You will need to use a little imagination to fully appreciate my Six on Saturday this week. You will have to channel your seasonal goodwill and indulge me, which to be honest you often do. There is not a lot to shout about in the garden at the moment and what does deserve a hip horray is blurred. Such is life. If you wish, and I highly recommend it, you can check out the rest of the SoS Community in Father Propmas‘ workshop and find out what he and his stocking clad helpers have been up to. Let’s get on, it will soon be Christmas.
We are still transporting plants and accoutrement from Peggy’s. This little chap arrived in his new home this week. The car was full to bursting with boxes and plants and he winked at me as if to say “don’t forget me”. I wrapped him in some kitchen towel and put him in my handbag. He was a gift from a very special friend and for that reason he is doubly loved.
Next we have the new diddy border. It seems that there are two schools of thought when planting: leave ample room between plants for maturing in an elegant and restrained manner or cram the little darlings in for instant impact. No brainer.
Earlier in the week I sorted through my seed box and found three packets that required cold stratification. Today I potted them up and abandoned them to their fate in the far reaches of the estate (easily viewed from the back door). I don’t want a cold winter, but if we do have one then I might well have germination of nomocharis, anemonopsis and roscoea. Win, win. Or perhaps lose, lose.
Salvia conferifolia is still valiantly flowering. I have yet to get a decent photo of this very special salvia. Today reinforced that fact. In fact I believe I am regressing.
Eventually, the Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’ is beginning to turn. About time too. I was beginning to wonder if it was some strange evergreen version. Once the leaves have fallen there will be a diminished sail effect and in turn less rocking and rolling in the wind. All of which will lead to a less stressed out Gilly.
Finally, under the evil influence of Professor Gadget, I have acquired some red hot pokers for the garden. To be more precise, four red hot pokers. They came bare-rooted and, it would seem, had been packaged up for a while. Still, where there is life there is hope, and if they fail His Gadgetship will be on the case. A fabulous collection: Nancy’s Red, Alcazar, Ice Queen and Sunningdale Yellow.
That is your lot. Next Saturday is the big day, so I’m unlikely to be on parade. Hope it’s a good one for you all, my friends, full of fun and laughter and lots of love and green triangles. ‘Til next time.
Off The Edge Gardening 
Good luck with the Roscoea because I have tried several times to germinate Jim’s seeds and it never worked here,unfortunately… I probably had bad germination conditions or bad soil.. idem for Yellow kniphofia. I will redo of course later in January
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are quite old seed so I am not very hopeful, it is just the time of year when I am itching to get sowing and going. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like me 😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pyrus kawakamii is the evergreen species. Yuck! Since it does not defoliate, it is always infested with pear blight. Salvia confertifolia has nice color. I am not familiar with that one. It looks like Pineapple sage, but with that distinctive purplish pink color, like perennial pea. What color is that?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am not sold on that pyrus! This salvia is a deepest cerise in real life, a wonderful colour (color) that I can never capture.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those pears seem to be unpopular with those who are more familiar with them. They were popular here in the 1980s because they are one of the best trees for foliar color in autumn. They do not need much chill to develop color. At that time, my colleagues from New England expressed disapproval of them, because they knew that they would eventually develop structural deficiency. Fortunately, the problems are not as bad here, because the trees do not grow as large. However, a few years ago, they had major problems with fireblight, which comes through ever ten years or so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m a border crammer. I like the pink of the Salvia conferifolia. Very pretty. I also love the stone garden chap. Out of interest – is he much smaller than he appears in the photo or do you have a very large handbag? Have a very Happy Christmas.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad to hear you are a fellow crammer. It was quite a large handbag but he isn’t very big, about the size of a hand. I used the hand analogy because I was trying to do cm and inches at the same time and couldn’t quite cope.
LikeLiked by 2 people
When you said next Saturday is the big day…I started racking my brains….hang on…but she’s already moved…what else did she say she was going to do that I’ve forgotten!?!?!…never occurred to me you meant Christmas!!! Just shows how ready we are😂🤣😂🤣😂🤪❤️❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
It sneaks up on you, doesn’t it?! 😀
LikeLike
In a Handbag? At which station? Surely to be cherished for a lifetime…just love your stone ‘Green Man’ the spirit of your garden! Crammer for sure, but then, afterwards a mover, a wider of borders, a remover of grass to make even more room. Happy Christmas Sis, enjoy getting your own roots down in your patch of Eden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha, I love it! Yes, I am a definite shuffler too. And a Happy Christmas to you too Sis, have a great one x
LikeLike
If I leave the required space between plants they never seem to quite meet up and look gappy, so I say ‘cram them in’. Good luck with your seed sowing. I have no success with anything that has needed cold stratification, but that doesn’t stop me trying.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same here really, I put tuck pots around the garden and then forget about them or they get knocked over or …… As you say, we always live in hope, it is like being a grown up gardener.
LikeLike
Father Propmas? Hee, hee, you’re very creative! So relieved to read that there are other crammers out there. I would love to grow red hot pokers, such fun plants, but sadly conditions are not right here. Good luck with them all and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can share my red hot pokers, four is plenty to go around. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just love reading the comments on your posts – all coming about from your unique style! Lovely to see the garden taking shape. I have had seeds of something or other in the freezer for several years now. Not sure if stratification has taken place by now or if they are frozen to death! The shame of it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you and yes, so do I, it is always nice to feel that someone else has the same thoughts/weaknesses/strengths/peculiarities (very difficult to spell). No shame, just think of it like a mini seed bank, saved for generations to come.
LikeLike
I’ll try again…..WordPress 🤬 although it’s probably my fault. Why is it that Grannysgardenhimindoors presses exactly the same things on the keyboard, and it works for him. 🙄 Anyway, that fuchsia is a lovely colour and not at all blurred. That’s from the expert on blurriness. Anyway, have a Happy Christmas in your new home. 🌲🌲
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve struggled today trying to comment on Hortus Baileyana’s post. You got here in the end, unlike me! Thank you 🙂
LikeLike
Love your green man! Is it a green man? I’m on the side of the crammers, always have been, always will be, despite my best intentions.
Hope you both have a fabulous Christmas. I’m already looking forward to next years instalments 🎅 xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is a green man, he has such a lovely, mischievous look on his face. Thanks Maggie, hope you both have a wonderful Christmas xx
LikeLike
Happy first Christmas Gilly in your new home, may it be filled with love and light and and all things nice! I love your off the edge posts and equally the great comments that they invite. Always leaves me with a big grin 😂 I look forward to seeing your garden expand next year – like many here I am a crammer, and then a remover! See you later 🤶xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Jude, and the same right back to you. A big grin is always good, glad to hear you are on the side of the crammers. Have fun x
LikeLike
December is about right for Chanticleer to start turning, nowt wrong with autumn colour in January. Good luck with the seeds, how long will you keep them before you give up? I’ve had primulas come up in year three.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jim, that is top info. I will give up when they get on my nerves, which could be 6 months or could be five years. It depends on my patience threshold (not generally good) and the need for the relevant sized pot. 🙂
LikeLike
I’ve got cowslips in a tray in the garden waiting for the cold to stratify them – here’s hoping we both get at least one plant from our seeds!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fingers crossed! x
LikeLike
I, too, am trying cold stratification more or less nature’s way for a small collection of pots. I look forward to seeing what sprouts. Kniphofia has proven harder to please in my garden than anticipated. No flowers yet and the leaves began to look rather sad in the lengthy drought.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well good luck to you, I wish you success. I don’t expect these to flower well, if at all next year, they are very small. Still, we never know!
LikeLike