Six on Saturday – Late on Parade

Sorry, I’m a little late on parade.  I would love to say I had a pressing engagement, possibly top secret, which prevented me posting yesterday.  The truth is, however, other mundane stuff got in the way and the day slipped by on a banana skin.  Still I am here now and The Propagator, who manages the Six on Saturday Team, is very forgiving.  Hopefully.

My first contestant this week is Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’.  This variegated Japanese grass has a wonderful lax habit and its golden striped leaves are a joy.  As autumn proceeds red tinges are beginning to appear in its foliage.   It has just begun to flower, these are not showy plumes, but dainty has its place in my garden too!

Phyllostachys nigra
Phyllostachys nigra

The next contender is Phyllostachys nigra otherwise known as the black bamboo.  This was very fashionable (and we all know how much a follower of fashion I am) in the same decade as the ra ra skirt.  Luckily for the great British public, I only embraced one trend.  Unfortunately it is confined to a pot where it struggles on, giving me a dirty look each time I pass by.

Salvia atrocyanea
Salvia atrocyanea

Eventually the Salvia atrocyanea has come into flower.  And I mean flower, singular.  Just the one.  Next year Rodders, we will be millionaires.

Paraserianthes lophantha
Paraserianthes lophantha

And now for teacher’s pet, Paraserianthes lophantha, formally Albizia lophantha.   I have grown this fast growing tree from South Western Australia before.  Unfortunately it succumbed one especially chilly winter and I have mourned its passing ever since.  I sowed seed earlier this year and this one plant is the result.  Now all I have to do is get it through the winter!

Heliotropium arborescens 'Chatsworth'
Heliotropium arborescens ‘Chatsworth’

Next a fragrant one, a lavender coloured heliotrope, Heliotropium arborescens ‘Chatsworth’.  The bloom is looking a little weather-beaten, the leaves yellowing, but still the perfume is delicious.

Tibouchina 'Groovy Baby'
Tibouchina ‘Groovy Baby’

Lastly we have the small but perfectly formed Tibouchina ‘Groovy Baby’.  I bought this last year at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens in Dorset, wooed by both the manageable size and its funky name.  The shrub might be miniature but the flower certainly isn’t.

So that is it for another week.  Better late than never.  Thanks Mr P!  Will set my alarm clock for next week.

Other Plans

The plan was that the Eccremocarpus scaber would scramble up the dark leaved Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’.  The orange tipped scarlet flowers would be shown off beautifully by the close-to-black backdrop of the Eastern ninebark.  I must confess, this brilliant idea was a blatant rip-off from something I had seen in the Hot Garden at RHS Rosemoor.  Here they are grown through the fastigiate beech, Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple’ and Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ or suchlike.  Unfortunately the Chilean Glory Flower didn’t get the memo outlining the preferred route to be taken.  Instead it thought a much better option was to use a variegated myrtle as a crutch and however much I tried to gently suggest otherwise, its mind was set.  It had other plans.  Not quite so dramatic perhaps, but definitely more original.

Shelter

A combination of bad weather and feeling a little below par meant that I didn’t work today.  Instead I sat at home sorting out my photos.  Perhaps a little sorry for myself, periodically watching the wind and rain wallop my plants outside.

In the olden days the job of photo-sorting would have entailed sitting on the floor shifting through reams of prints and negatives.  We still have storage boxes containing ancient pictures from across the years. Occasionally I will delve into these museums and wonder at my youth and waist size.  Not often enough though.  It is good to remember.

Nowadays it means sitting at the computer and trawling though virtual files.  And blimey, don’t I take a lot of pictures.  The increase in shots since the devil digital arrived is not tenfold, but perhaps a thousand fold, or maybe ten thousand fold, and they need to be culled and named and archived.  Being the efficient librarian that I am, this job hasn’t been done for two years.

I may be some time.

I spotted these little snails sheltering beneath a fennel leaf.  A fragrant umbrella, how sensible.

Detour

This rampant jasmine is perhaps Jasminum polyanthum.  It is commonly known as the pink jasmine or the white jasmine or the many flowered jasmine.  It grows in a shady position, covering a damp wall, with roots who knows where?  Walking past its exuberant self is a joy indeed.  It lights up this gloomy alley and fills it with a delicious fragrance.  Worth a detour any day.

Six on Saturday – I’m Back

What do you mean you didn’t miss me?  I shall ignore you dissenters.

For those of you who have been paying attention, I am back with my Six on Saturday.  After one whole weeks’ absence.  This meme is run by The Propagator, pop over to his site to check out his half dozen and other contributors.  It’s all good clean fun.  Which of course might put some of you off.  Sorry about that.  Without further ado let’s get on with the task in question.

My first plant this week is Fuchsia ‘Bornemann’s Beste’ which was a gift from Harriet, container gardener extraordinaire, a couple of years ago.  Despite its exotic looks it seems to weather the winter without too much compliant.

Verbascum chaixii
Verbascum chaixii

Next we have Verbascum chaixii, the nettle leaved mullein.  It is on its second flush of flowers and has avoided any attack from the mullein moth caterpillar this year.  So a gold star to you.

Calopsis paniculata
Calopsis paniculata

Now something a little more unusual, the restio Calopsis paniculata.  I bought this at Powderham Garden Festival a couple of years ago.   At Cliffe we grew another restio, Elegia capensis, and since then I have been a fan of this South African grass/bamboo melange.

Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'
Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’

We have been growing our Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ in a pot for the last seven years and although it is not what I would call “happy” is it what I would call “hanging on in there”.  In the recent storms it fell over several times.   Cruel really.  I especially love the leaves at this time of  year, just before they fall. Like stained glass.

Hylotelephium 'Matrona'
Hylotelephium ‘Matrona’

What do we have now, oh yes, the name changer.  This is Hylotelephium ‘Matrona’ formally the artist known as Sedum ‘Matrona’.  This plant is particularly unusual as it was chosen and paid for by my long suffering OH.  Great taste.  Well he chose me didn’t he?  Or was it the other way around?

Hedychium greenii
Hedychium greenii

Finally, one that I tempted you with a few weeks ago, the incredible Hedychium greenii.  Not green, but orange.

So that is it for another week.  Thanks Mr P.  Upwards and onwards!

 

 

 

History

On my rounds at The Farm today I noticed that there had been some skulduggery in the new orchard.  The protective fence around the trees had been leaned upon, stretched, bent and torn.  I looked around for clues.  The ground has been scraped and clawed at in this area over the past few weeks, nocturnal worm hunting by badgers I would imagine.  But surely brock couldn’t reach up that high, and as there is no fruit on the trees I can’t think what would interest them.  The rabbits have been a problem in the past, but since we laid the paving slabs around the bases they seem to have lost the will to burrow beneath the new trees.  A bunny big enough to cause this damage would be the stuff of nightmares.  So who could it possibly be?

All of a sudden I had the strange feeling that I was not alone, that I was being watched.  Slowly I turned and behind me, on the brow of the hill, silently watching my every move, were none other than the infamous Pony Posse.   We have history, me and this gang of reprobates.  Not only was there the Great Pasty Theft of 2015 but also previous orchard incidents, as I wrote about in Deception Explained. I had heard that they were out on bail, and might have guessed they were involved.  It had their hoof prints all over it.  All I can say is “don’t forget who is wearing the white stetson in this movie”.

Quiz

To the front of Max’s house there is a very steep slope.  We are attempting to tame this area and it has proved to be a challenging task.  The problems are many, not least working on this extreme gradient which abruptly ends with a 1.5m stone wall, a pavement and a busy road.  Other matters include an infestation of oxalis, self seeded hawthorn and holly (ouch), the noisy road making chitty chat tricky, the necessity to maintain concentration rather than my usual state of perpetual daydream and, well, gravity generally.  Gradually we are making inroads, perhaps even winning the odd battle.  A self-imposed rule to work at least for a proportion of each session has proved fruitful.

The clematis above was planted to scramble through and down.  It started flowering last week for the first time and I was rather underwhelmed.  However this week my fickle eyes have been opened to its delicate beauty.  Balancing precariously I fished out my camera and took a photograph.  As often happens, my blog picture had presented itself to me.  After watering-in some Digitalis trojana  I climbed back to the top for the umpteenth time.  It was then that I realised that I had forgotten to look at the clematis label.  I decided that no one would mind if I didn’t have a name to share with you. We could perhaps treat it as a quiz of sorts.  A horticultural game.  Until next time I am in the vicinity.  And I remember.  As it could be a while for these things to coincide, I hope you will agree, it is very lovely.

Reminder

Today new atrocities have occurred.  Senseless and cruel.  My heart goes out not only to those directly involved, but to those who sit and watch and try to understand.  To those who are scared and scarred by the continual onslaught of violence and the seemingly ceaseless inhumanities of this world.  The reason why these horrendous events happen are, I am sure, diverse and complex.  I can’t make sense of it, but I can remind you that beauty hasn’t been thwarted.  That good people are still strong.  That our world remains a wonderful place, in spite and despite.

My envoy today is Rudbeckia ‘Irish Eyes’.  Beautiful in the low autumn sun.