Tags
Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, dahlia Downham Royal, Dahlias, earthquake, Grtie the goat, Hedges, sanguisorba canadensis, six on saturday, Verbena bonariensis
Did the earth move? How was it for you? Double entendres, you know the sort: nudge nudge, wink, wink. Well on Tuesday the earth did move.
We had an earthquake which measured 3.6 minor magnitude. The only casualty here was Gertie the goat who toppled off the beam on which she was placed. Poor Gertie.
Joking aside, it has been a strange week but the weather has been improving and people are mentioning an Indian summer. My six on Saturday to share with you and The Propagator are some of the prettier sights of the week.
I realise, as I stroll around, that Verbena bonariensis is one of my must have plants. I love its vibrant purple colour and its tall swaying stems which bring butterflies into the garden.
This is a second flush of Eschscholzia. A packet of seeds are such good value. I love their warming orange colour against green and purple of the verbena and nepeta.
Dahlias are super at this time of year. They might be a bit of a faff, all the lifting, storing, mollycoddling but catching the rays like this, they are unbeatable.
This is a good time for clipping hedges to get them neat and tidy for the winter months. When everything else is bare and brown the structure of these are the backbone of the garden. It is a busy time of year and this trimming is worth the effort.
I am enjoying the combination of Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle below the mega growing Vitis coignetiae.
Finally, before the clock strikes midnight and is no longer Saturday my last fave from this week is Sanguisorba canadensis.
I hope you’re having a lovely weekend, wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.
digwithdorris.com 
I love Verbena bonariensis too and have it in my garden where I enjoy the way other plants can thread through it without being crowded out. It’s a weed here and proliferates along roadsides so people think I’m a bit strange for growing it!
On Dahlias,(yours are lovely) I’ve decided not to lift but leave them to do their own thing.
Oh, poor Gertie! How far were you from the epicentre? Did you realise what it was at the time? Do you know what variety of C poppy yours is? I have seen recurring clumps of it elsewhere but the varieties I have tried have barely performed at all although this year’s looks better. I love all your Saturday blooms today Dorris, and need to prompt the Golfer about staring hedge trimming soon!
I had to look up the answer and we are about 8 miles from the epicentre. I had no idea what it was at the time I just remember thinking what the heck was that!
The seeds came originally from Sarah Raven and were E Californica Orange King. The one packet has returned for 3 years . Interesting about your patchy success with other variations I tried a pale creamy white variety with absolutely zero success.
Apologies to the Golfer!
It’s a weird feeling, and so unlike anything else – there was one in the Midlands in 2002 which was 5.0 on the Richter scale although we were further from that epicentre than you were. Most of the C poppies I have tried (orange, cream, purple) have had quite ‘flimsy foliage’, unlike the sturdier foliage I have seen on ones that reappear every year in some local gardens, although the variety I tried this year (C Golden West) is a little better – but I will look out for Orange King
Gosh! Earthquakes can be frightening, even the smaller ones. Poor Gertie! I had thought of trying to get some Verbena, but seeing as Jane says its a weed, I think I will scrap that idea and just admire it in other gardens! Your Californian poppy, verbena and nepeta combination is just great. The other combination I like is the Vitex and Hydrangea one. Good luck with the hedging; its not my favourite job, but luckily does not need to be done often.
Verbena is classed as weed in some parts of the world. It is certainly a prolific self seeder but it doesn’t have deep roots and is easy enough to clear. Thanks for commenting about the combinations, and well hedging is hard work but definitely worth it. Have a good week 🌞
Yikes! I blame fracking!
Poor goat, can she be mended?
Gorilla glue maybe will sort Gertie,
I have friends asking what I’ve been doing in the garden!
HaHaHa! Yep – all that double digging! 😉
Love the Sanguisorba. And Califronian poppies and Verbena look lovely together. 😃 Glad the earthquake didn’t cause any further casualties, and hope Gertie can be stuck back together. 😉
Thank you Cathy. The verbena chose to be with the poppies I cannot take credit. Alas poor Gertie here comes the gorilla glue
Poor Gertie! Was the earthquake weird? I’ve felt a minor one here in North Carolina, USA this summer, first time for me. Your vignettes are so inviting. I love them all but the California poppies especially jumped out! Lovely.
The earthquake was weird but thankfully minor and very short. Over in a matter of seconds. I didn’t know what had happened until I heard on the news. Gertie is sadly irreparable. Have a good weekend
Verbena is a treasure, and it’s true that they look better when they seed in random places. A must have for me too.