What a mucky day Friday was weather-wise. I might have been willing to concede that it’s no longer very summery out, but this morning? Beautiful out. Still summer!
Anyway, regardless, time for another Six on Saturday. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything. A job completed, a project, a pest, an interesting plant, a boring plant, anything at all!
Here are my Six.
1. Wisteria. This is well established now, its home has been a trellis screen that separates the pretty end of the garden from the working end. It has fully colonised this trellis and is busy heading over the arch to the other side. I pruned this growth back entirely last year with a view to maximising the flowering. I didn’t read the fine print which said “except for any growth required to train the plant” or something similar. Fortunately, since early spring it has responded vigorously, growing across the arch, a good 4 feet of span. I’m expecting that next year it will establish a beachhead on the other trellis that forms a similar screen on the other side of the garden. I should at least have good flowers on the arch next spring.
2. Busy Lizzies. I grew these from seed this year, nothing fancy. They are busy flowering away in a patio pot. Simples.
3. Sedum ‘matrona’. Recently bought for peanuts (compared to the sticker price) in my local garden centre. Currently languishing in my holding area, it is flowering away, doing its thing. As a bonus extra, there’s also a slightly out of focus garden spider.
4. Helenium autumnale. I’m fast developing a bit of an obsession for helenium. They look so great planted en masse. When I last featured this plant in a Six on Saturday post, there were only one or two flowers, so I’m giving them another crack here. I have several clumps now, both front and back garden. I’d like to add to these next year with some redder varieties, ‘Moerheim Beauty’ and ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’ are the ones I have in mind. Any others you’d recommend?
5. Climbing Rose. I’m not sure of the variety (recurring theme, must do a better job of keeping track). I recall buying it a couple of years back, with the intent of it climbing up the side of the arch. It’s never really done anything and I don’t remember it flowering noticeably. Bizarrely it has sprung into life the last few weeks, putting on a bit of growth to the point where I’ve started to train it vertically, and also flowering. I think the mulch applied to the borders in the spring has encouraged it to buck its ideas up.
6. Black elder, sambucus nigra. I like this shrub, but am feeling a little ambivalent about it at the moment. I can’t get it into a decent shape. I think it wants to grow bigger than I want it to. I do like the leaf form, I like the flowers and the fruit are lovely too. But I don’t like the overall package at the moment. I have a small plant, a cutting from the main shrub, so I am contemplating starting again, planting it somewhere different and being more organised with the pruning.
That’s my Six this week – what are yours? Why not join in with the other contributors to this meme, show us Six things in your garden this week. If you decide to have a go please just add a link to your Six post in the comments below, and maybe a link back to this blog in your post. You can also use facebook, just post the link to your article (not your profile).
I’ll be back next week with another Six., enjoy the rest of your weekend, and don’t forget to check back for new links to other fabulous Six posts.
One of us, probably me, must be doing something wrong. I have a Sambucus nigra. It was about a foot and a half tall when I bought it three years ago. It’s still a foot and a half tall though it’s widened by about three inches, never pruned. It *is* still alive!
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Sounds like we need to take the average of the two plants.
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Worth persevering with the sambucus, they look great but I have had the same concerns in the past where I probably had it in a spot too small for it, they really grow up quite quickly. If you can contain it, it will set off some of your bright coloured flowers superbly.
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Forgot to link to my own Six on a Saturday http://londoncottagegarden.com/six-snapshots-of-spring-bulbs-on-a-saturday/
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All beauties not sure which one is my favourite amongst yours this week, sambucus is one of my favourite forms, but all are lovely!
Here’s my little contribution https://thomasdstone.blog/2017/09/09/6-on-saturday-9-9-17/
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Another Six from Londoncottage. Strictly speaking it’s a Six from last spring, but we are a broad church. http://londoncottagegarden.com/six-snapshots-of-spring-bulbs-on-a-saturday/
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Oh sorry – my thought was that it is just this time of year that we are planning what we want to see in the spring.
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Yeah it’s totally fine, no apology needed.
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My helenium autumnale has weird stems, all rough and angular and almost serrated. Anyone else’s? They are bright yellow, unlike other varieties which have more orange/red in them. I bought mine at rosybee.com nursery – plants for bees. Rosi sells plants for bees and they’re great value. Within days they are attractive wildlife.
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Sounds like slug or snail damage. Mine have had similar treatment.
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I’m a big fan of Helenium, too. Here’s a link to my very first “Six on Saturday,” posted from the west coast of Canada: https://thepaintinggardener.wordpress.com/2017/09/09/six-on-saturday/.
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Reblogged this on London Cottage Garden and commented:
Everyone can join in the Six on a Saturday blogging world
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Have you tried helenium from seed? They are really quick to get to flowering size and you get a wonderful assortment. Red Shades are very good. Love Moorheim Beauty and just got one called Short and Sassy for one of my clients (bargain bin!). Really like your one in the main picture. Here are mine, hope you enjoy them https://offtheedgegardening.com/2017/09/09/six-on-saturday-its-a-miracle/
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Yeah I grew mine from seed originally, then divisions and seed this year. I’ll get more seed from the HPS seed exchange.
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Always good to hear what’s going on in everyone’s gardens. Here’s the link to my latest Six http://wp.me/p97pee-36 hope you enjoy it!
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Interesting foliage and flowers on the Sambucus. If it were better behaved, I could see it being useful for adding dark contrast to a border.
Four bulbs, a flowering shrub, and an orchid for me this week:
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I’m going to persevere with the elder, see if I can tame it.
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‘Chipperfield Orange’ has done well for me, very tall. ‘Chelsey’ was superb at Rosemorr a couple of weeks back. I had ‘Moerheim Beauty’ but the slugs had it. Seemed to lack vigour, but may have been a weak plant. I’ve been impressed, and tempted by your seed raised forms.
My six are here: https://gardenruminations.wordpress.com/2017/09/09/six-on-saturday-992017/
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Thanks for the helenium tips Jim, I shall keep a look out.
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Ooh I love Helenium Autumnale too and have bagged some bargains recently. Just yesterday I got Helenium Red and Gold (AKA Rotgold) which I recommend for red colours. They also make great cut flowers; I have them in a jug with crocosmias Sunglow and Emily McKenzie, and Scabiosas Plum Pudding and Cherry Pie. Stunning late summer colour.
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Thanks for the tip Liz. I’ll look out for some rotgold.
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I grow several sedums, but have found the local snails like to nibble the leaves on my ‘Matrona’ – they don’t touch any of the others though.
Heleniums are fantastic plants for supplying lots of colour at this time of year. I would recommend ‘Chipperfield Orange’ and ‘Bressingham Gold’.
You can be really tough on sambucus, pruning them to stumps in early spring. They will still produce flowers (although not so many as if left unpruned), and keeps them from becoming monster plants.
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Yes, I did prune the elder hard. Right back to the framework, stump, whatever. It’s put in about 5 feet of lanky growth this year. It’s certainly enthusiastic. It was a bit wind damaged in a storm earlier in the year, perhaps that put it off it’s stride. Thanks for the helenium tips!
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