So, that was June, and already we are half way through 2018. That went fast! The garden, which was very lush after the rain in the spring, is now looking a bit jaded. Whilst I am watering lots, I can’t keep up with their needs in this relentless hot sunshine. Moan moan moan. Before I spend the day melting in the garden, time for Six on Saturday. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything. A job to do, a flower, a favourite tool, a funny shaped vegetable, a success, a glorious failure, anything at all. Join in, do!
Here are my Six for this week.
1 – Lychnis arkwrightii. Grown from seed last year, these did nothing much of any interest last summer. In fact I thought they had all died, but I found a few in a pot tray hidden among the raspberries. They were a little dessicated, but I planted them out a month or two back and they seem a bit happier now, flowering away. There is quite a nice contrast between the bright orange-red flowers and the dark green foliage.
2 – Astilbe. I’ve had these for many years. The plants in the sunny border are struggling, I think I will dig them up. The ones on the shady side of the garden though, they’re doing just fine. This one is in full shade in one of the planters in the alley.
3 – Rose ‘Caribbean Dawn’. This patio rose was in the border until earlier this year. I moved it at a sub-optimal time, when it was leafing up. I planted it in a large tub on the patio, a suitable spot for what is actually a patio rose. The plant sulked at being moved, dropping all of its leaves. For a few weeks I was sure I had killed it, but happily it stopped pouting and got on with growing. It is now covered with flowers. I think it has forgiven me.
4 – Digitalis parviflora. I grew these from seed last year, nothing interesting happened. This year, though, they are growing into useful plants. Just one has a flower spike at the moment, but the others will follow soon, I think. This is a perennial foxglove, 4 or 5 years is a typical lifespan, it’s advisable to collect seed in the third year. They are smaller, both in flower and in height, than their biennial cousins. Until just now, when I double-checked, I thought the horti-latin parviflora meant “brown flowered”, which this certainly has. In fact it means “small flowered”. Shows what I know…
5 – Salvia nemerosa x caradonna. Grown from seed this year, one of a few types of salvia I’m trying to grow. The plants are a bit small and scrappy, but have begun to throw up single flower spikes. Assuming they survive the winter, I’m hoping they’ll bulk up a little next year for a better display.
6 – Rose ‘Golden Ladder’. I bought this last year but only got around to planting it early this year. Like last week’s ‘Oh Wow!’, this is intended to climb up the wisteria trellis. I had in mind a nice purple/yellow combination, but they both need to grow on quite a bit before they intertwine sufficiently to achieve that effect. In the meantime I can enjoy the flowers in their lonesome yellow.
Those are my Six, what are yours? I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of sunny pictures in people’s Six posts this week. Join in, you know you want to! Just write your post, twit your tweet, insta your gram, face your book, whatever, then pop a link into the comments below. If you also add a link back to my blog in yours, that would be fabulous.
Have a fantastic sunny weekend, stay safe, and don’t forget to check back in over the next day or two as more links are added.
I’ll be back next weekend with another Six on Saturday,
Arkwrightii always reminds me of Open all Hours…
LikeLiked by 1 person
G g g g g g Granville! Comedy gold.
LikeLike
Your salvia will really bulk up next year – by at least twice if not three times the current size and number of flowers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent, glad to hear it. I like growing plants from seed but sometimes the process is quite slow. Temptation to just buy bigger plants is quite strong at times…
LikeLike
Those gold ladder roses are stunning! I always think of summer when I see yellow roses. 🙂 I’m excited to discover Six on Saturday; I’ll post about my own garden next week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello! Great, hope to see you next week.
LikeLike
Looks like Astilbe is in style! Your comments on seed-grown perennials is giving me hope. My plants from last year are coming back after I had written them off. I actually love the surprise!
If you are languishing in the heat, feel free to send some sunshine my way – my many veggies are stalled and my corn is most definitely not going to be “knee-high by fourth-of-July” as I’ve been told is ideal.
Here’s mine: https://experimentsinpropagation.wordpress.com/2018/07/01/six-on-saturday-06-30/
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love growing stuff from seeds. Mainly perennials as they reward the patient with many years of good service.
LikeLike
I’m too impatient but my impulse leads me to keep throwing stuff out there which I can never fully remember. But there is more of a sense of accomplishment when growing from seed, I’d say. Cheers
LikeLiked by 1 person
You got some odd ones there, except for the two roses. I am not sure what to think of that digitalis. The common sorts are too pretty to improve on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely plants and lovely pictures. I can reassure you about Salvia ‘Caradonna’. Mine, newly planted, were very scrappy for a year. But, they brazened it through this winter with no trouble, and even the heatwave hasn’t wilted them. They are now substantial and striking plants in the border. Love your roses.
My Six on Saturday are here:
LikeLike
Oh that’s good. I shall look forward to those next year. I have some cuttings of amistad on the go too.
LikeLike
I’m quite jealous that you know the rose varieties that you have, I’m terrible at that level of identification.
Do you know if the perennial foxglove self-seeds as vigorously as it’s annual cousin?
Here’s my six: https://kashcahdreamsofcrofting.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-2/
LikeLike
It certainly sets seed.
LikeLike
We have a cream perennial foxglove. It flowered the first year, was eaten the second year and was being eaten this year until I dug it up and put it in a pot. I’m hoping it might flower again one day, though if they only have a lifespan of 5 years or so it’s running out of time! https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-30-june-2018/
LikeLike
Incredibly busy…life keeps interfering with pleasures in the garden. Our garden tour was wonderful last weekend but it was exausting to stand and talk to all the enthusiasts for two days in a row.
LikeLike
The foxgloves an interesting variation. My six https://wp.me/p7AXpE-2eX
LikeLike
That Salvia is a great favourite of mine and I’m happy to have a name for it now. And isn’t it wonderful when plants you’ve written off as deceased magically reappear? Here are my Six for today: https://thepaintinggardener.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-june-30/.
LikeLike
That’s some stunning colours in your garden this week! A lot of the plants in the garden are starting to flag with the heat, and I’m just thankful that the water trough at the allotment site is quite close to my plot so it’s not too far to carry the watering cans!
Here’s my six of successes and failures this week http://allotmenteering.co.uk/?p=265 🙂
LikeLike
That Lychnis is wonderful. There’s nothing better than a bright orange flower.
My six this week are photos from my recent visit to Mercer Botanical Gardens in Houston, Texas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hurray! I made it just in time for lunch! My six: https://stoneyknob.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-whats-growing/
LikeLike
Oh, Rose ‘Caribbean Dawn’ is definatley going on my patio pots list – this where reading other gardening blogs is so great and full of ideas. A bit stuck for choice with my container garden but this is my contribution this week. https://hurtledto60.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-in-vivid-colour-30-june-2018/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the foxglove, I’ll have to investigate that one. I love astilbes as well but haven’t managed to grow them well enough to be happy with them. The Lychnis??? It’s bright!
Bit of a white theme to the start of my six and it finishes with a beastie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is a bit lary.
LikeLike
Here’s my six for this week. Enjoy. https://doesthisfontmakemelookfat.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-june-30-2018-ditch-lilies-mean-summer-is-here/
LikeLike
Hallo!
LikeLike
Here’s mine for today…… I’ll be back after my AM meeting to read all of the posts! https://thecadyluckleedy.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-its-all-purpley-today-in-the-garden/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello again. Look forward to reading.
LikeLike
Those great spots of color will see you through the heat of summer! Im excited to read the contributions later this weekend. Family’s in town and we’re exploring so much that I don’t have time to post this week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Enjoy the family visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We had cloud for about an hour this morning, it was such a relief. Gone now. I’ve a tray of 20 little plants of Digitalis parviflora needing planting and nowhere very suitable for them to go. Pot them on and buy time I guess. https://wp.me/p6bCCa-1zY
LikeLiked by 1 person
So often my strategy. Born of desperation. I’ll be digging up a bit more lawn this weekend to make some room…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good evening all! Wow Mr P thanks for introducing me to Lychnis… Just gorgeous! On my wish list as of right now. Lots of sixes (rubs hands together gleefully). Here is mine…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a few different kinds of lycnhis. This orange one is interesting. It’s not a great plant, tbh but the flowers are worth it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They are very pretty. I have a soft spot for reds and oranges.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What isn’t it a great plant? Should I not already be in love w/it?
LikeLike
Hola from sunny (at last!) Spain. Great Six, such interesting plants which have me adding to my wish list once again.Love that digitalis parviflora, so different even if it has a brown thing going! Very busy with visiting family here but I’ve managed to squeeze in a quick Six.
https://thissimplelife954.wordpress.com/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just read your post and wanted to day what a beautiful part of the world you live in. Was delighted to read about your tillandsia. I’ve read that you can tie them onto bark so I’m going to try tying some onto the hairy trunk of my Trachycarpus Fortunei in my greenhouse…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Katharine! It is truly beautiful, especially when the sun shines and definitely a great growing climate. I have to confess I knew nothing about tillandsia, tying them onto bark sounds fascinating. I have two good-sized balls here so it would be interesting to try something a bit different.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is a bit brown. But intriguing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here’s my hot, hot hot six for this week https://wp.me/p9NflW-3D
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hot damned hot.
LikeLike
I’m loving that lychnis – never seen that one before, but love just about all the lychnis I’ve seen. You do have great colour in you garden right now. The roses are fab as roses always are & the astilbe . . . I do so love astilbe, too. But its your foxglove saga that’s kept me interested since last year. These perennial ones are certainly tempting . . . but not this year.
So here’s my lot for the week. https://lorahughes.blogspot.com/2018/06/taking-heat.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can send you some seed later in the year if you feel inclined.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so inclined, I’m leaning over.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny isn’t it that even ‘old’ gardeners still manage to plant things in the wrong place. You would think we’d learn. I’m getting fed up of the same old, same old plants and want to inject a bit of interest in my garden. Trouble is with all this climate change stuff it is difficult to know what to plant! Just when I had decided that bog plants were suited to my soil, here we have a hot, sunny and dry month! Thanks for showing the Digitalis parviflora – I think I took a photo of one growing wild in the lane on Thursday. It looks like a foxglove, but not one I have seen before, similar leaves, odd yellow-brown flowers (well what was left of them), but you may well have ID it for me. Do they grow in the wild?
Happy weekend in the garden Prop – sun-lounger with beer in hand I think 🙂
LikeLike
Here, less of the old! Cheek.
LikeLiked by 2 people
*experienced*
LikeLike
You have a very nice collection of roses around your garden, it seems. I like the Caribbean dawn.
LikeLiked by 1 person
With a couple of exceptions they are all quite new, hoping for better things next year.
LikeLike
I am starting to wonder if it will ever rain again. Oh wait a minute, yes it will, the minute the school holidays start. You must be pleased with your glorious Golden Ladder rose, I would be. Your perennial foxglove is, er, interesting. Here are my sunny six for this week:
https://carrotsandcalendula.co.uk/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-sunshine-no-rain/
LikeLike
Damned with faint praise! Poor foxglove. It has some redeeming features. Happy in the shade and it is a returning feature. But brown…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another lovely six – here’s mine.
https://itsabeautifulwordblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/beyond-my-boundaries/
LikeLike
Morning!
LikeLike
Love the yellow rose. Won’t the Wisteria strangle it? Here’s a link to my Six this week . I think. On my mobile and not sure if it’ll work!!😊
countygardening.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday/?preview=true
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well the wisteria is mostly up high so I’m hoping the rose will cover the lower section of the trellis then clamber through the wisteria. I figure thesummer prune will of the wisteria will make things a bit less crowded.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just to keep up with you guys I’ve posted a pic of a rose in my six this week. Otherwise it’s all about experiments in the kitchen garden, hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy yours https://givingupthegoodlife.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/experiments-in-the-kitchen-garden/
LikeLiked by 1 person
So long as there’s no carrots…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a wonderful variety of plants and great colours. I do like the lychnis. Great results from your seed growing too. Your are inspiring me to grow more of perennials from seed. Here’s my six https://wp.me/p97pee-gg
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s my favourite thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Astilbe 😍 i really want to find a home for them here and the worst thing about this Six is my plant list is growing out of control 😂 here are my six http://www.cottagenotebook.ie/grow-six-on-saturday-pests-poppies/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that is a hazard of the thing. I use my “want” list to guide my seed purchases for next year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All looking good despite the drought!
Here are mine for the week
https://www.mypottingbenchblog.com/six-on-saturday-30th-june-2018/
LikeLike
Mustn’t grumble.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha, hadn’t seen this when I said the same in my post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here’s my 6. Will be back later to have a read.
My Astilbe are also struggling in this heat! Loving these pictures; especially the salvia.
https://oldhouseintheshires.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-please-send-water/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have a great day Sophie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was fab ta! You?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Busy and hot!
LikeLiked by 1 person
you are right..half of 2018 did go pretty fast, didn’t it?
Here’s my six – a list of ailments. Do let me know if you know of any remedies, will you?
https://bit.ly/2tGtLvw
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thomas is your man for roses.
LikeLike
I shall nudge him then
LikeLike
Ooh – I’m drawn to that foxglove – will be interesting to see how perennial it is and hoping it flowers for you for many years. Here are my six – from my sweltering greenhouse…
https://www.teabreakgardener.co.uk/my-gardening-week-six-on-saturday-30-06-18/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Quite short lived i gather. 5 years tops.
LikeLike
Morning everyone. Weather not been to bad up here moisture and sun a good combination. Here is my six a succulent special https://sedumsdahliasandhayfever.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-30th-june-2018-succulent-special/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Send rain!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t hardly had any since the beast from the east. All I can send is a good Sea Fret…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Besides do you know how difficult it is to package up a. Sea Fret? Now you know how I felt when I was harping on about the lack of rain in May…
LikeLike
Here is mine. I promise to get more flowery pictures next week. It is late. I will be back later.
https://tonytomeo.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-infrastructure/
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t know the Lychnis arkwrightii ( gorgeous color !)
with “a name to sleep outside”
literal translation of a French expression that really means what it means … Nice post, beautiful roses!
My link today : https://fredgardenerblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday-30-06/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bonjour Fred! Yes I like it much better this year than last year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A terrific six Mr P. Wow, I really like that Lychnis which resembles a group of little fireworks. And the Salvia nemerosa x caradonna has a lovely flower; I wouldn’t mind one of those in my garden as well. Hope your garden isn’t suffering too much in all that heat I’m hearing about. Here is my six: http://janesmudgeegarden.com/sos-june-30-winter-colour/
LikeLike
It’s me that’s suffering, not the garden!
LikeLike
Interesting that some of your Six-on-Saturday are ones which were previously disappointing but have “blossomed” now! Anyway, off to the Parkrun pretty confident of coming 1st in my age group this week! Here is my Six.
https://grannysgarden229242407.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/six-on-saturday
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent, well done! Glory at last.
LikeLike
Well, yes, I was easily first in my age group…………..?!
LikeLiked by 2 people