Six on Saturday: 3 October 2020

Tags

Aeoniums, amelanchier, Helianthus salicifolius, Leucanthemella, Rudbeckia, six on saturday, Succulents, Verbena bonariensis

That was September

Into October and how the weather has changed. Deluge from Friday and for days to follow. Ghastly gardening conditions but thankfully mild overnight. Flowers will continue although most of us are unlikely to want to venture out to see them. My six were taken on Thursday, a dry day which already seems a distant memory.

Joining our host The Propagator

Leucanthemella

These are such good flowers, I cannot recommend them highly enough. Tall daisies, late flowering and fresh as, well, as a daisy. No staking needed. The funny thing is that they are facing towards the light and are looking away from the garden towards the fence!

Amelanchier

This is Amelanchier turning-to Autumn colour. A good reason to find space for one, that and the early spring blossom.

Rudbeckia

These bright yellow daisy types are great for autumn interest. Vivid yellow petals but these do need staking on my rich soil. A good back of border perennial, shown here against the backdrop of the woven willow fence.

Now is a good time to put all succulents in the dry. Actually with this weather they should already be under cover, a sunny garden room, window cill or a greenhouse is ideal. They dislike our winter wet and will not survive a frost. Mine are now in the cold frame until it gets very cold when I shall bring them indoors. Mollycoddling very necessary.

I grow the willow leaf sunflower this for its bonkers foliage and height. I do not like the flowers and generally dead head them however next week, I have a National Garden Scheme, by appointment, visit. I shall allow them to beam. I’m all heart.

Verbena bonariensis. You know it. You grow it. It’s everywhere.

At this time of year it’s an invaluable blast of colour.

That’s it. Have a good weekend wherever you are and thanks for reading. D.

Six on Saturday: 19 September 20

Tags

Aeoniums, Catalpa bignoides pulverulentum, crimson glory vine, Leucanthemella, penstemon, sanguisorba canadensis, six on saturday, Stipa Calamagrostis, Verbena bonariensis, Vitis coignetiae

There has been some beautiful weather here this week but noticeably the evening light is dropping sharply by about 1900hrs. Consequently the temperature has dropped sharply overnight. As a result the mornings are dewy and the light is just plain lovely.

My six to share with you lovely readers and our host The Propagator are snapshots of the garden in the autumnal light.

Morning light with Verbena

Sunlight warming the wall with Vitis coignetiae

Shafts of light on the yet to open Leucanthemella

White penstemon illuminated in the sunlight

Foliage of variegated Indian bean tree
Catalpa bignoides pulverulentum

Still plenty of colour from the white Sanguisorba canadensis,, Verbena, Rose A Shropshire Lad, and the pink from the plant formerly known as, Sedum Autumn Joy

The incredibly beautiful Aeonium

Drifts of fluffy Stipa Calamagrostis

More than six this week but I’ve kept the narrative to a minimum, hoping that’s allowed.

Have a great weekend 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: 15/8/20

Tags

Catalpa bignoides pulverulenta, Cercis canadensis, Eupatorium Black stockings, Forest pansy, hornbeam hedge, indian bean tree, Philadelphus coronarius aurea, rose a shropshire lad, Sambucus Nigra Black Lace, six on saturday, Verbena bonariensis, Viburnum bodnantense dawn, weeping willow

Saturday greetings from me to you. The weather these last few days frankly has been as extraordinary as these pandemic times we are living in. The deluge this morning has left a steaming mist this afternoon and those temperatures earlier in the week seem almost imaginary. My six, as a consequence of today’s weather. are images of the garden taken on Thursday.

Across the garden, verbena bonariensis has taken over as shown above. I love it. I love it’s tall wafting nature, its colour and I don’t mind it at the front of a border even if it has chosen the spot.

The funny thing with this image is that I look it and see the Hornbeam hedge needs cutting back into shape. It’s like a visual to do list for me.

This image of the path back up the garden shows what I mean about the verbena and today you need the secateurs to cut your way through. The claret foliage at the top of the path is from my beloved Cercis canadensis. This image shows me not only how big it is getting but how much I will need to prune back. There’s barely room to sit at the table.

Looking across the border to the path and table I like how much the Cercis shields the sitter from the rest of the garden but within reason of course. I am pleased with the colour mix of the pink rose a Shropshire Lad next to the variegated foliage of Catalpa pulverulentum and yes the Hornbeam definitely needs cutting back. I also need to take a bit off the viburnum bodnantense to the right of the hedge. It too is getting a bit too big.

Looking from the other side across the border to the dark green shrub on the right is the viburnum bodnantense and it really is too tall. Frankly Philadelphus coronarius aurea, Golden mock orange, is also getting too big and needs shaping up a bit. Topiary also needs clipping back to form. Gosh I have a lot to do.

A pleasing combination of the berries and foliage of Sambucus nigra Black Lace with Eupatorium Black stockings. The unopened buds of the flowers look so lovely next to the half eaten berries. The Sambucus will be cut down by about one third in spring to encourage better denser foliage.

Looking through and across the lawn is the borrowed view of the majestic weeping willow belonging to my neighbour. Properly impressive. Nothing for me to do there but to admire.

These are my six. A visual to do list rather than ‘jobs for the weekend ‘. Sharing my six with you and our host The Propagator

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

In a vase on Monday: tall

Tags

allium Sphaerocphalon, Astrantia major, Dianthus carthusianorum, in a vase on Monday, Persicaria amplexcaulis Firetail, Sanguisorba officinalis ex Woottens, Verbena bonariensis

I am drawn towards tall, see-through type plants and this little grouping are the type of plants I mean.

Lined up in my old test tube style vase. For those of you who like to know these things it is Vase d’Avril by TseTse Associates.

In the tubes are Verbena bonariensis, Allium sphaerophalon, Persicaria amplexcaulis Firetail and a stem from Sanguisorba. Less tall is Astrantia which on close inspection has claret centre markings which link well with the others.

Claret centre in the Astrantia

There is a movement to these types of plants. Even static when seen from above you can see the hither and thither way they have about them.

These are my flowers this Monday joining Cathy and her friends from all over the blogosphere. Not sure if that is the correct use of the term but it sounds right.

Wishing you a good week, wherever you are and thanks for reading.D.

In a vase on Monday: on a Tuesday

Tags

Alchemilla mollis, Ammi majus, Digitalis purpurea, in a vase on Monday, Nepeta, penstemon garnet, poppy seed heads, rose a shropshire lad, Verbena bonariensis

The day got away from me yesterday and I did not get chance to prepare a vase until last thing. Here it is:

Outside on the table in the summerhouse is my vase full of Alchemilla, Ammi, Nepeta, Digitalis, Penstemon, Rose a Shropshire Lad, a spike of Verbena bonariensis and a couple of poppy seed heads for good measure.

‘Summer house’ sounds a bit la-di-dah. Apologies. It is summer but it’s not a house as it has no windows or doors but it is a shelter and with this weather we are out there all the time.

Cathy is our host for this lovely meme. Take a look at her blog to see some other pretty vases full of flowers. Such a nice thing to look at.

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

Six on Saturday: National Garden Scheme

Tags

Aeoniums, apple juice, Calamagrostis brachytricha, Calamagrostis x acutiflora Karl Foerster, Carers Trust, Cercis canadensis, Cerciscanadensis Forest pansy, grasses, Horatio's Garden, Hospice UK, Leonard Cheshire, Macmillan Cancer Support, Maggie's Centres, Marie Curie, MS Society, National Garden Scheme, NGS, Parkinson's UK, Perennial, Queens Nursing Institute, six on saturday, stipa tenuissima, Verbena bonariensis

Tomorrow my garden is open in aid of the National Garden Scheme, NGS.  For those who do not know, the NGS is a registered charity which in 2017 raised a whopping £3.1m, not bad from open gardens and selling tea and cakes,  This was divided amongst the following charities: Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carers Trust, Queen’s Nursing institute, Parkinson’s UK, Perennial, MS Society, Maggie’s Centres, Leonard Cheshire, Horatio’s Garden and not amongst gardeners as one friend thought.

I have worked flat out in the month of September, weeding, digging, trimming, edging, sweeping, deadheading and watering to prepare the garden as best as possible. I am on first name terms with the chaps at the dump.  Rather annoyingly then that the weather has decided to be somewhat inhospitable blowing in a gale and rain.  Undeterred I am hoping that a hardy group of gardening types and perhaps Aeonium fanciers will show up.

This splendid bunch have been donated by a very generous chap who prefers to remain anonymous and I shall be selling cuttings for folk to take home.  All in aid of NGS.  Absolute Aeonium heaven.

2.  There will be a selection of cards, old gardening magazines and apple juice for sale.  The apple juice has been pressed from the tree in my garden.

 

3. The roses may be almost finished but there are Cosmos and Zinnias. The main sight is perhaps the Verbena bonariensis.

It has self sown all around the garden and in the cracks in the paving.

4.  Blowing in the wind will be a mixture of grasses which are at their peak in early Autumn.

Calamagrostis Karl Foerster, Calamagrostis brachytricha and Stipa tenuissima

5. A small tree which is always admired, not least by me, Cercis canadensis

The red toned heart shaped leaves are delightful.

6.  There will be some shelter from the worst of the weather inside my rather grandly named summer house.  (It is neither summer nor a house).

Joining our host the Propagator who encourages us to list our top six from our gardens.  Thanks for reading.

Now if the weather would just be kind….

Thank you to all my helpers and cake makers, lenders of time and lenders of other bits and bobs, givers of general moral support.  I certainly would not be able to this without you.  Wishing you all a lovely weekend wherever you are.  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

Silent Sunday: butterfly and verbena

Tags

butterfly, late summer, September, Silent Sunday, sunshine, Verbena bonariensis