Six on Saturday – Balance

Posted byofftheedgegardeningPosted inChez NousTags:, , , , , ,

Here we are again, happy as can be, all good friends and jolly good company. Another Six on Saturday and quite frankly I’m not sure I’ve got a lot to offer; no tales to tell, no yarns to spin. I have got a few plants to share with you, which after all is the point, it is all about the garden not the gardener. But surely the garden is the gardener. Unless you have a gardener. Too many gardeners? Can you have too many gardeners?

On reflection, I have possibly gone on a bit in the past. Perhaps I should aim for a more succinct approach. It is all about getting the balance right. Someone who would never fall off the balance beam of life is Olga Propagator, pop over to his site to see him in his leotard and meet all his lovely cheerleaders. Let us proceed.

First, we have Primula sieboldii ‘Winter Dreams’. This was a No. 1 Lockdown on-line purchase. It was transported with great care, and a few other bits and bobs naturally, from the wonderful Bluebell Cottage Nursery. This is its first flowering. I am not disappointed. Yesterday I discovered that Mr and Mrs Bun have moved to within 10 miles of this nursery. I am green.

Next, is my meagre collection of sempervivum, released from captivity and now in their summer home. No room for bottoms on benches around here. There is a fleece at hand just in case of arctic conditions, but so far this has just been used by Fat Ol for his afternoon snooze.

Onto a Mukdenia rossi flower spike. Rushing ahead of the leaves, which are only just beginning to emerge from the ground, they are a happy spring addition. One of the flowers has a red centre, whilst the rest are green, I wonder if the former has been pollinated. What do you think?

There was great excitement Chez Nous when a lone flower was spotted on our “grown from kernel” peach tree. We live in hope but are girded against disappointment. Expect tears.

Now another Primula sieboldii, this time ‘Essie’ which came home with me from Penny’s Primulas a few years ago. I was visiting the nursery in order to write an article about their National Collection and it would have been rude not to show willing. She is a great beauty and I am growing very fond of these Japanese primroses. I think I should get another, two is not a good number.

Lastly, Tulipa sylvestris and friends, who have since moved on. Although it has to be said that the vivid green aphid does rather set off the vibrant yellow flower. Not enough to be allowed to remain.

All done, hope all is good with everyone. ‘Til next time.

35 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – Balance”

  3. I think the perfect number of gardeners is one. This allows the other to enjoy sitting, watching and making room in the wine rack for his next delivery.

    You cosset your Semps? Mine stayed outside. Maybe that’s why one expired. And it flowered so well last year! 😕 Oh well. At least I have an offset potted up (outside).

    “Fat Ol” is quite a cute moniker for OH, I guess.

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    1. Perhaps one gardener and one supervisor/consultant.

      As for the semps, it was to protect them from the rain rather than the cold, they are in very gritty soil, or soily grit but still ……

      As for Fat Ol, you are a cheeky monkey!

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      1. Have to say I wondered for a split second about Fat Ol, then decided it must be a cat. 😛
        My semps stay outside in a pot, but under a bench. I made the fatal mistake of planting them where leaves fall and most of them rotted away last winter.

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  7. Amusing bloggers are allowed to ramble on, so you’re OK! These primula sieboldii are so sweet, I must look out for them, are they unusual and hard to get hold of? Looks like you’ve found them at specialist growers? Happy Easter to you!

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  9. I always look forward to the Saturday ramble and it’s so much nicer from the comfort of an armchair. I’m really enjoying the Epimediums that I’ve purchased from Penny’s Primulas particularly ‘Spine Tingler’. Think I might take a look at the primulas now. 😁

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    1. Of course you are the Epimedium Queen! I have heard of Spine Tingler …… just googled it, those leaves are wonderful. Have you ever tried them from seed? You must look at the primulas, they are wonderful.

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  10. I think we all love you ‘going on a bit’ so please continue. I look forward to a chuckle each week when reading your post. I was also looking forward to a chuckle at seeing our leader in a leotard, but you fooled me there, and it’s not even April 1st! Your Primula sieboldii ‘Winter Dreams’ and ‘Essie’ are pretty. I have six Primula auricula (goodness knows why as they are fussy plants) and one is flowering beautifully now. Trouble is they are all, except one, the same colour and the one is a sort of insipid brown affair. But I just can’t bring myself to chuck them out. Yet.

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  11. You are obviously reknowned and loved for your wordsmithing…so keep at it, or you may loose it! I’d love to see Primula sieboldii in the ground in the garden to give me some idea of the scale etc. They are just so lovely. Happy Easter Sis x

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  12. Great job catching all those little changes in the plants! I don’t know if I would have noticed a single red center or the color contrast of an aphid (before they started becoming a problem).
    If that peach flower ever ends up forming a fruit, what will you do with it? Make a tiny pie, or eat it right away?

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  13. Hey, did you see my Six last week, with the remains of my old peach tree that I planted in 1985? Well, it was the best peach tree that I ever knew, and grew from seed in a compost pile. That is how I got it. I was supposed to pull it up and discard it, but instead heeled it in somewhere else, and forgot about it. It grew right were it was heeled in, and was extremely productive since then.

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  14. Too many gardeners? Did have to say to Mr B yesterday that too many gardeners spoil the broth after we were both trying to lay out a new border and moving the pots to and fro. Anyway, love your style of writing so keep it coming.
    The peach blossom is lovely. It’s my dream to grow a peach (not going to happen though).

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  16. The tulip bud is a remarkable shape. I am impressed that you were able to enjoy the color combination of aphid on petal. I am afraid that my capacity for aesthetic appreciation is paralyzed by sheer horror in such cases. The assortment of containers you have selected for your sempervivums are lovely. I feel that the can adds something to the terra cotta tableau.

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  17. I am very inclined to go on a bit; actually enjoy going on a bit and never hesitate to do so!

    You have shown two plants which I wish would grow with a little more vigour – Mukdenia rossii has been quite slow to make an impact though I continue to like it while I simply adore Tulipa sylvestris though it has remained resolutely at three flowers for at least a decade. If only it grew like T. bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’ which is practically a weed.

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