Six on Saturday is a weekly meme orignally hosted by The Propagator but now in the tender care of Jim at Garden Ruminations. If you can find the time, do check out the posts by other participants or share your own six.
As we approach November and the clocks going back, it seems like a good time to highlight some of the plants that are still flowering their hearts out. In fact, some of them are flowering for the second time this year.
One – The rosemary bushes (right) have started flowering again, much to the delight of the bees. I spent a lovely few days in Falmouth recently and spotted a rosemary with a much darker blue flower in the garden of the hotel where we were staying so of course I nicked a cutting.
Two – The choiysa (left) also has a second flush of flowers. It has pretty much taken over one corner of the garden between the hawthorn hedge and a crab apple tree so it is overdue for some taming.
Three – Despite giving it a drastic chop back a month or so ago in an attempt to give it a better shape (or perhaps because of) this bay laurel (right) is covered with beautifully scented flowers.
Four – The Japanese anemones (left) can be relied upon to deliver some late colour to the garden. They spread everywhere but I tend to leave them, especially as they are a pain to dig out.
Five – I have no idea how this cyclamen (right) found its way into the garden and managed to make itself at home at the edge of a gravel path but I’m glad it did. And yes, I should have cleared away the leaves from the hazel before taking the picture.
Six – Finally, back to Cornwall and some pampas grass growing beside the path overlooking Gyllyngvase beach. Enjoy your garden or outside space this week.
The ‘Chocolate Cherry’ tomatoes in the greenhouse have been prolific this year and there are still some to pick although a few are starting to split. I’m planning to grow more varieties next year.
After a brief pause, the courgettes are once again producing fruit although the leaves are now looking distinctly scruffy. This is one of the three varieties I grew this year. All have performed really well, so well in fact that I’ve given lots away. My favourite way to eat them is tossed in olive oil and herbs and roasted in the oven.
The two ‘Hunter’ squash plants have produced lots of leaf but predominantly only male flowers. The majority of the female flowers dropped off without forming fruit, no doubt due to the long dry spell. As a result there is only one fairly modest sized fruit on each plant. If we get more sun hopefully they will ripen on the plant rather than on the window sill as in previous years.
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