Six on Saturday – My Gardening Week

Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations.

I’ve been a lurker for quite a while, enjoying reading the posts of other gardeners – celebrating their triumphs, glorying in their knowledge, commiserating with their struggles – but not contributing myself. However, I reckon it’s time that changed even if I have chosen the most challenging time of the year to join in.

(L to R) One – The pyracantha growing over our garden gate is still covered in berries. Two – Just about the last remaining, rather tatty flower of achillea millefolium ‘Cerise Queen’. The achillea took over in the borders last year, smothering other plants. I divided some of the larger clumps back in the autumn and potted them up ready to be moved to new raised beds in the front garden. (Perhaps more on that next time.) Three – Choiysa ternata ‘Sundance’ living up to its name. If you look closely you’ll see the only frog to visit our new wildlife pond so far is a terracotta one.

(L to R) Four – I like the foliage combination of aucuba japonica and arbutus unedo, the latter with most of its strawberry-like fruits now on the ground. At least, those the pigeons haven’t snaffled. Five – It seems way too early to see the leaves of allium schubertii appearing but here they are poking up through frosty earth. There’s nothing around them because I’ve been clearing the bed they’re in as part of another project. (Like most gardeners, I have many projects on the go.) Six – My first attempt at growing purple sprouting broccoli. Whether it will get big enough to be worth harvesting is another matter.

Do check out the posts of other participants by following the links in the comments section of Jim’s post. If you fancy taking part yourself but don’t know where to start, here’s the participant’s guide.