Six on Saturday – Keep it in the Family

Posted byofftheedgegardeningPosted inSix on Saturday, Welsh WalesTags:, , , , , , ,

We have been away on a little jaunt. We caught the Eurostar to Rotterdam and onwards to visit my Cloggie brother and his family. It was wonderful. There were castles and forts, frantic bars and peaceful patios, culture and indulgence. One of the many things that gave me joy during our visit was exploring their lovely garden, which is why I decided to take umpteen photos and share them for this week’s six. As rule breaking goes, this is a mere petty crime. Admittedly, the pictures are not of my garden or taken today or even yesterday. An extra header shot of Psycho Pouf with ripening tomatoes is not even worth mentioning. Our leader, Jim the Beneficent, I am quite convinced, will not care a jot. Shall we shake a leg?

Let’s start with a stonker. Sunflower and bee. Never gets boring. These particular plants had fallen in a storm, when The Cloggies were visiting us earlier in the year. Clever that they are, the sunflowers had begun to grow upwards from their prone position. Now, the stem hoisted to the vertical, the blooms are bent towards the admirer and not high in the sky. Perfect.

Sempervivums can get lost in the cut and thrust of a garden. If you elevate and contain, their true beauty can be appreciated. These are looking quite happy in their metal bowl.

This pampus grass, smaller than the usual, held the light in its plumes like a flame.

This tradescantia is apparently a bit of a weed in the garden, popping up all over at its whim. I have couch grass that does the same. Surely this is not fair?

This Japanese anemone caught my eye, verging on double, the perfect blue/pink.

Finally, a dragon. This was a gift from us to them, many years ago, as the lichen clothes tell. We have a similar one in our garden, but not so well dressed as this.

A fabulous holiday. We came home with full hearts, Van Gogh postcards, salt liquorice and Covid. Just OH infected at the moment, but the inevitable looms. It’s all about balance.

35 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – Keep it in the Family”

      1. Cortaderia jubata is one of the most aggressively invasive exotic species here, so I am none too keen on pampas grass either. Brent sometimes offers me pieces of his Cortaderia pumila, but I still decline. It really is pretty, I just do not like pampas grass.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. You sound as though you had a wonderful holiday with your relatives! I’m glad their sun flower has righted itself and still growing. I’m also glad to see someone else growing pampas grass apart from me now that they’re not fashionable any more!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. This week, you show us Psycho pouf’s paws and as far as I’m concerned, you’ll see my kitten Urko who looks cute like that, but who is a little crazy at the moment. Seeing the tradescantia flowers I tell myself that mine were in bloom, but are not at the moment: I have to go and check that

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. What a fabulous holiday you’ve had. Love the photos of your family’s garden – that’s a good-looking sunflower. Cute little dragon but oh, I love Psycho Pouf’s paws, they look so gentle and cuddly and into the bargain it makes a great header image.
    Hope you don’t catch the OH’s Covid!

    Like

    Reply

  9. What, Jim the Beneficent is known to have a feline foot fetish and is therefore a pushover? What I want to know is how Psycho Pouf has such clean feet. It’s just as well neither of ours has white feet.

    Like

    Reply

  12. I love it that you were the first pilgrim to lay your offering, and that Jim has accepted his title of ‘Jim the Beneficent’, I may have to pay homage to his icon at some time during the winter, when I may just have to post pictures from other gardens. That is a great Sunflower picture. Have a great week Sis.

    Like

    Reply

      1. I reread the guidance for Six on Saturday, with all the allowances permitted there, we are still ‘safe’. Sorry you have the dreaded lurgy…still I hope you can potter round and enjoy your garden.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. That sounds bad: no washing up, no cleaning, no car washing etc etc for you for some time then! Look after yourself as best as you can.

        Like

  13. Oh goodness, the little pink toe beans had me smiling before I even read a word of this post. Thank you for that! I keep meaning to grow some pampas grass one of these days, despite the stabbiness, because the plumes are so pretty. Just one more pot to drag in and out each year, eh?

    It just occurred to me now that said dangerous leaves could be leveraged to my advantage if the pot is placed at the border by the road, where we are slowly planting a privacy hedge! My neighbor had people stealing her greenhouse peppers a couple of years ago, so perhaps vicious guard plants are warranted.

    Like

    Reply

      1. Yes, our calico is always very gentle, thwaps us with her claws sheathed even when she’s obviously annoyed. It feels like being hit by marshmallows and while I do respect her feelings, I can’t help wanting to be thwapped again 😀

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.