Six on Saturday: 7/11/20

Tags

Aster, aster lateriflorus Lady in Black, Autumn, Cercis canadensis, David Austin Roses, Forest pansy, frost, penstemon garnet, rose Brother Cadfael, six on saturday, tree work

Here we are, blogging from the confines of the second Lockdown, sharing our six from our gardens with you and our host The Propagator

We have had a couple of proper frosts this week and the garden has dropped leaves, the dahlias have blackened. Last week I shared Harlow Carr with you, this week I am back in my own garden, observing the last gasps of Autumn.

Penstemon Garnet

Penstemon are borderline hardy in my heavy clay soil. These are growing in a raised bed to aid drainage and here they thrive. The richness of the jewel like colour is a tonic on grey days of Autumn. I do not dead head these, or tidy them up for winter. I leave all the top growth, no matter how unsightly they become, only cutting back once new growth is emerging and the frost risk has passed. As extra security I take a few cuttings which usually strike very easily.

Aster lateriflorus Lady in Black

I planted a row of these asters to form an informal edge to the path. By midsummer the foliage is dark, almost black and looks strikingly handsome, repeating the darker foliage of Cercis canadensis and Sambucus Black Lace nearby. By Late Autumn they open zillions of tiny daisy like asters , creating a haze of flowers. A real sight when everything else is bowing out.

Aster lateriflorus Lady in Black

I mention the Forest Pansy so often I realise and that is because it gives such beauty. Here it is again.

Forest Pansy detail

Forest Pansy Cercis canadensis

Gardens are beginning to take on their winter scene and it is a good time to asses the parts you might want to change.

Garden scene

There are leaves to clear, roses to prune to protect against wind rock which is a big concern on my exposed garden. There are still roses but now the frost has touched them I shall prune them hard.

Rose Brother Cadfael earlier this week

Lastly I will share some Autumn images taken at the garden where I work. Tree work has begun and on milder days mulching is order of the day.

Tree work can begin.

I hope you can have a great weekend in your garden wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase of Monday:

Tags

after the first frost, Aster, hydrangea macrophylla Hamburg, in a vase on Monday, October

There was a hard frost here last night and so the cosmos has bitten the dust.

Dahlias have turned black so there’s not much left to be honest.

Hold up, what about these? This however is completely fine. An embodiment of autumn colour.

Hydrangea macrophylla Hamburg

This bloom is from a newish small shrub that I purchased at Great Dixter in 2018.

Then there are these

Late flowering aster in a sweet little vase given to me for my birthday.

Thanks Liz.

So they’re in a vase and they were grown by me in the garden, which is the key criteria to join Cathy each Monday.

I hope you have had good day wherever you are. D.

Six on Saturday: last days of summer

Tags

Aeonium, Aster, Calamagrostis brachytricha, Calamagrostis x acutiflora Karl Foerster, Rose "Lark Ascending", rose a shropshire lad, September, six on saturday, Succulents, Symphyotrichum Little Carlow

Beautiful Rose, a Shropshire Lad is flowering again. A soft, gentle scent can be detected, deep within the many layers of petals.

Rose Lark Ascending is also flowering, continually to be honest. How gorgeous it is looking in this September light.

Rosette type flower in the form of an Aeonium. I have no idea which variety this is but it is looking particularly handsome in this light. The succulents will need to come under cover at any minute but today they can soak up the last gasps of summer.

Grasses are at their most glorious right now. This is no exception. Calamagrostis brachytricha. My new favourite.

Mind you, I still think Calamagrostis Karl Foerster takes some beating, especially back lit like this.

Last but not least are these delightfully cheery Aster

Now known as Symphyotrichum Little Carlow. How are we supposed to keep up with name changes? Mind boggling.

These are my Six and I have put them together to share with you lovely folk and The Propagator our host.

With one week to go to my NGS opening I fear that the weather will have changed to soggy yuck. These images will be a mere memory.

Right , I need to get a wiggle on. ‘Jobs to do ‘ list awaits!

Enjoy your weekend, wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: welcome

Tags

Aster, Calamagrostis brachytricha, Hydrangea arborescens, in a vase on Monday, Miscanthus sinensis, September, Verbena bonariensis

A vase full of garden flowers to welcome U3A Haddenham to my garden this afternoon. All 26 of them.

Aster, Verbena bonariensis, Miscanthus , Cosmos, Hydrangea arborescens pink Annabelle not yet pink.

Their visit was to raise funds for the National Garden Scheme. A friendly bunch not deterred by the rain. Tea and homemade cakes consumed they departed as jolly as they had arrived.

Joining Cathy and the other bloggers with their vases of flowers.

Thanks for reading, have a great week wherever you are. D.

Wordless Wednesday: this morning

Tags

Aster, Coreopsis moonbeam, molinia Transparent, sanguisorba candanensis, September, Verbena bonariensis, wordless wednesday

Six on Saturday

Tags

Aster, Bees, Borage officinalis, Cosmos, Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, garden opening for charity, National Garden Scheme, six on saturday, stipa tenuissima, Verbena macdougalii Lavender Spires

I am under (self imposed) pressure to get the garden ready for its NGS opening on 29/9. Yesterday I made good progress chopping back, weeding and mulching and today a car full went to the tip. My Six today are some of the sights that I enjoyed this morning before the next round begins.

1.

The Bishop of Auckland. Dahlia. Finally throwing some flowers. Hope Brother Dorris and family like this one.

2.

Hairy bees and borage

3. Stipa tenuissima looking better for a comb to remove its sticky seeds.

4.

Rudbeckia maxima looking more upright than yesterday thanks to a bit of late staking. The wind yesterday had all but flattened them.

5.

Verbena macdougalii Lavender Spires. I especially like this variation for its curious fingers.

6.

The foliage of the Cosmos looks vibrant against the dark backdrop of Aster lateriflorus Lady in Black.

That’s it. Back to the weeding. Hoping you get chance to join in or read The Propagator post.

Have a good weekend, wherever you are. D.

In a Vase on Monday: dried flowers

Tags

Aster, August, dried flowers, in a vase on Monday, stelton

You never know what you might “need” when you are shopping. About three weeks ago I purchased a couple of bunches of asters which most certainly were not on my list. At £1.30 a bunch who could resist.

Much to everyone’s surprise they were not put in a vase, instead they were hung upside down in the kitchen to dry. After a few days the grumbles started and by the end of week two, outright hostilities: what’s happening with these, they’re ugly!

Well yesterday I snipped the heads off and threw out the stalks.

I have quite a bundle which I have used to put in some of my glass tea light holders. Mixed with poppy heads and nigella they make an interesting gathering.

Cathy (the host of IAVOM) you saw these hanging around in my kitchen, what do you think?

In a Vase on Monday: No

Tags

Aster, eupatorium, gourds, in a vase on Monday, Miscanthus sinensis, November, Thomas Hood

Do you remember that poem about November? By Thomas Hood. 

“No sun – no moon! 

No morn – no noon – 

No dawn – no dusk – no proper time of day. 

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease, 

No comfortable feel in any member – 

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, 

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! – 

November!”

Now hang on a minute, that’s nonsense. Outside there is a frost, the sun is shining in a clear blue sky and whilst there may be no fruit, flowers or leaves there are these.

All a bit brown, perhaps but there is a beauty if you look carefully 

Closer 

I like the way the centre of the white aster links to the seed heads of the eupatorium and miscanthus. I also like how the ridges on the glass bottle pick up those on the gourd. 

So my vase for today is saying No but yes. I am sharing it with you and Cathy. Have a good day.

In a vase on Monday: pale and hopefully interesting

Tags

Aster, Autumn sunshine, Coreopsis moonbeam, Dahlia Arabian Night, Dahlia mignon.mixed, Fragrant English Rose The Lark Ascending, gourds, Halloween, in a vase on Monday, Miscanthus sinensis

Pale and Interesting

Thanks to the fluffy seed heads of the Miscanthus sinensis Flamingo, Coreopsis moonbeam, white aster and the astoundingly floriferous rose, Lark Ascending, this little group look made for each other.

Pale and interesting

 

Today is the last day of October and the outside temperature in a sunny spot is a good 16 degrees. Yipee.  By complete contrast the weather is due to take a turn to more seasonal temperatures with a real threat of overnight frost.  With this in mind I have done a second arrangement to use up some of the dahlias. These are all to join Cathy in her weekly meme at https://ramblinginthegarden.wordress.com . A number of bloggers join her on a Monday as it is a joy to look at what is in the garden at close quarters. To take part be sure to include a link back to her blog, to take a look just click on the link. 

Unusually for me I have used a piece of oasis in a tin heart shaped pot, oasis? The sort used by florists.  Easy to use, you just cut it to shape with a knife, shove it in a bowl of water and Bobs your uncle, it’s ready to go.  It is ideal for short stemmed dahlias like these mignons as it supports the heads.  In the photographs, the sunlight has bleached the actual colours slightly, they are stronger than they appear here.

tin of dahlias

As it is Halloween and because many of you seemed to like the knobbly gourds here they are together.

So ugly they are beautiful

Have a great week.

In a vase on Monday: Purple haze

Tags

Aster, Astrantia 'Roma', eupatorium, in a vase on Monday, sesli montanum, Verbena bonariensis

Overnight the weather slipped from Summer into Autumn. Gentle rain, what as children we were told is a “soft day”. So with the soft light in mind I have picked a haze of purple.

The purples centre around the froth of a forgotten named Aster, to this I have picked, for the first time Eupatorium. These were planted in the Spring this year and they are growing well, reaching up to about hip height. I hope next year they continue growing upwards to nearer 2 meters. The dark tight buds open to a lighter shade of claret.

There is some of the most pleasing of flowers, Verbena bonariensis; who could resist their iridescent shade of purple.

Astrantia Roma is included, still flowering it’s little cushions off. Then finally I have added two tiny very precious blooms from my latest fave: Seseli montanum. You have to look closely to see the tiny clustered bloom.

I hope you are having a good Monday and will take the time to join Cathy to see some of the other Monday vases.
http://www.ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/in-a-vase-on-monday-remembering-my-grannie