Six-on-Saturday 10-04-2021

Rain yesterday, at last. The garden is desperately in need of a good soaking (I know, I’ll regret saying that at some stage). Not much new outside but plenty of buds and shoots.

Here are this week’s Six-on-Saturday.

1)

The berberis is a lovely colour and (this is always exciting) there is that definite reddish tint to the buds on the tamarisk tree. They go nicely with the wild garlic at the base.🤬

2)

The euonymous is going berserk. It used to be a neat little shrub but needs to be cut back soon.

3)

The dicentra was only a few shoots last time I looked. Now it’s looking lovely……along with the hellebores, aquilegia, pulmonarias, perennial geraniums, Nerine and a poppy which has sneaked in at the back.

3)

The Solomon’s Seal has suddenly shot up. It lasted through to autumn last year. Will it escape the Solomon’s Seal caterpillars again?

4)

I don’t think you can see the string, but I have had to tie the stalk of that climbing 🌹to one of the supports since it’s growing quite quickly now.

5)

Right, Spot the Difference? They may be Sherbert Blend, but mine are all Sherbert Lemons, so far. (That reminds me, does anyone else remember Sherbert Lemons? I don’t know if you can buy them now, they probably break all the Tooth Health and Safety rules.)

6)

Cowslips are appearing in various parts of the garden – particularly the front lawn. That greenery at the right is Leucanthemum Superbum, I think, (plus incorporated weed) the seeds of which Mr Propagator gave me a couple of years ago.

I managed to take one photo in the sun this week.

You can see the lawn starting to crack beside the slabs. (I don’t think he wants a game of golf, he would rather sunbathe.)

That’s it again. The weather is very dreary today so I might stay indoors, or venture out to the greenhouse.

I read this week that using emojis is only for the aged! What? 🤔😳🙄🤭😀👩‍🌾😬

Have a good weekend in your garden. 🌷🌼🌶🥒🍅

Six-on-Saturday 03-04-2021

Rather a crazy week weatherwise. Shorts and t-shirts at the start, thick trousers and woolly jumpers now. I have put the covers back on the bay trees and brought in the courgette and squash seeds to keep them warm. Just been for a walk and the magnolias, cherry blossom, blackthorn and, of course, forsythia are looking magnificent. The daffodils here are on their way out as suddenly as they started.

Meanwhile,GGHI and I had our second jabs this week, lucky us.

Anyway, here are this week’s Six-on-Saturday.

1)

A pretty tub of violas I was given for Mother’s day last month.

2)

This is such a nice change from the yellow daffodils. The first photo is behind the dustbin where it isn’t supposed to be and the second, not as big a plant, is where it is supposed to be.

3)

I know I said the daffodils were over, but a few of the more unusual ones are a little behind.

4)

The persicaria is showing through ready for the next frost.🌬 Last year it bounced back and put on a good show eventually.

5)

I thought these were Christmas cacti. 🤔

6)

Photo 1: The jackmanii has suddenly gone berserk,

Photo 2: A present from my son and daughter-in-law.

Photo 3: Was I complaining about my £1.69 clematis recently? Surely not. (I had weeded this area and picked up the stones recently, by the way.)

That’s it…..well, almost.

The first tulip! I don’t recognise it and I don’t remember putting it there. Maybe whoever put the hyacinths in the front garden did it.

….a mystery. 🤔

Have a good weekend in your garden.

Six-on-Saturday 27-03-2021

The weeks fly by and so much is happening in the greenhouse and garden. Not an abundance of colour yet but plenty of seeds germinating.

I am going to put my Jumbo Pink Banana Squash seeds into pots today, also my new courgette seeds. The ones that were a few years old haven’t germinated.

Here are my Six-on-Saturday for this week.

1)

What’s not to like about this? I cut out a few dead branches this week and it looks even better now.

2)

These fritillaria are doing well again. (I leave the pink cane topper there all year as a marker so that I don’t plant anything else on top when the foliage has died back.)

3)

These pale daffodils opened very quickly and are lasting well. Over the past several years the majority of the buds have stayed shut although the few that did open looked fine. That escallonia at the top of the photo is coming out. It’s had enough final warnings and does usually turn green with the little pale pink flowers but this year I’ve had enough. I will remove all the branches but I think a big, strong 💪 person needs to dig out the roots.

4)

The magnolia stellata hasn’t as many buds this year. The tulips are doing well in the pots. The robin is having a change of scenery. It’s very heavy but was blown over in the gales a few weeks back.

5)

The first picture shows the radishes in the raised bed.

The second shows the Morning Glory in the pot and the garden peas on the tray.

The third and fourth show Fred’s sunflowers and his Amaranthus…..thank you again, Fred.

6)

The red, winter pansies are looking quite pretty now. They took a while to get going.

That’s it for another week. The forecast for Tuesday is really warm, then sleet predicted for the Easter weekend. 🤔🙄👩‍🌾 Oh well, never mind.

Have a good weekend.

Six-on-Saturday 20-03-2021

Quite a busy time in the garden but not much to show in the way of colour yet. Anticipation is still the word of the week.

Here are this week’s Six-on-Saturday.

1)

This surprises me each year. I haven’t a clue as to who put it there. (I’ve been weeding in the back garden and this is in the front. 😳)

2)

I removed the rest of the redcurrant bushes from behind the blackcurrants this week. There used to be a large conifer hedge at the bottom of the garden long ago which I cut down in stages but left the stumps. I dug them out very easily, since they were all rotten, then put them in the wildlife/buddleia corner.

I will leave the blackcurrants and use the space behind for potatoes this year.

3)

The Brussels and Rainbow Chard are coming through nicely. There should be plenty more shoots of different varieties next week.

4)

The grape hyacinths are looking better this year. (I wish I could remember what this cane is marking. 🥴)

5)

A few more seed packets arrived this week. These Premier Seeds are reasonably priced and those I have used already have germinated well. The only problem is there are no pictures and no instructions so back to Google or my Geoff Hamilton books.

6)

I’m joining in with the rhubarb. As I have mentioned before, these are in the flowerbeds amongst roses, penstemons and perennial geraniums. They didn’t like being in the fruit garden so I am quite happy leaving them where they are.

That’s it again. Not a very bright day here so I think I will sow some of the seeds in the greenhouse then perhaps keep GGHI company watching the cricket.

Have a good weekend in your garden.

Six-on-Saturday 13-03-2021

Just back from a quick walk again, very pleasant but dark, overcast skies. I’ve done quite a bit of maintenance, well, a little maintenance then, in the garden this week but there is still a lot to do as you can tell in this week’s Six-on-Saturday.

1)

A pre-lawnmowing, pre-weeding picture of those pretty hellebores. I did the lawns on Thursday, although the front is 90% moss. It’s green, so I’m quite content with that.

2)

I did get the shredding done on Wednesday, then mixed the surprisingly small amount it rendered down to with the grass cuttings and some of the cardboard boxes I tidied out from the garage. (Now the fresh air and daylight can get to the Wild garlic.😡) (I was anticipating complaints that I haven’t shown that compost container for ages, so here you are.)

3)

I broke an attractive pot recently, so replaced the serviceable dishwasher hose – clematis stem-guard. It does look a bit better.

4)

I cut out the dead wood from the jasmine on the front wall.

I didn’t realise there was so much. Now, are you thinking what I’m thinking? 👍😉

5)

Can you spot which clematis cost £1.80 and which one cost £1.69? Yes, you get what you pay for……..that’ll teach me. 😣 Once it gets fully established, it will need an obelisk, won’t it?

6)

I decided to dig out the redcurrant and blackcurrant bushes crammed together at the bottom of the garden. I planted some twigs from them into the raised bed – I showed these a few weeks ago. It took me about 45 minutes to dig up this first redcurrant, but I knew it would be a slow process. I had to saw through several roots to loosen it. I hope to remove the rest of the bushes during this week.

That’s it for this week. Have a good weekend in your garden.

Six-on-Saturday 06-03-2021

A cold morning here, but we have been for a short walk around the town which was very pleasant.

The garden seems to be holding its breath, about to burst forth, at least I hope it is.

Anyway, here is my Six-on-Saturday for this week.

1)

The clumps of pale yellow daffodils among the lavender plants are beginning to flower now. The Potentilla at the front of the picture is showing plenty of new growth.

2)

I planted 7 tulip bulbs in this pot. I can count at least 13 now. I don’t know whether there will be 13 flowers, but it’s looking promising.

3)

I will be shredding this afternoon. Plenty of raspberry canes, rudbeckia and penstemons.

4)

The lichen on this berberis is increasing but I don’t think it has affected the amount of leaves yet. Quite a pretty colour combination.

5)

The miniature Kiwi fruit tree has plenty of healthy looking buds. I do hope it produces some fruit this year. I had about half a dozen a couple of years ago. They were delicious but that has been it for about 5 years.

6)

I have commented that the pulmonaria suddenly shows its flowers…..well, here are the first.

My excursion to B&Q resulted in this purchase. Does anyone else get excited about bags of multi purpose compost? 😀🤸‍♀️🎉

There we are, another week nearer to “normal” we hope.

Have a good weekend in the garden. 👩‍🌾🎋

Six-on-Saturday 27-02-2021

It looks as though we have a nice dry week ahead so I will tackle the weeds and start painting the shed………well, that’s the plan.On to this week’s Six-on-Saturday.

1)The red pansies are doing quite well, the only trouble is that I have to stand on tiptoes to see them in the hanging baskets since they don’t stand up very high.

2)I can’t compete with Mr Propagator’s selection of lovely crocuses but these appeared this week. I didn’t know – or had forgotten – I had a white crocus.3)Before and after with the raspberry bed and the path. The frost has attacked the top of some of the bricks so I will replace them soon. On the left you can see one of the garlics growing well.

4)Remember the buddleia behind the shed, it has had its annual prune. I’m leaving the bits and pieces here for any wildlife that may want them. Some of the twigs are soft enough to be suitable for nest materials. I’m not sure what to do with the longer branches (plus a branch from the tamarisk tree) too thick to shred…….I know, a rustic obelisk! 👍 😉 😀

5)This polyanthus is winning the battle with whatever is nibbling at it.6)The wheelbarrow which collapsed last year is screwed back together with extra brackets and is re-stained. I couldn’t get rid of all the old stain, even with the electric sander, so it looks a bit patchy close to, but the cat likes it.

(I’ve just discovered how to edit a published post.)

Have a good weekend in the garden.

Six-on-Saturday 20-02-2021

Here we go, Six-on-Saturday, or should we call it “Hunt for Six-on-Saturday “? We like a challenge. 🙄🤔

1)

This is quite a small daffodil, not miniature but only about 15 cm high.

2)

If you look carefully, you can see the shoots of the white Dicentra Spectabilis in amongst the perennial geranium, aquilegia and the dreaded celandine which has started going berserk all around the garden.

3)

The cyclamen which were flattened by last week’s frost have mostly perked up nicely. I have removed all the sludgy flowers, leaves and stalks and I’m hoping the masses of buds will open soon.

4)

The first sightings of rhubarb shoots on the left and a clearer view of the climbing rose (🌹) below the obelisk. (I know, not that again!)

5)

Now to indoors. The Money plant is flowering profusely, so we must be in for a windfall…….will the Premium Bonds oblige? 🙄😬

6)

That orchid again. It is at least 7 years old and will flower for about 4 months and, I must admit, I have done nothing all that time apart from watering it gently. Goodness knows what it would look like if I actually looked after it.🌸🌸🎉🤨

Have a good weekend. I’ve hung out the washing, so not much hope of a dry afternoon here.

Six-on-Saturday 13-02-2021

A bit chilly here, as well. I managed an hour or so earlier in the week but only positioned that obelisk and weeded a small area of the flowerbeds. Is it sensible, or safe, to prune in this weather? If so, I will get out there and continue tidying up.

Here are my Six-on-Saturday for this week.

1)

I like to start with a bit of colour and this is about the best I can do this week. 🤨 The anemone will stand up again when it gets warmer, I hope.

2)

You may remember I decided to try these slug traps last year. Unfortunately, not a success. I did manage to trap a few slugs but there were more worms drowned and a baby newt. I have decided not to continue using them. So, if not slug pellets, then what? Any ideas for using 10 of these?

3)

While in a negative mood, those beautiful cyclamen have succumbed to the frost…….as has the terracotta trough. I think the pansies should be fine.

4)

Three of our grandchildren did a splendid job of painting the garden shed a few years ago. I don’t think I can wait for their next visit, it could be a long time, unfortunately, so I will have to do it myself. Also, the self-seeded buddleia needs a good pruning.

5)

TULIPS! I can see at least 3 and there are a couple showing in the other two pots. (Only three pots of tulips? Yes.)

6)

If you look very carefully, you can see the red, climbing rose (🌹) that Mr Propagator gave me last visit. Honestly, it is there with several leaf shoots, but not very big…….yet.

Have a good weekend and keep warm.

Six-on-Saturday 06-02-2021

There is blue sky outside, so we will probably go for a walk this morning. A few more colourful items in the garden now, but not exactly a “riot”.

Let’s get started.

1)

My first open (well almost open) daffodil. I decided not to lie down to get a better view of the centre, the front drive was rather wet.

2)

These rather pale, but pretty, crocuses spread and appear every year…….along with the perennial geranium, forget-me-nots and a piece of chickweed. 🙄

3)

Rather chewed, but still pretty, primula. There are a few around the garden but not enough.

4)

Last summer there were hundreds of tiny Cerinthe Major seedlings but I can only find this one, or, are those a couple of little ones at the right? I hadn’t noticed until I selected this photo.

5)

A couple of weeks ago I couldn’t find any snowdrops, but now there are several clumps appearing all over the back garden. This one will need to be split soon. (That mini magnum stick was put there to remind me not to dig up the snowdrops when they had died back, I think.)

6) Now, you will, of course, all remember on the 25th July post that I kept some of the long lilac twigs/branches that I had sawn off the top of the shrub, to make an obelisk for the climbing rose that Mr Propagator kindly gave me….

There were about 8 like these.

Hey Presto! One (very rustic) obelisk.

I googled “rustic obelisks” and, believe it or not, there were several even more rustic than this. 😲

I decided to

*use some black plastic covered wire to wrap around and secure the joints….that didn’t work, or

*drill a hole through the ends of the struts and the main twigs, then thread the wire through……that didn’t work and it looked awful, or

*find some nice, brass screws to hold the twigs in place…………

Yes, that worked really well. I decided against having anything to hold the twigs together at the top because it is surprisingly solid as it is. Worth waiting for?

Anyway, have a lovely weekend, although it is due to be very cold. I was thinking that the earth will be solid enough for me to walk on so that I can prune some of the straggly plants without sinking into the mud. However, it’s not good to prune when it is so cold is it? 🤔😬