#thalictrum

Six On Saturday: Changing times

/ n20gardener / 21 Comments

We are into August and I feel the Summer shifting towards the next season. I was quick off the mark with cutting back the geranium psilostemon and they have rewarded me with a new flurry of flowers. My goal for the coming week is to deal with the alchemilla mollis and the hebes. The first tomatoes have ripened which always makes me think of Autumn. I should be looking at bulb catalogues and sorting out an order of special daffodils for the pots but I haven’t quite settled to that yet. Here’s six things from my garden this week.

One

I am still waiting to see if my pots of thalictrum seedlings are purple or white. Here’s the white one that’s flowering in the garden. Thalictrum delavayi ‘Album’. It should grow to over a metre but it stays stubbornly at about 30 cms. Right plant, wrong place?

Two

And this is thalictrum delavayi in its purple form. This one has self-seeded generously and once settled it does grow tall. Here it is mixed with veronicastrum virginicum ‘Album’, miscanthus ‘Silberfeder’ and magenta phlox.

Three

I moved the pennisetum villosum to a sunnier spot last year and it does seem happier. It has been on the verge of disappearing from several years now. Let’s hope it can cling on through another winter.

Four

The Japanese anemone ‘September Charm’ are always the first in flower. This year they have been hit hard by the drought. Crispy stems and leaves, drooping flower buds looked terminal but there was a shower of rain and they perked up.

Five

The solidago golden rod was in the garden when I arrived. I thought I had driven it out but it reappeared last year and here it is again. It’s a tall version and does an excellent job of hiding the fence so it stays.

Six

Montbretia or crocosmia. I have always called them crocosmia but I think these are probably montbretia, which seems to be the name for the more invasive form. Inherited again and I did spend a great deal of time trying to dig them out as they never flowered. This year I have flowers. Who knows why?

I visited my daughter’s garden to see how things were. Taking down the old shed and fences proved easy but putting up the new fence was not a success. The ground was too hard to excavate deep enough post holes and various quantities of brick were found along the fence line suggesting that in amongst the undergrowth there might be a retaining wall. Work stopped and they are calling in the specialists. Fortunately they were able to secure the fence line. The garden is now piled high with the undergrowth that was cleared, a miscellany of items left in the old shed and splinters of wood. Bindweed is rampant and the lawn is brown. It’s not the green sanctuary that was envisaged and spirits were low. The green bin was refilled for another collection and a rose was planted. There is a glimmer of hope rising again.

I’m still longing for promised thunderstorms and downpours that mysteriously bypass the garden. I have plans for new planting which I am strongly resisting until September. Deadheading is the order of the day. That’s tomorrow’s work. Happy gardening to you all and if you have time stop by and see what Garden Ruminations has on offer.

Six On Saturday: Back to the garden

/ n20gardener / 21 Comments

I was absent without leave last week, fully intending to post before a week’s holiday but not quite managing it. I was only one week away from the garden but what a transformation. The garden had rewilded itself, choosing to cover any open space with oxalis, chickweed, willowherb and enchanter’s nightshade. On the upside the agapanthus had burst into flower and it seemed that there had been enough rain and sun to keep everything happy. Here’s this week’s six.

One

Here’s one that was destined for last week, hypericum in the front garden. Looking very cheerful in the sunshine. It’s a decent sized shrub that I inherited. No trouble at all and quite joyful.

Two

These agapanthus are the ones that grow in large pots and have to be wrapped in fleece over the winter. One was divided this Spring and three sections were replanted. They have all produced flowers this year so I am very pleased with them, and myself!

Three

Thalictrum delavayi. I’m not sure if I have these in the right place, perhaps a little more sun and certainly some more space and some support would help them show themselves off a little better. I really enjoy their airy frothiness.

Four

I am in the process of reshaping the planting in the old gooseberry patch. The focal point being taken up by two oak leaf hydrangeas. This is the second year in the garden and they have put on a good amount of growth which is encouraging. Even with their relatively small plant size the flower heads are quite impressive and I look forward to them fully growing into their space.

Five

The shasta daisies, like many plants this year, seem taller than ever. I got in early with my supports and I hope this will hold them upright off the paths.

Six

I mixed the overwintered scented pelargoniums with some trailing lobelia this year and the combination works well. The snails like to sneak themselves inside the rims of the pots so vigilance is the word. The geranium is pink capitatum, my favourite of the three I bought many years back from Sarah Raven.

Jobs for me this weekend, include, of course, the weeding but also picking some courgettes, deadheading the roses and cutting back some more hardy geraniums. The psilostemon are threatening to self-seed themselves even further and geranium Brookside has had its first wave and needs to kept in check before the paths disappear. Have yourselves a good gardening weekend and don’t forget to check in with Jim, host of the SOS meme for updates from his Cornish garden and from others around the world.

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: Rethinking yet again

/ n20gardener / 15 Comments

Another year in this garden has been chalked up and another area of the garden has come under scrutiny. After some painful picking of the gooseberries a decision was reached. The netting and un-netting, the pruning, the gooseberry sawfly and the thorny harvesting which often results in more gooseberries than we need, has led to the decision to let the gooseberries go. That was decision one. Decision two was not to replace the greenhouse that was destroyed in a storm last winter. I was all set to invest in a shiny new one but my neighbour’s tree is still standing and the thought of a second storm hurling down branches on a new greenhouse was too painful to bear. I have one smaller greenhouse that serves well enough for seed growing and chilis. I am moving on and am now looking at re-organising the veg and fruit plot at the back of the garden. More to come, in the meantime here is six from the garden this week.

One

Last week I showed a echinacea ‘White Swan’ that had reverted to a purple form. Here is another patch of ‘White Swan’ also being invaded by a purple form. How interesting.

Two

This is my attempt to show the very delicate thalictrum delavayi which was grown from seed a few years ago. I have about three plants and they are just beginning to get to a good size in the garden. I hope you can spot it in amongst everything else.

Three

The apple crop is looking good this year. The June drop seems to have come in July, no doubt the blustery winds have helped with the thinning.

Four

The erigeron karvinskianus really suffered over the cold winter but it is tenacious here and those that held on have got going again and are reclaiming their territory.

Five

This photo of ‘James Galway’ climbing rose also sums up the weather this week. There’s not been much sunshine and the skies have been grey most of the week.

Six

I am so undecided about this one. It’s persicaria polymorpha. Billed as upright stems and suitable for semi-shade, I used it at the back of the garden in the hope of shielding the neighbour’s fence. It should reach two metres. This is the second year and it’s not made that height yet and so far it is being a little floppy. Less so this year though. I will give it another year, patience is not my strong point!

Over to Jim’s garden to see what he has on offer this weekend. Wishing you all a good gardening time whenever you can manage to get out there!

Six On Saturday: Out goes cold May

/ n20gardener / 13 Comments

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: Hope springs again

/ n20gardener / 17 Comments

Dare I say it? It is the last weekend of August. September is in sight and a sense of the seasons changing is in the air. This weekend is set aside for apple picking and it seems that the plums are also ready to pick. There was a good long downpour last Thursday and all the water butts are full again. Here’s six from this week’s garden.

One

I’d left my ‘Jazzy’ new potatoes in the ground, digging them up as and when needed. After the heavy rain of Thursday morning I thought I’d better dig them all up for fear of leaving in them the soggy ground. A few forks in revealed that the surface was nicely damp but down below things were still pretty dry. I did dig them all up, collected a few windfalls and picked the outside San Maranzo tomatoes. These are so much smaller than those in the greenhouse, but appreciated nonetheless. The potato haul was 8kgs, which I am more than happy with.

Two

It’s a good crop of plums this year. Variety unknown. As is common, they are suspect to plum moth so the early ripening fruits often have those darling maggots. This means that each plum is cut in half and checked over before use or more usually before freezing. That’s another job for the weekend.

Three

One way or another I always seem to end up with a packet of sunflower seeds and for no reason at all I usually sow a handful. This year’s plants have grown to heady heights, loving the heat and somehow drawing on a secret supply of water. They are going to seed now and have been tracked down by the local parakeets who are managing to balance on the flower heads and are feeding excitedly on the seeds.

Four

I’m slightly more proud of sowing the seed of thalictrum delavyi. From my less than perfect notes it looks like the seed was sown in 2020. Two years on then and they look firmly established. It’s quite difficult to capture their delicate flowers with the trusty phone camera but this isn’t too bad.

Five

Dahlias. Not a fan, but somehow I always have a few in the garden. This one was grown from seed last year and the tuber left in the ground over winter. I prefer the simpler variety. It has perked up considerably after rainfall.

Six

This hart’s tongue fern was also a sad sight before the rain came. Now plumped up again and flourishing. The garden’s resilience is encouraging.

There’s more gardening celebrations to be found on The Propagator’s site. Yes, crispiness abounds but it’s always possible to find something to enjoy. Lift your spirits with a visit to the other SOS garden posts. Happy gardening.

Six On Saturday: Rain helps play

/ n20gardener / 13 Comments

Suddenly the garden has burst into colour, no doubt helped by heavy rain that fell in the week. The roses are having a fabulous year and I can’t resist showing three more this week. Not doing so well is the box. So without further ado, over to the garden.

One

This is one of my favourite corners of the garden. A combination of thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’ and the rose ‘Jaqueline du Pré’. They just sit so comfortably together.

Two

I planted out the very back border a few weeks ago now. It’s a shady place until late afternoon so it will be interesting to see how everything settles in. More of that another week, but so far the luzula nivea has been captivating. The grass is quite coarse but the tufts of white flowers are magical. It gets my vote!

Three

Another rose to share. This one is ‘Wisley’. It will happily take some shade and flowers very well throughout summer.

Four

Time for the poor box. Buxus sempervirens (always vigorous) it is not. Box moth caterpillars have truly taken hold of it and it is time to take it out. The first picture was taken a few weeks ago and the second is its current sorry state. Quite shocking! The box sits under the very vigorous rhododendron, so finding a replacement will be interesting but I am currently thinking of a fatsia japonica.

Five

Another rose: The climbing ‘Blush Noisette’. This is about five years old and has successfully covered the wall. Deadheading it is a challenge and I am never quite ruthless enough in pruning it. But it doesn’t seem to care too much.

Six

Lastly some very pretty white aquilegias. These are also growing at the back of the garden in the shade. The sun arrives here some time around 4pm at the moment. They are looking so good now. They should then be followed by a white thalictrum – watch this space!

That’s the six for another week. Mr P’s pages will show you how to take part yourself or you can just wander through the SOS gardens and enjoy. Have a great gardening weekend.

Six On Saturday: It’s getting better

/ n20gardener / 22 Comments

The garden has been surging forward in this last week of sunshine. But hold on, there is cold weather to come. April can be a cruel month. Even so, gardeners are getting busy and anticipation is high. Here’s six from this week’s garden.

One

The thalia have arrived, my favourites. But no sooner do they open out then the slugs slither up the stems and nibble the flowers. Sad, but I have learnt to shrug my shoulders, sigh and move on.

Two

I am showing the muscari again! I had some left overs in pots, awaiting an opening in the garden. I have now put them into a shadier border and the colour looked so strong in the shadows. I’ll get away with it this year because they benefited from the warmth of a sunny corner before I planted them out. Next year I might find that this spot is just too shady for them.

Three

The perennials are really bulking up and the lovely leaves of thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’ look great. The dark stems are already quite striking. These are in a shady spot too and do very well.

Four

The seed potatoes are chitting away but back in February I planted up three or four in an old compost bag and left them in the greenhouse. The top shoots have just come through so another layer of compost will be added. I might have some early new potatoes in April.

Five

The tomato seeds sown in early March have been potted on. These are destined for the greenhouse. For the moment they are in the spare bedroom.

Six

The pergola project is moving forward with very little sucking in of breath! There is a possibility it will be done next week. In anticipation of a smart new pergola, a smart new garden table was purchased. The old pergola is doing a good impersonation of being a solid structure, but the truth is hidden. All four support legs are rotting away. Now I am anticipating the sunny months to come. In my dreams I also see a trachycapus fortunei swaying in the breeze. Does anyone have experience of growing those in pots?

I am, as always, delighted to compliment The Propagator on his dedication to SOS. All the links to this joyful meme will be found there. Wishing everyone a great gardening weekend.

Six On Saturday: Zoom, zoom, zoom

/ n20gardener / 13 Comments

Five days of sunshine and a day of continuous rain does wonders for the garden. We are now in overdrive. Geraniums, astrantias, hollyhocks and roses are all jostling for space. There is a distinctly lush feel to the borders and the bees are humming. Here’s six from the garden this week.

One

The Siberian irises are in their stride now, they are so comfortable in the wet border that I need to divide them every few years. I am going to try them out in some other locations when the time comes for next division.

Two

The alliums ‘Mount Everest’ that were battered by strong winds a few weeks ago are open now and the bees are feasting daily. I am going to forgive the occasional disappearance of newly planted bulbs and will add a few more in for next year.

Three

Thalictrum ‘Black Stocking’ is eternally rewarding, copes well with half sun/half shade and is thoroughly recommended.

Four

A new rose for this year. ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ has turned out to be just the red I wanted to climb over this arch. I may have found a new favourite rose.

Five

Cistus × purpureus ‘Alan Fradd’ bought as an established plant in 2017 has put on a huge amount of growth this year and is taking over this corner of a small border. I was clearly too soft on it during last year’s prune. Note to self: be tough this year.

Six

Rosa ‘Natasha Richardson’ fights back against the cistus. A regular flowerer all summer so everything necessary will be done to give this rose its full entitlement to a good space.

It has been a good start to June, but I am, of course, a little behind with the garden. Last week’s long weekend was happily spent with family so this weekend is catch up time. Pellies to pot up in their summer containers, zinnias to sort out and the last of the tomatoes to send on to good homes or squeeze into a space in the allotment. Courgettes and cucumbers are in the ground, French beans are climbing but carrots have gone awol, a second sowing has been made but that’s it. If it’s a no show then something else can have the space.

I hope to have more time for SOS reading this week. The Propagator has an ever growing bunch of gardening friends who join this weekly gathering and it’s a shame to miss out on their exploits.

Six On Saturday: Cold April slows my progress

/ n20gardener / 21 Comments

I’m not quite sure how but the garden seems to have been unscathed by the overnight minus temperatures of this week. The magnolia looks fine, the plum blossom seems intact and newly emerging perennials are undaunted. Another cold night is forecast for Sunday but then it looks like positive numbers for the rest of the week. I am still holding back on the seed sowing, but of course there is always an exception. I sowed a tray of nicotiana ‘Whisper’ yesterday. I think these are the smallest seeds I have ever sown, no wonder the guidance is not to cover them with any soil. Here’s six other things that feature in the garden this week

One

The tulips are appearing. I think these are ‘Negrita’. They are part of a mixed planting of ‘Ronaldo’ and ‘Spring Green’ which should be through in the next week.

Two

Forget-me-nots and tulips always seem to work well. I do let them self seed where they like but then I follow behind extricating them from the places that I don’t want them to inhabit.

Three

I think the removal of the willow tree from next door is going to give me some light on the corner of this bed so there will be some re-jigging this weekend to make room for a lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’. The geranium will be thinned out again – Wargrave Pink I think, it spreads very easily.

Four

I have some grown from seed thalictrum delavayi still being nurtured in the greenhouse. Next week they will start spending the days outside in preparation for planting out.

Five

Already living outside and should have been planted out by now, but you know how it is…. are these seedlings of the perennial digitalis lutea. For some time now I have eyeing these suspiciously, wondering if I had been carefully growing weeds. But they have put on a spurt in the last week and I am convinced they are luteas. Don’t hesitate to correct me if you think otherwise! (They are definitely not helleborus niger – just recycling!).

Six

My plan to plant out the last of the potatoes has been thwarted. Whilst digging the second trench I came across some rubble. Unfortunately that was only a herald of things to come. The next discovery was a much more resistant obstacle. The muscle men were called in and after further excavation they decreed that mechanical equipment would be required to break up what looks like the very solid foundations of an Anderson shelter. Live with it or lose it? I am waiting for a quote. The top of the foundation is about a foot deep so I could section the corner off and live with it. We shall see,

Oh for some kinder weather so that I can confidently commit to the garden rather than tiptoeing around the edges worrying about frosts or freezing winds. I ventured out one day last week to tie in the summer fruiting raspberries but was soon back in the warm. The calendula seedlings are reappearing so, despite my hesitation, the ground must be warming up. Time to man up and get out there! I’m sure The Prop will be inspiring me, as will the other gardeners that take part in Six On Saturday.