As we have been spared, well I have anyway, Six on Saturday will go ahead as planned. Please do us all a favour and take a look at the The Prop’s site, he gets in a terrible sulk if you don’t. And a Propogator sulk is a magnificently terrifying event.
We begin with Salvia patens ‘Blue Angel’. It is not a secret that I am salvia fiend. I am also partial to blue flowers. Cuddly is good too. Tick, tick, tick and voilà, my idea of heaven.
After yesterday’s crazy squalls and anticipating tomorrow’s predicted storm, today was an eye in the storm of the traditional bank holiday weather. Unfortunately this window of opportunity did not coincide with a peak in my enthusiasm, rather a surfeit of ennui. My heels scraped the ground as I dragged outside and did a few bits of potting on and took some late cuttings. I also planted these, bought last weekend at Rosemoor Garden Show. They are the corms of Crocus sativus , otherwise known as the saffron crocus. Apparently it takes between 50,000 and 75,000 plants to produce a pound of this golden spice. I have thirteen. Start small, think big.
This Nicotiana alata ‘Lime Green’ has proved to be a little belter. It over wintered (yes, THAT winter) and has gone on to flower through drought and deluge. Big round of applause please. It is supposed to be a half-hardy annual. Someone is confused but I am not complaining. It would be asking too much to expect it to keep going for another year, so I will try to collect some seed just in case.
This was sold to me as Solanum rantonnetii, but apparently it is now known as Lycianthes rantonnetii or the Paraguayan Nightshade. Top Tip: don’t eat it. But then I doubt whether you were thinking about it anyway, not with the word “nightshade” in its common name. A bit of a monster, growing to 2m x 2m, it is at the moment just getting into its stride.
Now the fruit of Rhodotypos scandens, common name black jet bead. It was taking a real battering yesterday, being bent almost double in the thrashing wind and rain. This morning, it is none the worse for a good shake, rattle and roll.
Lastly we have another of my new purchases, the wonderfully monikered South African Glumicalyx nutans. This plant was bought purely on name and bizarreness value. You can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that it is commonly known as the nodding chocolate flower. And yes apparently it does have chocolate scent. We were meant to be.
All done. That is your lot. Thanks Your Royal Propness for hosting another week of SoS. Na Noo Na Noo.
Off The Edge Gardening 
Nice to nip in from the garden for a coffee and find your latest expression of exuberance. The spellchecker on your site wanted to change that to “protuberance”, which I will think, in the singular, refers to your nose. I set my sights high!
I see you mention chocolate. I like chocolate so now have to investigate your final offering.
But did you mean “Nanu nanu” (which is how Robin spelt it) or https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC3B36F_nah-noo-nah-noo (which is partly a tribute to him)? If the latter, please try to explain what the heck it is! xx
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Strangely spellcheck didn’t pickup my mistake, it should of course by nanu nanu. You are on the same wavelength of course.
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I have killed Salvia patens, but I really liked it whilst doing so! Off to the Beth Chatto symposium next week so I will no doubt dust the cobwebs off my wallet there to compete with your magnificent spree.
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Very exciting! I have never been there, it is on the list. Have fun and I look forward to seeing where temptation led you!
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This blue salvia is beautiful. How do you overwinter this “initially assumed” solanum?
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Cross fingers? It will stay where it is and get a thick mulch and, well, I will cross my fingers. 🙂
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I’d have had Glumicalyx nutans for the name too, it’s why I have Haemanthus albiflos. I nearly went to the Rosemoor show but decided to hold out for Tremenheere, I so badly need more plants.
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It was small, but perfectly formed. 🙂 This was from Penberth Plants, which may well be at Tremenheere. They had a lot of temptation on their stall. I nearly went back for more.
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Round of applause given for your Nicotiana alata. It’s a lovely and zingy green! Do you have it with the salvia because that would look amazing!
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Quite close, but not close enough, you are right, they would be fab together!
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I am starting to feel as though we have missed out on some stormy weather here… Now I’ve seen yours and Granny’s Garden’s I’m going to have to get me a blue salvia next year. I keep on meaning to give Nicotiana a go and never get round to it – yours sound impressive. If it’s not too late will DM you my address again for those geraniums?
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Not too late, sorry I messed up 😦
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It will be a hands and knees with tweezers job when the time comes to harvest your saffron. You should have enough for one paella. 😊 The flowers will look pretty though. I love the Salvia patens too: gorgeous cerulean blue…..wonder if it’s available here.
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This was a seed grown one, this year’s sowing so has done well. Will have to protect it in winter though. Looking forward to my harvest!
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Is it bulb season already? I have not looked. I do not get many. I stick with the basics, and to not get them until the end of the season. My saffron really got going well. It does not need much. I do not grow the crocus that flower early in spring because they do not do so well here. They look great in everyone else’s gardens.
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It is getting there Tony, certainly bulb ordering time. Apparently, due to the weather, they are going to be in short supply this year. Or perhaps that is what they want us to think so we order early!
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Oh, I will not be ordering any this year anyway. I might find some at the nursery. I propagate more than I know what to do with, so do not buy as many as most, although it seems excessive to me. I do sort of want some of the summer bulbs that come available later. I want to grow white gladiolus next year!
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I love the white gladioli, good choice!
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That is one of the flowers that really excels at white!
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First I went on a dahlia buying bender, then a salvia buying spree, followed by a hosta acquisition caper. No saffron crocus corms for me! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there is no blue like the blue of Salvia patens! Gorgeous.
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Sounds fabulous!
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I can only chime in on what a wonderful blue & how fortuitous that your nicotine plant survived. I love those darlings. That nightshade is very fetching. Google tells me it’s a potato bush. I once had a neighbour w/a potato vine that grew over her pergola & to be honest, I like both version. Might be hard to remember not to eat them, tho. As to your saffron, they’re so wonderful to harvest, tweezers in hand, as Jane said. Like that old game of Operation. So beautiful & so much nicer fresh, as is everything. There, Granny. Now you know how to suck eggs, courtesy of myself.
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I’m not so good at sucking eggs, I need all the help I can get, thanks 🙂
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