In a vase on Monday: 12 October 2020

Tags

aster lateriflorus Lady in Black, Calamagrostis brachytricha, Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, dahlia Downham Royal, in a vase on Monday, penstemon garnet

Hello Cathy and good morning reader. It is a while since I got myself organised enough to put a vase together for this delightful Monday meme and here it is.

In a vase on Monday

There are dahlias and grasses and the prettiest Aster.

Prettiest aster

This is Aster lateriflorus Lady in Black. Plum coloured aster type foliage on to which, in the middle of October, burst thousands of tiny daisies. A great display very late in the garden year.

Rich dahlias and penstemon

These dahlias, Downham Royal, Bishop of Auckland, and penstemon Garnet are flowering happily and will continue to do so until the first frost arrives. I hope that frosty days will not be here for a while yet but who knows, the weather this year has been extremely different.

Grasses are glorious this time of year and this is a favourite of mine.

In a vase on Monday

This is Calamagrostis brachytricha and it looks splendid at this time of the year. The seed heads are a pink tone which catches and holds any moisture, dew or rain, making a delightful sight.

Calamagrostis brachytricha

What else can I tell you? It is definitely Autumn out there and the nights are drawing in rapidly. The virus might be driving us all to distraction but a really good distraction is outside and in our gardens. Let’s celebrate our gardens and rather than lamenting summers passing we should try to enjoy the changing seasons, picking flowers, fruits, vegetables and foliage while we can. Taking part in this Monday vase meme is a good way to do this. Join in, make a link back to our host Cathy and share your vase with bloggers around the globe.

Have a great week wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

Six on Saturday: 12/9/20

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.

Goat down.

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.

Drifts of self sown Verbena

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.

Californian poppies

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.

Dahlia Bishop of Auckland

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.

Dahlia Downham Royal

Clipped hedge and topiary

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.

Hedges

I am enjoying the combination of Hydrangea arborescens Annabelle below the mega growing Vitis coignetiae.

Vitis and Hydrangea

Finally, before the clock strikes midnight and is no longer Saturday my last fave from this week is Sanguisorba canadensis.

Sanguisorba

I hope you’re having a lovely weekend, wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

Six on Saturday: 29/8/20

Tags

Cynara cardunculus, Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, dahlia Downham Royal, Helianthus salicifolius, sanguisorba canadensis, six on saturday

When life becomes very challenging and in the case of this week, frankly unfair, I usually can divert my mind and seek distraction from my garden. I can easily lose half the day or an evening working. It always does me good to be outside, to breathe in the air and fill my head with plans. That’s the thing with gardening, it is so very optimistic, always looking forward. This week has been one of those tough ones but the weather has been against me and I have been trapped in by Storm Ellen and Francis. So much rain, damaging winds, ghastly.

The most I have managed is a bit of dead heading and a wander about. These are my six to share with our host The Propagator and you.

Cardoon

The ornamental artichoke, Cynara cardunculus has been dead headed and has put on a couple of new flowering heads. What a colour, arranged like a purple flat top. I have picked some of them and hope they will dry.

Dahlia Downham Royal

The wind has broken the stems of some of the bigger dahlias. This one has defied the weather and is still standing Dahlia Downham Royal . Good strong stem and great colour.

Dahlia Bishop of Auckland

Another dahlia that has managed to survive the weather and is flowering well is the Bishop. This has attractive dark foliage and super single red velvet petals. This is its second year and is definitely a keeper.

Foliage

The thing about the Forest pansy is the wonderful heart shaped foliage in rich red. So striking. Here it is, its foliage dripping wet but noticeably curled. I am not sure why it is curled, probably as a reaction to the high winds.

Across the garden

The claret coloured Joe pye weed is flowering as too are the white Sanguisorba canadensis. These are a favourite, a later flowering sanguisorba that need no staking and who cope exceedingly well with my heavy clay soil. They have even self sown in places.

Sanguisorba canadensis

Distinctly autumnal

Weighed down by the weather

Apples have been literally shaken out of the tree and are scattered all over the lawn. Usually the apples are not ready until late September or even late October so this is not a natural drop.

The garden looks distinctly late summer, autumnal even. The light is lower and the skies are grey. Saturated by the heavy rain, shaken to the core by the winds. The main damage has been stems broken on dahlias and the willow leaf sunflowers which are very tall have been scattered into weird shapes spread over the border.

Helianthus salicifolius

The forecast for the bank holiday weekend is unseasonably cool, a mere 14 degrees today which is not summer but a bit drier and calmer at least.

These are my six. Wishing you a speedy recovery, you know who you are, and for the rest of you I wish you a good weekend, wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: 24/8/20

Tags

Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, Hydrangea rangea arborescens Pink Annabelle, in a vase on Monday, Seseli montanum

The thing with cutting garden flowers to join Cathy and other gardeners from around the globe is that by bringing them into the house you get to inspect the flowers at close quarters. Detail, that might be missed when out in the wider garden, can be noticed and admired.

The left hand flower is actually a series of tiny flowers forming one mop head. This is Hydrangea arborescens Pink Annabelle. It is a pretty shade of pink but I am disappointed with its vigor, it is not a patch on H arborescens Annabelle.

The right hand stem vase holds half a dozen stems from Seseli Montanum. I saw this originally at The Plant Specialist and loved its feathered dark green foliage and its tiny umbells of flowers. A rather sweet border plant for a sunny position.

Details

I like how they open creamy green and turn pinker as they mature. The colour almost matches the Hydrangea.

Add the Bishop

I then picked a single flower from Dahlia Bishop of Auckland. Possibly the only dahlia that wouldn’t over power this combination of flowers.

Have a great week wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: 10/8/20

Tags

Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, dahlia Downham Royal, David Austin Roses, in a vase on Monday, rose Brother Cadfael

The heat here is most unusual, pushing 32 degrees. It saps my strength and the garden is showing lots of signs of stress. Leaves and in some cases flower heads are drooping, Hydrangea and Eupatorium are especially prone to this when it is too hot and there has not been enough water. A simple remedy is to wait until it is almost nightfall and then soak the roots for several minutes. Overnight the plant will perk up and hopefully by morning will be looking fully restored. This is the most effective way of watering, so much better than a sprinkler on for hours.

As for flowers, I have picked one stem of Rose Brother Cadfael. A baby pink, softly scented, David Austin Rose. This took a long time to start this year but is now in its stride. The camera has darkened the true pinkness of colour so you’ll have to trust my description there.

Brother Cadfael

It seems an unashamedly girly rose so I’ve no idea about the choice of name.

Then I have picked a few dahlias. these are rich dark shades.

These are dahlia pompon Downham Royal. Single Bishop of Auckland and two new ones

I hope you are coping with this heat and staying safe. If you have time pop over to Cathy to see what other vases have been put together.

Have a good week wherever you are and thanks for reading. It looks as if storms might be rolling in later this week. Not the right sort of rain I guess. D.

Six on Saturday: 25 July 20

Tags

Aeonium Sunburst, Crocosmia Lucifer, Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, Helianthus salicifolius, oriental lily, pelargonium sidoides, six on saturday, stipa tenuissima, willow leaf sunflower

Last Saturday I set off at 0500hrs to do a walk for charity. This Saturday I found myself awake at the same hour but with no such challenge ahead. It does mean that I do however have the time to prepare my six to share with you, lovely garden friends and our host The Propagator .

Aeonium Sunburst

This beauty is looking incredibly colourful, clearly enjoying the warm weather we have had. I love Aeoniums as they remind me of the Med and holidays. This is a really pretty variety I especially like the pink edges.

Helianthus Salicifolius

Otherwise known as willow leaf sunflower the foliage of this plant is what attracts me to it, that and its height. ( up to 2m) I actually like it less when the flowers appear in late summer. Acid yellow they are too brash for the border and last year they distracted the eye so much that I pinched off the blooms. I know, I still cannot believe I did that.

Crocosmia Lucifer

I have successfully got Lucifer coming back in my garden which is down to the drainage I believe. Here it is growing in a raised bed ( my soil is heavy clay prone to water logging) with a group of Stipa tenuissima. I love the contrast between the two.

Dahlia Bishop of Auckland

A simple flower with handsome dark foliage make Dahlia Bishop of Auckland an understandably popular dahlia. I like it here amongst the Aeoniums and sempervivums where it brings a more exotic tone to the area. This is quite a contrast to the cooler colours elsewhere in the garden where frankly it would stand out like a sore thumb. It is in an extra large pot as it also would not like my soil. I have successfully overwintered this one.

Oriental Lily

In the same area as the Dahlias, Crocosmia and succulents are my Oriental and Asiatic lilies. The difference between them is height and scent. Asiatic lilies tend not to have scent and are smaller in height. These Japanese Oriental lilies are so highly scented they really grab the passerby. I love them in a vase but they will not get through the door this year. I have been selective with this photo as the beetles have stripped away the lower leaves and chewed some of the other flowers. That’s what happens when you take time away from the garden, the grollies move in! Yuck.

Pelargonium sidoides

This is one of my all time favourite species pelargoniums. Small, grey- green, heart shape foliage, the flower is always late to arrive in my garden but they are said to flower from April to December. The flowers are on long stems in a gorgeous shade of aubergine purple. It is the very opposite of most pelargoniums as it is discreet and rather refined. The foliage has a slightly sour aroma. I first purchased one of these from specialist grower Woottens Nursery more than ten years ago. Alas I had to replace it this season as I lost mine this winter. One of those lockdown online purchases.

These are my six to share with you this week. Enjoy your weekend wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

In a vase on Monday: farewell

Tags

Dahlia Bishop of Auckland, David Austin Roses, in a vase on Monday, Rose "Lark Ascending", rose a shropshire lad, rose Brother Cadfael, Rose The Pilgrim

Goodbye

Said the Bishop

Adieu

dear Rose.

Frost has bitten the garden here. Roses which were still happily flowering have been scarred by the cold.

Dahlias in the ground are now black, finished for 2019. I moved my pot grown dahlia under the shelter of the summer house and saved the Bishop of Auckland for a while longer.

Joining Cathy this Monday. Have a good week wherever you are. D.

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.