Six on Saturday – Forlorn

Well Mr Prop you’ve really done it this time.  It has been my first day off for a while.  We have been away, dodging showers in Cornwall, and before that we had visitors to entertain, with more due next weekend.  How have I spent this glorious nugget of a free day?  Enjoying an aromatherapy massage, or perhaps brunching on avocado smashed onto spelt toast whilst perusing the weekend papers?  No, I have been wandering around my gardening in the pouring rain and howling gale trying to take photos for my Six on Saturday.  I am seriously annoyed.  And wet.  I will never forgive you.

I’m over it now.  All in the past.  I still admire you from afar.  Shall we get on?

First is a view out onto the courtyard from the relative dry and warm of my home.  I was contemplating.  I was revving myself up to venture forth.  No doubt I sighed a little.  You can see the green watering can that is too heavy for me to lug up the steps when it is full.  An anemic tomato plant, a stoically unflowering nerine and a few equally unfloriferous dahlias huddle on the step.  My pathetic greenhouse is flapping about like a demented seagull.   The ‘mind your own business’ is doing its utmost to treacherously smother the brick steps up to the main garden.  All is sog and forlorn.

I will try and cheer up as we proceed, but I can’t promise anything.  It might be a good idea to brace yourself for all eventualities.

Next is Solonum atropurpureum which is one of this year’s tranche of seed grown plants.  The decision to attempt to propagate this monster must have been made during a “what on earth was I thinking of” moment.  Alternative names are purple devil and malevolence so it is indeed surprising that I thought it would be a cuddly addition to the throng.  It is spiky and ugly and it is doing exceedingly well.

Now we have a bedraggled Dahlia australis and resident nibbler.  This plant was also grown from seed and turned out not to be the true species, a random bee must have snuck in with outsider pollen to the parent plant.  Still it is both pretty and reliable, two fine traits.  My dahlias have been dreadful this year, partly due to weather conditions and partly due to neglect.  Possibly in a ratio of 1:99.

Onto a depressed Rosa ‘Symphony in Blue’.  The first flush earlier in the summer was glorious.  Seems a little sad to see this battered shadow of its former self.   Time for it to have a sleep now and rest up until next year.

I have a confession, I have not one but two tibouchinas.  I say this tentatively as I’m a little worried that the Redistribution of the Tibouchina Party will come and liberate one of them.  But I need both, really, I do.  This is Tibouchina ‘Groovy Baby’, a diddy little shrub, but with flowers as large as its full-sized friend.  I would like a dress in this colour if anyone is feeling creative.

Lastly the delightful, Fuchsia ‘Bornemann’s Beste’.  This determined soul has thrived in the Bed of Anarchy, elbowing its way through the expanse of agapanthus and over exuberant salvias.  Sturdy and full of flower, it is a winner.

All done, until the next time, over and out.

 

 

Starry, Starry Night

It has been a very strange week with very little gardening and much mouching, more’s the pity.  Today I worked for couple of hours at Nancy Nightingale’s and then had a singing lesson.  We sang sad songs.  I do love a sad song.

The afternoon at Bill and Ben’s was aborted as they had double booked with the power tools men, so I went home.

This is a zinnia in NN’s garden.  Strange really, as neither of us remember planting either this one or its compadres.  Those fairies are up to their tricks again.

Bargain Bin

A couple of months ago, on Button Moon, I was handed a couple of boxes.  These boxes contained bulbs and corms and were accompanied by a wide smile of pride.  They were several weeks out of date and had been liberated from the bargain bin.  But this was no ordinary bin.  It was a Waitrose bargain bin.  In return I offered my narrow smile of fear.

The planting times were past and they more shrivelled than ideal, but ever the obedient servant, I planted them and hoped for the best.

Purple anemones, palest lemon gladioli and crocosmia have all chortled at my concerns.  None though have been more divine than Gladiolus murielae, the Abyssinian gladiolus.  A glorious white and purple butterfly.  I never doubted you for a moment.

 

Six on Saturday – Wet and Dry

My week panned out as follows: wet, dry, wet, slightly soggy, sunny.  It could have been worse.  I might have had a leak in both my boots and my waterproof trousers.   Luckily it was only one of the two.  Gardening has been done, but unfortunately none in my own garden.  Which possibly will not come as a surprise.  Still, it soldiers on.   And we have arrived, as is inevitable as all roads lead here, to Six on Saturday.   Undoubtedly other Six on Saturdayers are more in control of their own destiny.  To confirm this fact, The Propping Maestro’s site will reveal what a zillion other participants (fair and true without exception) have been up to.

Shall we begin with a humble beauty?  Humble is far from a bad thing.  We would benefit from much more.  I describe it as such as it is neither a rare exotic or challenging to grow.  It is a cosmos.  I was expecting another Seashell Mix but someone else turned up.  I don’t care.  I love it.

Next are a couple of canoodling New Guinea Impatiens.  These are favourites of mine, and although the flowers are prone to disfigurement, they make fine summer bedding for tricky places.

We have been battling a mystery climber, ensconced long before our arrival.  Its wicked tendrils swamping and strangling in a manner not conducive to friendly play.  Today, it revealed its true self.  Hops.  Strangely, I am now warming to it.

Now a single flower from the spike of Hedychium ‘Pradhanii’.  I will tell you it is an artistic shot.  The truth is the spike is rather haphazard and unimpressive.  This is its most photogenic side.  A diva must be placated.

Now Tithonia rotundiflora ‘Torch’ that has managed to push through the mob to show its lovely head.  Thank goodness for that.  I had wondered what had become of it.  Only in a slightly detached way, I never sent out a search party.

Finally Alyogyne huegelli.  Anyone got a clue how to say that?  Not me.  Grown from seed this year, it is rather lovely.

’til next time, my friends!

 

Leaving Home

Tomorrow my next door neighbour’s daughter is leaving for university.  She is a lovely lass and I am sure she will do well.

We caught the train from St Ives to London, me and my Dad, and stayed overnight with my Aunty Joy.  In the morning we drove down to Kent in her purple mini.  I remember telling him to go, because more than anything I didn’t want him to leave me.  The anticipation of the parting pain was too much.  I sat on the institutional bed in my hall of residence room, all alone in the world and beside myself with terror and sorrow.  Then a tap at my door, and the smiling face of someone who was to become a friend for life.  An ally when I most needed it.  A threshold had been crossed.

I made Meg a bouquet of dried lavender flowers to take with her.   It may help.

Six on Saturday – I’m Back

After a couple of weeks absent from Six on Saturday-ing (what do you mean you didn’t notice?), I am back in the loving arms of the SoS family.   You might imagine that whilst away I was undertaking exciting and adventurous exploits, about which you would be only half right.  Half of the time, not half of me.   For the uninitiated pop over to The Propagator’s blog where you will be able to find out exactly what you are missing.  You can then choose to either run for the hills or join in.   ps escape while you still are in control of your own destiny.  Let’s get on, there is fish curry to prepare!

First we have a marigold, Calendula ‘Neon’.   The garden has taken on a life of its own and I am just letting it get on with it.  I have relaxed into the anarchy.  This was planted at the base of the Forest Pansy and was nibbled and struggled through drought.  Still it give pleasures.  Respect.

Next we have Cosmos ‘Seashells Mix’, that has eventually got a move on and bothered to flower.  The seeds were either a freebie or in the bargain bin, as I wouldn’t normally have chosen this make and model.  However, I must admit I rather like its flounces.  Another plant is yet to open, but the buds suggest that it will be a dark pink – watch this space for the outcome!

The pack of assorted sempervivum’s I bought a few weeks ago, have eventually been potted up and just to prove that I didn’t copy Jim completely, I put them in a square seed pan.  Oh yes, and a round one which admittedly is the same …….  Never mind, as they say, immitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Now the glorious Salvia involucrata ‘Hadspen’.  And friend.   The flower looks rather random in its form, which is in part due to the angle of photography but also because it is a curiously beautiful creature.

Next a little tomato, hiding so a big gardener doesn’t eat it.  Failed!

Finally we have Salvia ‘Phyllis Fancy’ which has rampaged through the border, terrorising all the other occupants.  It is forgiven because it has furry flowers.

That is it, all done, I’ll see you in the gloamin’!