Six on Saturday – Mind Control

Posted byofftheedgegardeningPosted inChez Nous, Six on SaturdayTags:, , , , ,

Until about an hour ago I was definitely not going to partake in Six on Saturday today.  I was strong.  I was recalcitrant.  I would not be bowed.  Exactly who does that Propagator chappy think he is anyway?  Controlling my Saturdays, forcing me to go outside into the big outdoors, rummaging around in my garden for worthy subjects, ruminating for hours to pick just the perfect words for a blog when I would much rather be lying on the chaise longue eating Monster Munch and watching reruns of The Dukes of Hazard.  Then I was reminded why.  The chip, which had been implanted when I was initiated into this strange cult, started tingling ominously.  And I knew just what this meant.  It was a warning from the Main Man that any further defiance would warrant a turn of the switch with my name on to Teach Her a Lesson.  For that reason I am very pleased to present my Six on Saturday, with a song in my heart and a skip in my step.

First of all we have a pretty pink aquilegia.  Yes, the march of the granny’s bonnets has begun.  Each year I vow to rid myself of them before they re-seed in every nook and cranny, pot and planter.  Each year I fail.  Until now of course.  This year will be the year that I tame the onslaught.

Now we have the flower buds of Libertia grandiflora.  With a following wind these should be in full bloom by next week, but I rather like the honeyed casing, looking more like a plump grain spike than a member of the lily family.

Earlier in the week I did a little shopping, of the horticultural variety.  Some things were for others, some for us.   One of the new addition is this purple sage, a replacement for the bog standard green variety that perished over the winter.  It is now planted up in a special terracotta pot, purchased from Fish Pye Pottery in St Ives, and is situated just outside the back door for easy access whenever I need some sage.  Which to be honest has, so far in my life, been a rare event.  Of course this might change now I have this lovely specimen.

Another purchase was a few lobelia and a tray of petunias.  The only problem is that I have nowhere to put them yet.   Those pesky primroses keep flowering and flowering and flowering and flowering.   What a fabulous problem to have.

Now an emerging rodgersia leaf.  This plant is in a pot and although I try my hardest to keep it well watered it isn’t very happy.  On days when it looks particularly sad I whisper “when we move to my fantasy garden you will have all the damp shade your heart could desire and you can relax into a humus rich soil on the banks of a cool stream and spread your leaves in joy.”  I did notice that for the first time a flower spike is forming.

And finally the Pelargonium cordifolium var. rubrocinctum is completely forgiven for its pretentious name.   Anyone with a heart ……

All done.  Back to the Monster Munch.

Just a thought.  If anyone from Monster Munch Inc is reading this, I will happily take a large box of pickle onion flavour in lieu of any sponsorship money.  I mean if Mr K has his Haribo ……….

35 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – Mind Control”

  1. I have to be stealthy with my onslaught on Aquilegia because Sue loves them and is convinced that I hate them. I hardly dug any out last year, in fact I planted some new seed raised ones to improve the bloodline. So this year they’re taking a gap year, there are about three in the whole garden. I did manage to kill our copy of that Pelargonium though, and there was a time I wouldn’t have thought that possible.

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    1. I’ve got a A. canadensis I grew from seed in the front garden that I am hoping will flower this year. I wonder what offspring that will bring? Funny I was just saying to OH that there is very little cutting material on the Pelly, I might give some of it a chop later and you are welcome to one if they root.

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  2. It is pure co-incidence that I have come indoors to order some essential garden supplies before I forget. Like a 20 ft long greenhouse to resolve the current serious accommodation problem here. You could send some of your Aquilegia to Granny (who is about to have builders descending on her and to whom I have given advice to ask you about the best ways of builder control). There is little point in getting a plant with special purple foliage if you are then going to chop that off. So you have the right attitude. If you want, I can send you some Haribo. I seem to have a glut.

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  3. I’m so glad you decided to join us for this anniversary addition, because you’ve some great ones in your Six. Roger & purple sage were both in my first ever UK garden, so I think of them as ambassadors of a sort. Your columbine is much further along than mine, yet still delicate & pretty. I’m w/Jim’s Sue on them. That pelly is pretty awesome, too. Those dark purple veins are calling to me . . . they really are too much fuss, though. Tell me they are.

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      1. I believe your assignment for me was quite the opposite of what you’ve done. Failed marks, darlin. Now where to order . . .

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  5. Something with a heart is a stunner … I love it! No need to give it a hard name, this one is fine. Is the Rodgersia hairy stem sweet or is is rather spiny like rosehip? (You took a nice picture of that)

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  6. Well done again, a lovely selection. Now I am just going to rush out as I cannot recall seeing my rodgersia yet and it was lovely last year.

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    1. This one seems to have appeared overnight. Hope it doesn’t get too cold for you tonight. I’ve just thrown a bit of fleece over some little ‘uns that have been chucked out of the greenhouse to make way for others more needy.

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  7. I adore granny’s bonnets! I’d love them to self-seed around here, give the forget-me-nots some competition. I need to boot them out of the ground to make way for new plants, but they are still happily flowering. And what a lovely pellie. I have some scented ones that I might leave out this year – they seem hardy enough elsewhere and they do take up an awful lot of room in the orangery.

    I wasn’t going to join in this week either as I hadn’t taken any photos and the wind is brutal today, but resistance is futile…

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  8. I confess SoS takes over my Saturdays. If I’m not up at the crack of dawn to put the blog post together it takes me all day – like today!

    I love the aquilegia – what an unusual plant. Do they flower for long?

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  10. It’s confirmed then, as if we didn’t know, Mr P has us where he wants us! I too have that same feeling but then I find something interesting/something I haven’t done/something that needs watering etc and I am eternally grateful! Love the pellie and I know I haven’t spotted my rodgersia yet!!

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  11. lovely post as usual – I must have missed out on the chip as I never seem to manage any blogging on a Saturday. Some of us are still free to blog when we like! I have a love/hate relationship with the aquilegias as they do seem to take over somewhat

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  13. My children want a word. Their gourmet cheese on toast tea was a little burnt as I was too busy chortling at your post.

    I think you sent me seed of a. Clematifolia, seedlings of which I potted on today, they’re doing nicely. I have a rodgersia which isn’t terribly happy. It emerges, forms leaves, occasionally flowers, then disappears again. Sigh.

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  14. My first aquilegia of many is out now. Most are self seeded and nearly all a dark purple. Meanwhile, I occasionally toy with the idea of giving Six-on-Saturday a miss, but……..I just have to do it. No, I am definitely not addicted, nor obsessed………

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