The final Six for 2018!  I think I am right in saying that I have not missed a week this year so that’s 312 vignettes (mostly) from my garden for your delight and delectation.  It does get trickier as the year comes to a close to find six things to share. Tricky, but not impossible, no excuses!  Time for the last Six of this year then – Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – a tool, a completed project, a flower (good luck with that!), wildlife, anything at all. Join in!

Here are my Six.

1 – New Okatsune secateurs.  I was able to drop a suitably heavy and quite specific hint to Mrs P that I might be very pleased to receive these for Christmas. They have a heft to them that none of my many previous secateurs had.  Having used them today, I can report that they make a very satisfying thwok sound when used to cut a stem of, say, wisteria.

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2 – Wisteria, 2nd prune.  To get the best from a wisteria they need to be pruned twice, one around mid-summer, to 5 buds, and once around now to 2 buds. This should ensure a good floral display next spring.   Mine has got very unruly since the summer prune and it took quite a seeing-to to return some semblance of order.

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Before
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After

3 – Shed decoupage. Picking up where we left off last Christmas, my youngest daughter and I spent some time yesterday beautifying my shed. The seed drawers and the workbench got this treatment last year and now the interior walls are taking their turn.  I have been saving all the free seed and plant catalogues that appear during the year, they were sacrificed to this noble cause. I have enough left to do maybe two more panels of the shed like this one. Very straightforward to do, if a little time consuming – a perfect holiday activity.

4 – Iris versicolour, emerging. I grew these from seed this year. Until quite recently this year’s growth was still green but as you can see it has faded away, but next year’s growth is already on its way. I wonder if they will flower next summer?

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5 – Clematis montana, naked.  I was sure that this clematis should be evergreen, but either this one has bucked the trend, or I am mistaken. It is certainly doing a good impression of being deciduous, not a leaf is left. On the plus side, it is now easier to see what is tangled with what, so I have some hope of restoring some order to the training this winter before they leaf up again.  I think I need a couple more runs of wire supports above the existing ones.

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6 – Waiting Room 3.  I have three cold frames which are presently all pressed into service as storage for plants of various kinds – some grown this year, some from cuttings this year and some bought in a pity-bench frenzy.  Waiting Room 3 contains Rudbeckia ‘goldsturm’ (originally 2, divided on purchase into 3 plants each), campanula persicifolia (originally 1, divided on purchase into 4) and helenium ‘short n sassy‘ (originally 3, divided on purchase into 8).  All should make excellent garden plants, so long as I can find room for them. A problem for the spring.

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Those are my Six, what are yours?  If you feel inclined to share, just publish your post, pop a link to it in the comments below and perhaps mention my blog in yours. For more details and for other ways to participate, you can read the brief participant guide.

Have a great gardening weekend, don’t forget to check back in during the day as more links get added.

I’ll be back next year for another #SixOnSaturday.