January is well under way, and with it the annual itch is upon me. No, not scabies, this itch is entirely horticultural – the sowing itch! I have been unable to resist, some seeds have been sown, providing some scratchy relief. Anyhow, time to look at what’s going on in the garden with Six on Saturday. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – a flower, a plan, a favourite tool, a bud, a job completed, anything at all. Join in!
Here are my Six for this week.
1 – Rose bud breaks – I have added significantly to my rose collection in the last six months or so. Where previously there was just one climber, there are now nine, with the distinct possibility of more to come if any of the hardwood cuttings I have root successfully. All are pruned back, and there are signs of new bud-breaks on all of them. This is very exciting! I am looking forward to a rosy 2018, although I still have to find a planting spot for four of them.
2. Vermiculite sack – I get through a lot of vermiculite. It’s very expensive to buy in small 5L or 10L bags in the garden centre. I order one 100L sack a year, this one was £24 via eBay. I use for both sowing and for cuttings.
3. Primula japonica. I mentioned these a couple of weeks back, they had all died back and looked rather sad. At the time I wondered if they had just died. I cleared away the dead foliage and I see signs of life. Jolly good. I have too many, I will have to get rid of some. Er, I mean, give lovingly to others.
4. More veg seed. I was looking for some more chilli seed, and found a supplier I hadn’t come across before, Premier Seeds Direct. They sell all their seeds in basic foil packaging and don’t produce a seed catalogue, keeping their costs low. They seem to sell in decent quantity for an extremely reasonable 99p a pack, typically. I got an additional discount for ordering over 10 packs, so they came in at 79p a pack including postage. More you spend, more you save! Very good value, now we just have to see how they turn out. What do you mean, I didn’t need any more seeds? Nonsense, clearly nonsense. La la la not listening.
5. Onions again – my ‘Electric’ sets are looking nice and perky, most are sprouting enthusiastically.
6. Honeysuckle. I finally got around to planting this out against the fence on the long sunny border. It is raring to go. It is still small, so I’m not expecting a lot of flowers this year, but hopefully it will cover some fence.
That’s my Six for this week, what are yours? If you are contemplating joining in, just write your post and add a comment below containing a link to your post, and maybe add a link back to this blog in yours. Simple! We’d love a nose round your garden. For more details you can read the brief participant’s guide.
Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to check in over the next 24 hours as more links are added.
I’ll be back next Saturday with another Six.
How exciting – it sounds like you are firmly in the throes of spring fever! I need to post an update soon – I tried my hand at some propagation last fall, and it looks like several things are coming along… Do you do that Six on Saturday meme every week?
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Yep i post every week at 8am GMT, so far at any rate. Not obligatory for others to post weekly, of course, although many do. If you’re interested, have a look at the participants guide, link at the bottom of every Six post.
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I have this weird sense that I’ve intended to participate before, but never got around to it. Oh well, hopefully soon!
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Maybe you have! Go on, have a go. Fair warning, can be addictive…!
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Ha! I’ve noticed! Successfully propagating things gives one a rather godlike feeling. And, who doesn’t like THAT?? 😊
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I meant Six on Saturday, but yes, propagating too!
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I’m happy to hear that your roses are coming up. I would like to add a climber to my garden this spring. Also, your onions look fantastic! I’ve never grown them and I think you’ve inspired me to give it a go. I am glad that Spring is on its way. Here is my contribution to this week’s SIx on Saturday: https://myhalfacreblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/six-on-saturday-2/
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Onions are great. These are an overwintering variety, I’ll plant them and out in a few weeks. I’ll also sow onion seeds in modules, end of January probably. I wish I had more growing space but i intend to get a great crop of lots of different veg from my 3 raised beds.
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Good to know! When will they be ready for harvest?
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The sets you see today, may/june ish. The seeds June or July. I’ll sow in bunches of 5 to 10 and plant like that, then remove some as spring onions (scallions) and leave the rest to bulk out into bulbs. In theory. Haven’t grown onions from seed before…
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Yes– I’m intrigued by starting by seed. I’m only familiar with the sets. Only a month difference to harvest- not bad!
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All this talk of things starting into growth and seed sowing is making me realise I’m missing something. Did I even get onion sets this year? When did I sow onions last year? My antipodean six are here. https://gardenruminations.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/six-on-saturday-13-1-2018/
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When are you heading back to Blighty?
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End of the month. Can you turn the thermostat up a bit.
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Long old trip! Got to make the long flight worth enduring I suppose. It’s a balmy 4°c out just now. Been deep cleaning the greenhouse today. Gearing up for sowing frenzy.
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Jim Stephens, that long-flowered mistletoe is wonderful!
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Now I’m feeling really guilty as I haven’t got around to pruning my few roses yet. A job for tomorrow perhaps. I used to have a really, really bad seed habit but have managed to cure it slightly over the last few years. Apparently, there are more things to life than gardening (and quilting)! !
I missed last week as I was away and today is the first day in my garden for a while. Here are six things I thought I’d share with you
https://thequiltinggardener.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/six-on-saturday-13/01/18/
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I am sorry I did not send my six in. I did not want to make a habit of it, but did not want to be so negligent right away either. I will get six more, just not right away.
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No problem, no obligations. See you soon.
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Leaky roof is most unwelcome. See you soon I hope.
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I’ve adopted your propagation in vermiculite strategy with two little cuttings of Melianthus. If they take, it will be my first success. I’m not ready to post a Six on Saturday – nothing happening in my soggy garden plus dealing with serious leak in the roof 😯. Hopefully, next Saturday.
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Oh no! Roof leaks are awful! Good luck with your cuttings. 🙂
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Are you using just vermiculite? Or have you mixed with something else?
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Just vermiculite. Should I be mixing it with something else?
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Not necessarily. Depends. I usually use a mix. 2 parts grit to 1 part vermiculite. Or equal parts sometimes. Just vermiculite is maybe a bit light on its own. Having said that, I have used like that for pelargoniums, they don’t seem to mind. I happened to have run out of grit when I was setting them up.
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I used to grow primula at our former 10 acre farm and they grew near the creek. The expanded intp the lawn and everywhere. There was no possible way to remove them, but who would want to? They were sensational! I hope yours are too!
Seeds have not yet arrived but they are promised for next week. I have ordered waaaay too many….
Here are my six for today: https://fromourisland.wordpress.com/2018/01/12/six-on-saturday-january-13-2018/
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Wait, seeds come in quantities other than “waaay too many!”? Sounds fanciful to me.
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Nine climbing roses should put on a good display when they are established.
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Yeah i hope so Brian. Should be good.
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It’d be a sin not to fill that seed cabinet of yours, so buying more seeds was actually a holy thing to do. All these rose cutting takers, including yourself, are inspiring me to try, try again. I’ve only had luck w/rose seeds, not cuttings. As to your honeysuckle, I agree w/Thomas. Mine, of the mushroom pot, was new last year, probably a year old vine of maybe 8″, got diseased from being too damp so had to start growing all over after treatment & yet had several flowers. They’re hardy little beggars. Let’s wait & see how many yours get this year! Which honeysuckle is it?
Oh dear. So much blathering, I nearly forgot my link. Here we go, six very wet on saturday. https://lorahughes.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/week-of-wet.html
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I forgot to go out and look at the label. It’s a honeysuckle thingumyjig. Well known variety. And ‘re the seeds, I am the high frickin priest of seeds. I want ALL the seeds.
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I would love space for Melianthus major!!!! Sigh…
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Exciting about the roses! I planted out one of my overwintered rose cuttings yesterday. Too early, of course. But have itch, will scratch.
Here’s my six- http://bit.ly/2D8j7V8
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Indeed. Scratch away!
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What a lovely splash of colour in your photos. Reminds me of summer
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Nice buds! Loving your work. Here is my first attempt at joining in: http://216509.mrsitecloud.com/blog
I look forward to more.
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Excellent! Welcome to the cult. Hope to see you again soon.
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Loved your witch hazel!
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Ooh, that’s a fancy way of showing the six. It’s great to see the variety of plants and the variety of blogs. Always something to learn
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I have not looked at my rosebuds but as they are not pruned yet, I think yours are ahead. Fingers crossed if the frosts are coming back soon to burn their new leaves … this is what happened last year here … nothing important but a little time lost to see them bloom. I can see that you have done good business with vermiculite and seeds … sometimes I would like to be on the other side of the sea to enjoy it too! Here is my Six for the week! https://fredgardenerblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/six-on-saturday-13-01/
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Most if mine are either cuttings from 13 months ago or new bare roots. Just one is a full size rose, but i have pruned it and trained it. Looking forward to lots of roses this year!
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Here’s my link https://wp.me/p97pee-bP I will be busy pruning this weekend, buying my potatoes next week and taking delivery of first batch of seeds. I’ve got going again! I planted my onions direct into ground and they are just sprouting – not as far forward as yours. And roses get the thumbs up from me. Happy weekends everyone.
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Morning! Sounds like a full day if gardenjng ahead of you. I have had and continue to have a full not ing of boys footie, garden this afternoon.
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Ah. but, will you be sowing those seeds this year? Yes? But if not, how well will they keep do you think? There must be a reason why they’re so cheap. I got some flower seeds from them last year. and sowed them last year, and got a reasonable germination rate for the varieties I bought. I have kept some seed in one opened but folded-over-and-taped packet to see how it does this year. That is also seriously cheap vermiculite; thanks for the tip! Incidentally, have you seen this: http://www.cuttingglobe.com/home.html. I may get a pack to trial. Meanwhile, my very labour-intensive six is over at https://rivendellgarden.blog/?p=3087. Progress, or lack of, may be a primary feature of my upcoming sixes!
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No probably not. The only ones I’d be concerned about are the parsnips. I will sow some of those this year and try chitting them next year but otherwise will just bin them. everything else will be Ok, possibly with a lower germination rate.
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What?! We always need more seeds, don’t we? 🙂
Love your Electric Onions, Japanese variety, right?
And, thank you, for your kind advice about vermiculite, I am going to try it!
Here is my Six on Saturday, celebrating the summer garden and my favourite flowers:
http://www.londonplantology.com/six-on-saturday-flowers-of-the-year/
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Yes, exactly, in these uncertain times we all have responsibility to store humanity’s future food supply. That’s my excuse. That and I like having them. Mainly that, really. The electric are a Japanese variety, overwintering.
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Good morning fella, love the roses can never have too many roses and chilles damn good to have loads off, bet that honeysuckle will spread quickly too 😀
Anyway here’s my 6 to join your 6 https://thomasdstone.blog/2018/01/13/six-on-saturday-13-01-2018/
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Yes I am beginning to form that view about roses (and others, tbh). I look forward to sharing pictures as they develop.
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