I am not actually here. In fact at this very moment I am probably jet washing Lord and Lady Mantle’s silverware or polishing the throughbreds. Yes, we have left Welsh Wales for the weekend and are visiting the grand abode of the aforementioned dignitaries. In normal circumstances, this would make it tricky to post my offering, but I have been able to complete my Six on Saturday mission with the help of a secret accomplice. Many thanks to him. I may well pay later. Find out what is happening on planet SoS by visiting The Grand Vizier of Propolopolis where his royalness and his faithful acolytes can be found Sixing all over the world. Shall we proceed, the chinchillas won’t walk themselves.
First we have an unnamed hibiscus in Peggy’s garden. I suspect it is H. syriacus and I also suspect that I planted it, along with another which is just about to bloom. Something of the exotic is always welcome.
Next a lacecap hydrangea which is being bullied out by its neighbours but has managed to sneak a couple of flowers through the foliage of the offending shrubs. It is very pretty, I might take a cutting. Hydrangea-love is something that sneaks up on you unawares. Not that I’m complaining, the more love the better.
Now we have a cutting of Abelia floribunda which at 10cm tall is getting a little ahead of itself. Not yet, my lovely, concentrate of growing strong before you start showing off! I nipped off the bloom just after the photo was taken. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
One of the very few plants (leave me to my delusions) that I have purchased since moving here is this white agapanthus. It sang the Song of the Sirens to me when we were visiting an open garden in the village. Do not fear, this is not a confession of another felony, it was in the plant sales.
A couple of weeks ago I got a top tip that some hanging baskets were going cheap and these hanging baskets were stuffed full of apricot tuberous begonias. The rest is history.
Finally, when ordering some radish seed a couple of weeks ago, somehow a packet of Aloe polyphylla fell into my virtual basket. I have been mesmerised by this Fibonacci succulent for a while now, but I have never been able to justify the cost of a plant. The little five seeds have been soaking in water for a few weeks and, thrillingly, one of them has germinated. This week I potted it up into a small terracotta pot and am hoping for the best. I have a feeling it might end in tears. It is tiny and vulnerable, the horicultural grit looks like landscape of boulders. Still, faint heart never grew fair aloe.
That is your lot for today. Hope all is well with the gang. ‘Til next time.
Off The Edge Gardening 
White Agapanths are things I don’t have here… I have three other colours but I’m missing the white! Otherwise this aloe seedling is really awesome! The final plant is superb and I wish you good luck…!
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Thank you Fred, you really have to find yourself a white Aggie!
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Yeah. Complete the process at 7 she said but didn’t start the process till 8! She’d better not complain or I’ll put the Taffia on her and we’ll post her back to England.
One thing I can confirm is your delusion(s) re. low volumes of plant purchases. Garden centres the length and longth of South Wales are reporting sudden shortages. Police have advised us to padlock our greenhouses and cold frames and groups of vigilante gardeners are maintaining overnight security patrols, armed with electric cattle prods and loaves of out-of-date laverbread.
Oh, and being a nice chap, I hereby name your Hibiscus Blodwen. See? Another problem easily sorted by Welsh ingenuity.
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Remind me not to tell you any of my secrets ever again. As for the lateness, I blame Brexit.
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“Mama, what am I going to look like when I am grown up”, said the seedling to the big one who brought her into the world? Not having any family photographs to look through Aunty Stasher checked out the internet and knows that one day it will cause serious fracas, as she must have been seperated from a true parents when she was but a small viable seed. However Mama is going to take good care of her and provide her with a home she was occupy safely.
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I do hope so, I am feeling a great weight of responsiblity on my shoulders. It is also looking a little peaky …….
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I can see why the white agapanthus had to be purchased – it’s a beauty. Hibiscus ‘Blodwen’ is also a stunner!
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I knew you would understand. Yes, the great Blod is wonderful. I wonder how easy it is to take a cutting……
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The Aloe polyphylla looks amazing when it grows (googled it). I wish you success with it/them.
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Thank you, I fear it will be a rocky road.
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Fabulous looking begonia and I’m feeling rather envious of the white agapanthus. My fingers are crossed for the aloe. Enjoy your intriguing sounding weekend. I hope there isn’t too much domestic servitude involved.
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It was a wonderful weekend, thank you, and surprisingly chore free!
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Your agapanthus is gorgeous – I find they usually sing to me from plant tables and I am powerless to resist (which might be why I have a ridiculous number of them in pots) and I wish the young aloe well. Enjoy your weekend with the Mantles, I hope the chinchillas share their post-walk breakfast with you x
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And did you know that not everyone can hear the enchanting song, just the chosen few.
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Oh the white agapanthus is gorgeous. Mine are so floppy but yours looks really strong and sturdy. Hope you’re having a wonderful time with Mantle’s. Will they have to frisk you when you leave? For plants and the family silver 🤣
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I did have to go through customs when I left, which I thought a little odd for Gloucester.
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Too true! Faint heart never did grow etc. I am suffering a strong bout of hydrangea-love over your lacecap, despite having a hydrangea of my own. It’s bare sticks aren’t doing much for me at present though….
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Hopefully it will remind you very soon why you love it!
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Oh! Agapanthus continues to annoy and elude me, even in blue! The white is gorgeous and if that is H. syriacus, it is the prettiest one I have ever seen. Is it possible not to love Hydrangeas??I don’t think so.
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I thought that you would be a star with aggies. There is something always just out of reach. How do hydrangeas do with you?
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Not ..I have them in sun shade and a pot..not one flower in five years! I have Tropical Hydrangeas..Dombeyas, too far south for the other kind.
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What a bargain the begonias were! They look lovely. I hope the tiny seedlings survive and grow strong for you.
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They were and they are getting better and better, hopefully they will eventually hide the horrid plastic pot. And thank you.
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Good luck with the seedling! I had to laugh at your “Welsh Wales” as I am always saying that! No idea why. 🤣
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Everyone used to say Welsh Wales when we lived in Bristol to distinguish it from Wells which was also just round the corner. It makes me smile too. 🙂
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That makes sense. We went to Wells in May and some friends thought we had been to Wales! 😂 It’s all in the accent.
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You actually purchased agapanthus?! Oh my! that is against the rules. I have been growing my blue agapanthus since junior high school, after removing it for a neighbor. There are about ninety of them here, and that is just a few. There are many hundreds of them back in the old neighborhood, and nearly every house I have lived in since junior high school. I got my white agapanthus in the early 1990s, after growing too much of it at work. I needed to dig it out of the old house, at about the same time that we wanted to add some white here. It was exactly the right amount, with only a few to share with a neighbor. Anyway, if I ever needed any, but did not already have too much, I would just go dig it out of the landscape somewhere, or find it in a roadside greenwaste recycle pile.
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Ha! One man’s weed is another’s treasure. Sounds beautiful though.
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Well, . . . you know how much I like to brag! (Really though, they are somewhat mundane here. I just happen to like them, and I like bragging about them even more.)
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I’m thinking many Begonias are best suited to hanging baskets. The fact they were going cheap is beside the point. Did you buy a few?
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Just two. They are getting better and better. 🙂
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