If you created a word cloud of my Six on Saturday blogs I am guessing that “rain”, “mizzle” and “misery” would be the dominant components and “sunshine” “gentle breezes” and “contentment” would languish in faint type in a corner. This week’s buzz words would be “torrential”, “sweltering” and “confused”. Monday I was decked out in souwester and drizabone, by Thursday I was in bermuda shorts and a crop top. Quite how a gal is meant to plan her wardrobe is a mystery. I’m sure that Jim, our Memester, has his gardening outfits down to a tee.
The garden was a little battered earlier in the week, but has bounced back. The water butts are full and most plants are doing what I was hoping they would. So let us shake a leg, there are pots to potted and fresh seed to be sown.
It is once again Rhodohypoxis bauri or similar time. Labels lost in the mists of time. An approximate description is the best you will get. Nice though.
Every single dahlia that I left in the ground over winter has survived. The two I dug up and put into the greenhouse rotted and died. A lesson. This is Dahlia Small Single Orange. I will have to have a word with marketing.
Of course it was a total error of judgement to buy an Enkianthus campanulatus when you have a miniscule garden. I obviously have horti-dismorphia.
The flower of Moraea huttonii, the elegant Hutton’s Cape Tulip, was a pleasant surprise. I knew it was there, obviously, it had just slipped my mind for a moment. Apparently these are lovers of summer rainfall and streamside conditions. Welcome to South Wales, my lovely!
I am always pleased when a plant returns, especially a bulb. So many seem to get forked and planted over in my enthusiasm. These Allium aflatunense ‘Purple Sensation’, along with a few friends, have not disappointed. Their ragged post-blooming foliage will be hidden soon enough by their tardy border compadres.
I have a massive soft spot for all thing Nederland and this Dutch iris is no exception. The flowering of Iris hollandica ‘Carmen’ coincided with torrential rain and, whilst others fell, these lucky ones were propped up by the redundant (as yet) obelisk (donated by my sponsor The Prof).
Finally, a quick word about my (not so) sneaky header shot this week. I live on a modern housing estate, rife with plastic grass and horti-apathy. This area of common land is just outside my front door, yet to be mown. It would be naive to believe those in charge of maintenance are embracing No Mow May, but I live in hope. However, the peasants are revolting. The dreadful mess, the unsightly chaos, the lack of order is an anathema to some. But I, along with bee and bird, am celebrating the wonder of it all. I know it won’t last, but yet again I strive to live in the moment.
Off The Edge Gardening 
As I was reflecting on the plight of the pollinators, the thought struck me that I haven’t seen a single stink bug this year. Nor have I seen any robins. The times are changing.
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Not a single stink bug, a million stink bugs!
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Is the Enkianthus campanulatus a so big shrub? The flowers look tiny though. Love the Rhodohypoxis carpet. Nice choice this weekend !
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It can be a small tree, I’m keeping it in a pot at the moment. We will see what happens. Thanks Fred.
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Dahlias are confusing. We dig the few that remain at work, but I do not know why. There is no hard frost here. I suspect that Dahlias might rot over winter here, but I never had a problem with it. None of mine get dug (except for division). I dig only those at work, even though no one knows why.
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Tradition I suppose, we are odd creatures!
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It is a lovely header photo. there are lots of daisies and buttercups around me that I see on my walks, all bright-eyed and enjoying life. I do like the Hutton’s Cape Tulip, it has the look of an iris about it.
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It gives me heart to hear so many people loving the wildness, thanks 🙏
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The ‘dreadful mess’ is beautiful- as are all your flowers
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Thank you, I love the mess too, it makes me want to lie down in it, but I would just squish it all and probably a few insects along the way!
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Nice lot this week Sis, but none of you gardening with your crop top on! Nice show of rhodohypoxis, and the tulip which looks more like an iris, rather proves that Hutton didn’t go to Specsavers. I wonder how it got to have that name. The Iris iris is lovely in the sunshine too.
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You wouldn’t want to see that! 😁 I wonder about the tulip name too, perhaps I should do some research. A South African tulip.
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The Enkianthus campanulatus flowers are so lovely. I love alliums, I never know if they will return or disappear. Your garden is looking wonderful!
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Thanks Tracey, trick photography helps 😁
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If our weather patterns continue to change we might all be able to leave dahlias in the ground over winter. Not so sure that’s a good thing but you’re so right about the confused weather. I’ve found it hard to work in the heat, I think next year I’ll aim to get everything into the ground in early May – and hope for the best! The Enkianthus is gorgeous – I love those clusters of flowers – way too big for my garden though. Lovely photos for your Six.
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Thanks Catherine, let’s hope I don’t get caught out next winter!
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Hurrah for the common land! A lovely six, especially ‘Carmen.’
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Thanks 🙏
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Confusing to have an iris with a name of a tulip! What on earth were they thinking? Your rhodywhatsitsname are rather lovely and yay for the common <del>people</del> land. A bit like my lawn though the clover is MIA at the moment.
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I see one can no longer use html in these stupid comment blocks… sigh!
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Why to people have to change things that aren’t broken? 😔
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Just what I thought! We are confused enough, as it is.
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Horti-dismorphia! A diagnosis for my condition at last. I have three Enkianthus in pots, grown years back from seed, still waiting and hoping for a permanent home.
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I am in fine company then!
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Lovely flowers, great vocabulary, and your header is gorgeous! Let’s hope no one thinks to mow for a while… I like the iris especially and am just discovering a love of irises after finding that some like my ground after all. Unlike you, we are usually very dry here in spring and summer. (This year has been a bit wetter so far.)And finding irises that like being baked was a revelation!
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Thank you! I love the baked iris, such a variety of colours. It is tricky to grow them here. I will pop over and check yours out.
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Love your first photo, I have left part of my circular lawn to be meadow for a good 10 years now and all sorts are popping up, new this year are lots of cuckoo flower and a common spotted orchid!
Your alliums are way ahead of mine and I love your lovely Iris Carmen.
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YEp, yours and most other UK blogs, unfortuately. AND don’t forget snails and slugs. ::)
Your dutch IRis is beautiful and hoped it survived.
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