Category: Six On Saturday

Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. If you can find the time, check out the posts of other participants by following the links in the comments section of Jim’s post – or share your own six. The long dry spell (although we are “promised” rain tomorrow) means it’s still a tiresome case of collecting the last trickle from your water butts and lugging watering cans up and down the garden. Anyway, enough grumbling, here’s my six:

One – (Below, left) Proof, if it were needed, that a relaxed attitude to self-seeders can bring unexpected pleasures such as this gloriously frilly poppy. I’ll be collecting seed.

Two – (Below, top right) And talking of self-seeders – and resilience – here’s a white campanula that’s found a place for itself amongst a lavender bush growing in a very inhospitable spot next to our garage.

Three – (Below, bottom right) The second early potatoes (the variety is Charlotte) that we are growing in bags are looking good, at least on top. As they were planted coming up to 10 weeks ago we may harvest a bag just to see if they’ve reached a decent enough size. It’s become an annual tradition to eat the first harvest in the garden. Freshly steamed potatoes, scented with mint and garnished with butter and black pepper… what’s better than that?

Four – (Below, left) – A white rose scrambling up the crab apple tree. Not sure of the variety as we inherited it but possibly ‘Iceberg’?

Five – (Below, top right) – Dianthus ‘Rockin Red’ living up to its name. Grown on from very small plug plants purchased last year.

Six – (Below, bottom right) – Coreopsis ‘Golden Joy’ bringing a splash of yellow to a former patch of lawn I’m in the process of wrestling into submission in an effort to transform it into a border.  Impossible to disguise the parched ground I’m expecting the poor things to grow in.

Six on Saturday is a weekly meme originally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. I haven’t done one of these in a while but what else is there to do when it’s too hot to garden, your water butts are empty and you’re fed up with lugging watering cans up and down the garden? If you can find the time, check out the posts of other participants by following the links in the comments section of Jim’s post – or share your own six.

One – (Left) Erysimum ‘Walberton’s Fragrant Star’ bought at RHS Wisley a few months ago that seems to be thriving despite being in direct sunlight – and not being watered.

Two – (Right) Similarly, the herb garden is soaking up the heat and attracting loads of bees and other pollinators. They’re especially keen on the thymes.

Three & Four – (Below) A couple of lovely foxgloves growing in the shade of one of our apple trees and a rather rampant rose of unknown variety. Foxgloves are one of my favourite flowers… until the hollyhocks come along that is.

Five – (Left) I don’t know if it’s just me but this year seems to be terrible for blackfly – or wonderful, I suppose, if you are a blackfly. Our broad beans are absolutely covered in them, including some of the pods. Despite that, the plants themselves are still doing well and starting to develop decent sized pods. I harvested some last week although my husband said it was too early and they’d only be the size of peas when the pods were opened – and he was right. Patience, Cathy…

Six – (Below) Our stone frog – in the absence of a real one – standing guard over Alchemilla mollis near our small pond. Enjoy your garden, and pray for rain.