers are still going and the Charlotte new potatoes were delicious. Last week I was muttering that the birds do not eat enough slugs. I looked into this and it seems that pigeons are vegetarians and that I need a crowd of blackbirds or starlings in the garden. Unfortunately I think the magpies keep them away. But magpies, I believe, are carnivorous. However, they seem to be attracted more to the grubs in the lawn. Oh well. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

We have been picking blackberries for a few weeks now and I have to say the taste has not been great this year. Perhaps too much rain and not enough sun.

Two

I don’t think I’ve ever posted this one before. Potentilla ‘Abbotswood’. I have a note that it was planted in 2019. It is in an inhospitable place in the front garden and has been slow to fill out. This year it is just beginning to beef up.

Three

Now these roses often get a look in. ‘Natasha Richardson’. They smell wonderful and are so generous with their flowering. Just perfect.

Four

The eurybia divaricata is in flower. It copes well with shade, so much so that I planted some self-seeders out in the shady dry corner of the front garden and they have survived the situation.

Five

I have roses to deadhead: Madame Isaac Pereire is a lovely colour with a wonderful scent but is in need of some tidying up today.

Six

Hurrah, another scented leaf pellie is in flower. Perhaps Summer can be extended for a few more weeks.

Just time for a quick update on the path project in the veg beds. A good discussion was had, the paths will be a mixture of Indian sandstone and clay pavers. In the newly paved area, there will be six beds of approx 1.2m x 2.8m. Which should be plenty for me. Now I have to be patient for my turn to come up for the work to start.

Don’t forget to stop by Jim’s garden for more Six On Saturday chat. Happy gardening everyone.

Six On Saturday: More and more slugs

/ n20gardener / 27 Comments

The genial host of this meme is Jim who shares his garden ruminations and hosts the links every Saturday. Probably unwittingly, Jim also provides much inspiration and last week he spurred me on to do battle with the slugs. I finally had time to get in amongst the geraniums and discover their hideouts. Dozens upon dozens were dispatched. I doubt that the birds eat them at all. I felt my plants were a little safer but of course it is short lived. Regular slug patrols are required and I will do my best. In the meantime, and after more heavy rain, here’s six from the garden this week.

One

The scented leaf pelargoniums that suffered so much over Winter did pull through but have been slow to flower. This is the first week that there have been enough to enjoy. There are still others that look reluctant to join in.

Two

Well, well. What is this I spy? Salvia ‘Amistad’, growing behind the roses, has managed to claw it’s way back. Of course, there’s slug damage! Several were lost but there is hope that this one survivor will make some flowers and put on a good display for late summer.

Three

I asked around on Twitter about these webs. The conclusion is they are probably caterpillar webs but they could not be identified. They have settled in to what I think is a Cotoneaster Villosus, which leads to me wonder if it is the cotoneaster caterpillar, which are the larval stages of the Hawthorn moth. I’ll be trying to take a closer look to see if I can spot the caterpillars.

Four

Another survivor. I thought I had lost a rather lovely Hawkshead Fuschsia and I forged ahead and planted a gaura nearby. The fuchsia has fought back and is putting out good growth and some lovely white flowers. One or the other will probably have to be moved as I think they will be fighting for the space.

Five

The chilis in the greenhouse keep growing but are not ripening yet. Chili growers, can I pick these now and use them or will they ripen in the kitchen?

Six

Oh, I couldn’t resist it. Here’s another slug picture. This time the cucumbers are under attack. Two despatched.

I have now secured a meeting with the contractor for the new paths and Monday is the big day. I am itching to purchase the new plants for this plot and others to fill winter loss gaps but I must hold tight for another month or so. Storm Betty arrived with us late last night, that means flattened hollyhocks to be righted, fallen apples to be picked up and more slugs to be dealt with. Wishing you all a good gardening day as the sun reappears here.

Six On Saturday: Teetering on the edge

/ n20gardener / 20 Comments

Oh, the garden is so nearly at lift off time. There has been some sunshine and even on a cloudier day the temperatures are climbing. I’m not worrying about poor germination this week as I can see that the borders are filling up nicely. The roses are just bursting with buds and the grasses are beginning to come through again. There seems to be an amazing number of self-seeders this year and I don’t mean those never-ending sycamores. The alchemilla mollis is doing rather too well. The astrantias, aquilegias and geranium psilostemon are definitely settling in and I even have a few seedlings of tellima grandiflora which I will treasure. Here’s this week’s six:

One

There are some plants I look forward every year and these siberian irises are probably top of the list. The first ones opened this week. I just love the colour of the flower and the promise of the buds. I was very happy to see these again.

Two

This is luzula nivea, a new plant to the garden in 2022 as part of a revamp of a dry shady border. So far, it hasn’t self seeded but it does have that attribute. I like it and so a few extra clumps wouldn’t go amiss.

Three

It’s always lovely to see the first strawberry flowers. I threw out all the old strawberry plants last year, they were inherited and so I have no idea how old they were but they were not fruiting well. Here’s hoping the new ones will do better.

Four

These are bought in aquilegias, ‘Alba’ to be precise. I collected seed last year and forgot to sow it! These are also in a dry shady border and seem to be coping quite well. I need a few more to fill out the space, in the meantime I added in some foxgloves. Rookie error – they provide a perfect home for the slugs who then shred the hosta ‘Thomas Hogg’. The foxgloves will go once they have flowered.

Five

The ubiquitous ‘Purple Sensation’ has self-seeded but there’s a long way to go before those bulbs are big enough to flower. I’m impatient so I will be buying in more bulbs in the Autumn. A cheerful plant and so easy!

Six

Lastly, can you believe it. The dead and bedraggled scented leaf pelargoniums have sprung back to life. These have been with me for several years and all have survived. Two new ones I bought last year were not so fortunate. So there I was, thinking I could add some new combinations to the summer pots but the pellies have other ideas. I’m just wondering whose garden it is!

Jim at Garden Ruminations is our not so new host. Please stop by to visit his wonderful garden and see the links to other SOS posts. I am feeling more and more confident about wishing everyone a Happy Gardening weekend. There is much to be done and much to enjoy.

Six On Saturday: Stop whingeing

/ n20gardener / 10 Comments

I’ve been a little irritable of late. The garden is definitely pushing on but at a much slower pace than I would like. No matter how much energy I expend in muttering and moaning it will not stop dragging it’s heels. I give in, honestly. Not another word will be said on the subject. All in good time. The rain of this week will help things along and although it’s a challenge to find six things it is a challenge worth responding to. Here’s my six finds this week.

One

It’s raining this morning, so I headed off to the remaining greenhouse to see how things were going. Sometime last year I sowed seeds of echinacea ‘White Swan’ and echinacea pallida. I overwintered the seedlings in the greenhouse, in the last week they have generously responded to the rising temperatures. Most of these are pallida. Way back when I sowed them I had a clear plan, now I can’t remember it. But they will have to be on the sunny side of the garden so maybe they will help rejuvenate the thin border.

Two

Also sown last year, the seeds of lychnis coronaria. Around autumn time I potted on eight of the strongest. These have not faired well but those left in the seed tray and positively flourished and look twice as healthy! I will have a generous supply to dot around the garden.

Three

There has been plenty of sighing over lost plants but amazingly the scented leaf pellies are rising from the ashes. Just a few signs of green leaf but enough, I think, to be encouraging. I’ve just started to water them again and they will get a thorough cut back some time around the end of April.

Four

Proof that pulling the stems of climbing roses down to the horizontal really does pay off. This fills me with optimism for the months to come.

Five

There’s more signs of things to come on the weigela. Masses of lovely new leaves showing up as the shrub moves from Winter brown to Spring green.

Six

There have been so many lovely hellebores featured over the last few months. This is a simple unnamed variety which has seeded freely in the border. I think those seedlings will take a few more years to flower but in the meantime I continue to enjoy the parent plants.

In between the moaning I have kept myself busy doing those ‘must do’ jobs for this time of year. I have netted the gooseberries and blackcurrants. I’ve given them and the apple trees a sprinkling of Fish Blood and Bone, successfully timed to coincide with a healthy downpour of rain. More and more of the browness of winter has been cut back and this weekend I plan to feed all the roses. Onion sets have been started off in the greenhouse and I hope to find the time to sow some seeds of hardy annuals. I also need to settle down and plan out the thin border although those echinaceas may be potted on again before I plant them out. I need them to be strong and healthy to compete with the existing plants. I hope your garden plans are going well. More from the SOS team can be found at Jim’s place. All welcome.

Six On Saturday: Farewell November, farewell Autumn

/ n20gardener / 5 Comments

Finally, the hose pipe ban has been lifted! I can’t think that I will be rushing out to water the garden any time soon, it has been drenched every other day throughout November. I have only just begun to plant a few tulips and a little tidying in the border has commenced. The regular downpours have served to show how infirm the potting shed greenhouse is. This one has a wooden frame and the apex has separated allowing rain to seep in. Sogginess abounds. Out in the garden things are pretty soggy too. Here’s six things I noticed this week.

One

I have just managed to complete a task that was long hanging over me. The scented leaf pelargoniums have been cut back, removed from their summer pots and moved to the potting shed greenhouse for the winter. I have overwintered these pellies for several years now and, dare I say it, I am just at the point where if they didn’t make it I wouldn’t be too sad. On the upside the potting shed and compost smell delightful at the moment.

Two

There are just one or two splashes of colour in the garden at the moment, this little ray of coreopsis continues to send out new blooms.

Three

The continual rain has more or less done for the roses. As each new flower arrives it is deluged by the next downpour. Here is ‘Gerturde Jekyll’ valiantly having a go.

Four

Strangely the seed heads of eurybia are holding up. They caught my eye during a spell of border tidying and were spared the chop.

Five

I may have mentioned that I’m just dipping my toe into growing grasses and this miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’ has done well in its first year. Slightly fuzzy flower heads as they are so difficult to capture. I’m looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

Six

Lastly arum italicum subsp. italicum ‘Marmoratum’. I’m guessing the ‘Marmoratum’ bit. I inherited this one. There were warnings that it was a thug and would spread uncontrollably. It must be in a very inhospitable spot because it has yet to move one inch. I like it, it even looks good after rainfall .

I’ve just received notice that I have one more green bin collection for the year. That gave me a wake up call. The gardening season is coming to a close. The last of blackberries need to be cut back and added to the green bin. That’s my next task and then there are more leaves to gather. No frost yet, but overnight temperatures have been as low as 2 degrees. December approaches.

Don’t forget to visit Garden Ruminations for all the links to other SOS posts.

Six On Saturday: Last jobs to be done

/ n20gardener / 18 Comments

It’s still quite mild but the days are shortening and colder weather is forecast. I have risked leaving the lemon tree out but this is the weekend it will go into the greenhouse. The scented leaf pelargoniums went inside during the week and the evergreen agapanthuses in pots have been wrapped up in fleece. There are too many of these to move into the greenhouse so they brave the winter outside. The garden is mulched, the old shed has gone and the new shed is on schedule to arrive next week. That leaves the leaves! And the last tidying up in the borders. Oh, and a few dozen tulips still to be planted. So nearly there, but not quite. The garden looks as though it is going quiet but underneath the soggy earth the spring bulbs are waking up. Hurrah! Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

Testament to the mild weather perhaps, is this flower on one of the anemones I grew from root cuttings. I took the cuttings last autumn and managed to get them through the winter. I moved them to 9 cm pots in the summer and perhaps around the end of August planted them out in the garden. It’s a small flower on a small plant but it’s all my own work so much treasured.

Two

The figs have been falling from the tree. Some were ripe enough to make jam with but most are not. This was the result of one morning’s work and the windy weather of this morning has brought down a few more.

Three

Lockdown life is pretty dull which is my excuse for buying these purple cyclamen. Madness, I usually only entertain the white ones. But here they are, looking more pink than purple but they are purple!

Four

As mentioned the pellies are in the greenhouse, even as they continue to flower. They will need to be cut back for their overwintering, a job for next week.

Five

The leaf cage is getting full and the neighbours on both sides are contributing. It’s quite a social event!

Six

Roses are still giving little pops of colour, a cheery sight through the gloom of a drizzly afternoon.

This season is turning, there will be less gardening and more eating of hot buttered crumpets. But SOS carries on. Mr P will inspire us all with his ingenious finds to make it into each week’s six. I urge you to take a look.