Six on Saturday 29-09-2018

We continue our gentle descent into Autumn, with cold clear nights and warm days, but today it is beautiful weather.  I have not yet had any frost, that typically waits till mid-October round here, but it has been cold enough to keep the greenhouse door closed overnight and some fleece cover has gone on some of the veg.  #1 Child was deposited safely at University in Nottingham last weekend. I’d like to say it was an emotional parting but really, he couldn’t wait to get rid of us!  Such is life.  Anyhow, time for Six on Saturday – Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – a flower, a tool, a plan, a failure, a pest, foliage, a close-up, anything at all. Join in!

Here are my Six for this week.

1 – Seedheads, Cosmos sulphureous – I picked these off the plants after some rain last weekend and left in the shed to dry. On inspection yesterday, they had dried out nicely and opened out. Each of the dark spiky articles sticking out of the seedhead is the end of a seed. They either drop out, or can be eased out with a gentle tug. The one on the right has been stripped of seeds. I will have plenty of seed for me next year and will send the rest off to the Hardy Plant Society seed scheme.

2 – Dahlia, ‘Bishops Children’. In my head, the name for this flower is always accompanied by a parenthetical “naughty Bishop”. I grew these from seed a couple of years back, this is their 3rd summer in the ground.  I must grow some different dahlia from seed, these were very easy. They get to knee high, in several colours ranging from yellow through orange, red and purple.

3 – Geranium ‘Orion’ – One of several hardy geraniums I bought in a recent rescue bench purchase. It is popping up the occasional last flower. I need to find somewhere to plant it and its friends. Judging by my recent survey of the borders, I should have plenty of places for it.

4 – Nicotiana sylvestris (again…) – I grew these from seed last year and decided I didn’t like them. I clearly didn’t clear them or deadhead effectively, I have some that have self-seeded. I didn’t intercept them when smaller as I had planted some angelica nearby and assumed that’s what they were. In fact they are smothering the angelica, so they will be removed. Maybe after they have finished flowering.

5 – Polystichum neolobatum, Asian Sabre Fern.  One of 15 I bought earlier this year. It is small now, but should get to 60cm eventually. It is hardy and evergreen, so should form a permanent feature in the top tier of the living wall where it now lives.

6 – Crocus bulbs. The autumn bulb frenzy has begun. I have taken delivery of some tulips, snowdrops and these crocuses (croci?). They are a mixed bag of 100 that I will spread liberally in select areas of the garden. I’m not sure precisely where – some may go under the lawn, some in pots, some at the edges of borders.  The snowdrops and crocus need to go in before it gets too cold, this weekend maybe; the tulips will wait until November.  I don’t have any crocus or snowdrops in my garden, so this is the start of something that I’ll develop over the years.

Those are my Six, what are yours? Do give it a go, just publish your post and drop a link into the comments below, and maybe mention my blog in yours.  I look forward to reading them all and will do my best to comment in due course.

Have a fabulous weekend, good luck with your gardening to-do list, and don’t forget to check back in during the day as more links get added.

I’ll be back next weekend with another #SixOnSaturday.