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.

#TopTenTuesday Books Featuring Gardens #TuesdayBookBlog

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

  • Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
  • Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
  • Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
  • Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is Books I Never Reviewed. I struggled with this one because I pretty much review every book I read. Therefore I’ve come up with my own topic based on the expectation the awful weather we’ve been having in the UK recently will end soon and I’ll be able to get out in the garden to pursue my other passion. Links from each title will take you to my review or the book description on Goodreads.

  1. A Year in a Small Garden by Frances Tophill
  2. A Fenland Garden by Frances Pryor
  3. Where the Hornbeam Grows by Beth Lynch
  4. The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan
  5. A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery, translated by Alison Anderson
  6. A Wedding in the Olive Garden by Leah Fleming
  7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  8. Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory
  9. At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier
  10. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton