Chelsea already. I shall be chopping this weekend. For the uninitiated, the Chelsea Chop is named after the RHS Chelsea flower show which conveniently occurs at just the right time for the chop, the cutting back of perennials to encourage a longer blooming season. I tend to cut down the front half of a clump so that the later growth hides the fading growth at the back. How much to chop? The advice varies from a third, to a half, to two thirds, to right back to the ground. I think I will hedge my bets and go with half, maybe two thirds if I’m feeling brave. Sedum are a prime candidate for the chop, which also prevents the leggy and floppy growth to which they are often prone. This is lucky as I need to move my biggest sedum – I’ll cut it back first.
Before all that chopping, time for Six on Saturday. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – flowers, a weed, a mystery, a harvest, a pest, a job to do, anything at all. Join in!
Here are my Six for this week.
1 – Geranium ‘Dreamtime’. A less garish shade of pink than some geraniums, and the leaves are almost variegated, with a cream edge to the leaves. I quite like it.
2 – Thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’. Becoming a regular feature, I include again because she’s started doing something new. The flowers are out, forming a pink cloud atop the black stems, with the tiers of foliage below setting them off nicely. Big fan of this plant. I will collect some seed.
3 – Clematis ‘Rebecca’. I have two of these. This one is constrained in a too-small planter on the front drive. This year it is flowering its socks off, and they are all very large flowers. I’m not sure if this is the flower equivalent of “I’m not waving! I’m drowning!”, or if it is just exuberant. Either way, these first flowers almost always get eaten by earwigs, so I shall enjoy it while it lasts.
4 – Tiarella ‘Pink Skyrocket’. I think I showed this plant a couple of months back just as it was leafing up and producing small flower buds. Things have moved on.
5 – Digitalis. A different foxglove plant to last week, with subtly different colouring. A less shocking shade of pink all round, and a good deal paler on the inside. Same basic model, I suspect. These are providing an all-you-can-eat buffet for the local bumblebees. I have several more plants, all different colours. They will get their chance.
6 – Peony, unknown. grannysgarden brought me several roots of peony earlier this year which I duly potted up and eventually planted out. This one is the first to flower, bright red as you can see. Just the one this time. I expect it will put on some bulk through the summer and do better next year. Just goes to show that the idea you can’t move peonies is baloney.
Those are my Six, what are yours? If you’d like to join in, just publish your post and pop a link to it in the comments below. For more details and other ways to participate, you can read the participant guide.
Have a fabulous gardening weekend, don’t forget to check back in during the day as more links get added.
I’ll be back next weekend for another #SixOnSaturday,
Did I make it? Did I make it? According to my clock it’s 2 minutes to midnight!
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So long as its Saturday somewhere!
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Your Clematis ‘Rebecca’ is gorgeous! it reminds me of a poinsettia a little bit. Just beautiful!
Here’s my 6!
https://40andfeelinit.home.blog/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-2/
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Yes it’s a very striking red.
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I read that as a ‘very stinking red…’
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Gorgeous! Here’s my #SixOnSaturday 😊 love doing this each week even though i’m always (without fail) late! Saturday just comes and goes in a flash. https://twitter.com/ddizzydelights/status/1132436890341269505?s=21
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Hi, great, thanks for posting the link.
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I love the Tiarella, added that to my wish list. Here are my six
Six on Saturday – home and away.
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Needs a shady spot.
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Love that thalictrum – definitely one to look out for (but how easily is it grown from seed…?). Thanks for hosting, Jon and have a good gardening weekend yourself. https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-collywobbles/
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Little bit tricky to germinate, I ended up with three plants.
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Worth a try though, as others speak highly of it as well. Did germination take long?
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I have the thalictrum and find it very easy, I do nothing and it thrives. Have grown extras from seed this year so hope to have loads more plants next year.
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Hmm, admittedly the other thalictrum I have are slow to establish (and yet the wild meadow rue is hard to remove)
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The peony is just gorgeous! However, I’m taken with the thalictrum – the one I’ve got that I thought might be ‘Black Stockings’ hasn’t’ quite flowered so I’m still waiting to see. Anyway, here’s my six:
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Yes I like it more every week. It’s got a lot going for it.
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A beautiful peony https://basia329.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-botanic-gardens-in-autumn/
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Yes first time I’ve grown them.
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So many lovely plants in your Six this week, it’s difficult to choose a favourite. In fact I can’t. If really pushed, the Clematis.
Just back in so a very late post.
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Thanks, plenty to choose from now.
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Clematis Rebecca is a stunning colour and texture. What a shame about the earwigs though! Is there anything you can do about them? I’ve never grown tiarella, but yours looks lovely.
Here are my six for this week: https://wp.me/pM8Y1-7oR
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In theory, an upturned flower pot full of grass clippings is a good trap, they can then be put in the green bin. Ant powder works well apparently but then kills anything else that happens past too.
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Pleased to see the peonies are going well. They should bush out nicely over the next few years. I do tie them back because they tend to flop and when I do, I realise what a lovely scent they have. That clematis is very similar to the one I have growing up the old plum tree carcass – I am very pleased with it this year.
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I noticed at wisley that they have every single peony, hundreds of them, inside a cage like support.
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Good evening. Rather late due to a trip to see our granddaughter swimming in a gala in Cardiff. She had only come about 3500 miles to take part!! A large group from her swimming club in Dubai were competing so it was lovely to watch her – especially since she knocked 9 seconds off her PB for the 200 metre freestyle. Anyway, here are my Six-on-Saturday for this week.
https://grannysgarden229242407.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday
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When I click on your link it is taking me to the 4th March post. Keen to see this weeks post. X
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It does that for me too, every week, no idea why, the link is always correct. If you click on the grannysgarden link when you get there it should take you to the latest post.
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I’m not sure why. Try this.
https://grannysgarden229242407.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday
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Snap I have a similar peony. Here are my six on saturday https://patientgardener.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-25th-may-2019/
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Yes it seems to be a popular model.
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Loving the thalictrum – it is now on my must have list. Here is my Six for this week https://hurtledto60.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-25-may-2019/
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I planted over 100 alliums but do not have a single flower. Might be explained by the happy family of mice I saw skipping through my raised bed this week.
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That’s annoying. Plant em deep. Deeper than it says.
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Yes it is a good plant. The flowers, stems and foliage all have something to add.
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The red clematis looks wonderful. Got an icy blue clematis. A present. Fox gloves are just starting to bud, it would be my next feature one Saturday. Here’s mine today
https://magdarae.wordpress.com
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I do like a clematis. I have several.
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Here are my six for this Saturday https://mybeautfulthings.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-the-good-the-bad-and-the-beautiful/
Have a good week. 🙂
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Hello, will have a look soon.
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Interesting you “chop” today. If I chopped my perennials I’d cut off all their soon to be blooms!
Especially the sedum, with flowers just beginning to open. They will need a major “chop” after that though. Or, I just pull the leggy ones out.
https://lisasgardenadventureinoregon.blogspot.com/2019/05/six-on-saturday-may-25-2019.html
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Yes but if you chopped some now you would get some flowers later too.
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Hello, Mr P. Be back later
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Hello!
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I’m heading out to the garden to see if my bush beans have germinated. I think I may have used seeds past their expiration date. Here are my six for today. https://doesthisfontmakemelookfat.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-a-glorious-garden-may-25-2019/
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My beans are poor this year for some reason.
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*giggle*
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Steady on.
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Sorry, I’ve been to the pub. 🙂
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I just bought 9 bean plants at the farmers market this morning. I have a new packet of seeds for sequential seedings. These plants are already flowering so hope they transplant okay.
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Love your Thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’! What a super flowering plant she is. No need to do any chopping here, other than some wayward geraniums, but I would like to know what to do with a huge bronze fennel. No way can we eat all those leaves (it is about 4 feet high and still growing). If I chop it down to the ground will it regrow? It was such a tiny plant last year too!
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Not sure, never grown it. Link, btw?
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You should get a pingback, but yes I did forget the link. Woke up tired today…
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That was exactly what I was thinking …
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It will regrow, and if allowed to it will seed itself everywhere. They are tap rooted and a bugger to dig up. Apart from that they are lovely!
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Thanks for that, I might do a little pruning then 🙂
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Fennel should regrow if you chop it. If you let it flower it will seed everywhere too!
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Best get chopping then I think!
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It’s still spring over here, with tulips aplenty, daffs just starting to fade and Lilac just opening today! LOVE your red Clematis!!! I’m going to look for that variety. Here’s a few things blooming in my Ontario garden:
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Yes it’s a good one. Enjoy the rest of spring Chris.
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Here’s mine. Those black stockings of yours are just wonderful. I’ll be getting some myself soon.
https://wordpress.com/post/pruneplantsow.wordpress.com/581
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Great! You’ll enjoy it.
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That link is not right I’m afraid. Have another go.
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Hello all. I have been Chelsea chopping this week too. Is it heresy to admit that I have mixed feelings about the actual Cheslea show? Maybe I should reserve judgement until I have been in person. I find the crowds, extravagance and sensationalism is almost the antithesis of what I enjoy about gardening. Here are my six for the week…
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I have similar feelings Keith, and the interviews with ‘celebrities’ are tedious. I guess we have to remind ourselves that this is a show. Like a fashion show. With features we’d never wear/grow. I didn’t see much that interested me this year, except the pale yellow lupins with the pale yellow irises. Now they were nice.
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I thought I was a bit strange too. I have no urge to go to Chelsea. I went to the Malvern show many years ago and came home thinking that I could have enjoyed myself just as much having half an hour at a decent garden centre – and they wouldn’t charge me to go in!
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I enjoy visiting NT and RHS gardens and Botanic Gardens some of which are free (Edinburgh) and yes, some nurseries are enjoyable too.
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I don’t engage in the thing at all.
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I like most of Chelsea on the telly, except for the celebrities and the daftness. I kind of ‘have it on’ rather than watch it. I’ve been twice. The first I enjoyed it and found it quite exciting (mostly because I’d never been before). The second time I vowed never again. The second time I noticed how busy it is with people not even remotely interested in gardens, it was rammed with people shoulder to shoulder, you can’t get near the show gardens, the flower tent requires Olympic standard wriggling, and everything costs a fortune. I do love Malvern though – although I think it was better as Malvern Spring Show rather than the RHS Spring Festival.
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With you 100%, Keith. It is why I am so pleased to be involved with The Chelsea Fringe festival, a much more grounded alternative.
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Yes I forgot about the fringe Tim that sounds much more enjoyable. Glad to see I am not alone in being a little mystified by the whole Chelsea thing!
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Morning! Nice six this week! I’m intrigued by how far ahead of me everyone seems to be with flowering; my peonies and geraniums are nearly there and my foxglove (yes, literally just the one!) still has a way to go, although that’s partly because I didn’t get it in the ground as quickly as I might have.
Here’s mine… https://wp.me/p9CZg7-4L
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I’m sure they’ll catch up.
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Here’s my quick six for today. https://theoptimisticgardener.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/6-on-saturday-25-05-19/
Everyone’s gardens look as though they’re filling up nicely with flowers. Sometimes I think it would be nice to see one pic of your whole garden – or at least a wider section, to see things in context a bit. How about it 6ers?
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You can see just that in my Border Patrol posts, monthly.
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Love that new geranium! What heavenly colors.
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Thanks Cindy
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Chelsea Chop is something common or just an annual time of the year that you use to cut? I have never heard of it.
Beautiful Thalictrum (seeds …. I hope you’ll have!) https://fredgardenerblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-25-05/
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It’s a common term here in the UK but only because of the Chelsea flower show which happens in late may.
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Btw, of course, if I collect seeds you can have some.
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🤭🤥It was an idea that came to mind …. I would not have directly proposed but … ok !😁
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That geranium is a lovely shade, as is the tiarella. Here are six from me, although not from my own garden.
Enjoy the Bank Holiday and keep on watering.
https://thirdageblogger.blogspot.com/2019/05/six-on-saturday-spring-bank-holiday.html
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Hi Linda, lovely. Yes I’ve been watering the spuds.
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Hello everyone, it’s nice to see so many beautiful blooms today! Here are my six for the week… https://doingtheplan.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-discovery-phase/
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It’s that time of year.
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I’ve found that a dry spring followed by a dry summer limits the regrowth after a Chelsea chop. One yer, I cut my heleniums back by two thirds and they never put their heads back above things in front, so now I limit myself to 50%.
Replanted peonies do flower the year after moving – if they don’t, they are probably replanted too deeply
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Interesting, thanks. I will do half I think.
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I have a Thalictrum of some sort but I’m sure it flowers much later than yours, which looks a good’n. I put Rebecca on my wanted list last year, it’s still there and there’s a Morrison’s cheapy Clematis cirrhosa still needing a home saw an obelisk in a garden centre Monday why didn’t buy where would I put it anyway and love the peony nothing makes me more nostalgic than that very double red peony. https://wp.me/p6bCCa-1Qm
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I need to go to the gc to get some bedding for pots. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
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I’ve been looking at my very tall asters and thinking that this year I really will chelsea chop them! Please send positive strong thoughts to make me do it! It just feels so cruel. I love the red peony, can’t think why I didn’t bring some of those from the old garden. Here’s my link https://wp.me/p97pee-oi
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Yes I need to steel myself to do the asters for some reason. Helenium, no bother….
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Your blooms are so far ahead of mine, I have to remind myself that most of my plants just went in this year. As nomadic as I am, you know I carry a bit of peony w/me wherever I go, so you move that bad boy wherever you want it. The foliage on yours is much lighter than what’s seen around here. It really sets of the red. My black stockings that you forced me to buy haven’t arrived yet. Seeing yours, I’m thinking they won’t bloom this year, which is a pity. You’ll have to feature yours several more times – don’t think anyone’ll get tired of that, they’re so lovely. Great six, as always. Now go sharpen your knife. (Run, little sedums!) https://lorahughes.blogspot.com/2019/05/heating-up.html
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It’s a good plant, yours will bulk up this year at least.
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Heres mind, roses galore! https://thesmallgardenofrebecca.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-25-may-2019/
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Fab, a few of my roses are out too.
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Read with interest your six this week…That Thalictrum is great…how old is this plant? Like yours my Tiarella is now going into its second flowering stage, so I am pulling all the older blooms out. As for your Peony you are right…I moved one across the garden a couple of years ago, and it has had about ten blooms. Looks the same as yours but I am not sure if I want to keep it. The clematis Rebecca looks great and works well with those limey green leaves. Here are my six this week: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2019/05/six-on-saturday-25-may-2019.html
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Thanks Noelle. I grew the thalictrum from seed last year, didn’t do much but this year it has come into its own.
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Great six Prop! And no I’m not being creepy I really mean it this time. The colour of that clematis is eye popping, tiarella I adore and a great peony. My favourite is the thalictrum. It has always been my ambition to have a Saucy Border, that one would be a shoe in, along with Actaea ‘Black Negligee’. 🙂 Here are mine, hope you enjoy them. https://offtheedgegardening.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-small-but-pefectly-formed-mainly/ Last week I didn’t get to read many other SoS contributions so am determined to catch up with everyone this week.
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You could have anything ending in “superbum”.
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Brilliant! I hadn’t thought of that. Any other suggestions grateful received. 🙂
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…this time… I see. So what you mean is you were fibbing all the other times?
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*Oops how am I going to get out of this one?* What I meant to say is that this week you have surpassed your usual super excellence with super dooper excellence. Does that work?
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Just barely.
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Which quite frankly is all I deserve.
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A contribution from my husband is Queen of Night tulip which he thinks comes straight out of the Victoria’s Secrets catalogue!
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Yeah! Very domimatrix (is that how you spell it? Too scared to google) 😀
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I think a lot of people may have Peony variety. Like the picture of the foxglove as well mind you I like any picture of a foxglove.
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On hear is my six. Something for everyone as usual .. https://sedumsdahliasandhayfever.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-25th-may-2019/
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I’m enjoying the foxgloves, almost as much as the bees.
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It looks like I definitely have Suttons Apricot…just about to open…
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Here are mine. I was getting to think I posted on the wrong day. Yours never comes on after mine.
As usual, you have a few that I do not grow, or do not know. Thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’ and Tiarella ‘Pink Skyrocket’ are two that I never heard of (except for when you mentioned Thalictrum earlier). I do not grow peony or clematis because they are not happy in the climate here. I could grow digitalis and geranium, but I don’t. I sort of miss the geranium. There does happen to be a slight bit of common digitalis naturalized at work, but not in a maintained area.
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One of the great things about having a nose round other gardens, finding plants you’re not familiar with.
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For some of us, it can be more of a liability than an asset. I have a rule that if I can not grow it from a seed or cutting from the plants that I find, I do not get to grow it in my garden. I purchase (almost) nothing. The garden (as well as the landscapes I work in) still get crowded.
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I’m Chelsea chopping too – I’ve done some Jerusalem artichokes in the veg patch as they grow taller than me! I marvel at your Clematis selections and Rebecca really is fabulous.
This week I’m sharing 6 Pelargoniums in pots. Is it a new obsession of mine…?
https://www.teabreakgardener.co.uk/pelargoniums-in-pots/
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Love a Pellie. I haven’t bought any yet this year but one of my pots has survived the winter outside, not sure why…
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Ooooh, we got a Rebecca this year. Almost included her today but thought she’d be okay for next week. Not considered earwigs! That geranium is nice. https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-one-year-on-25-may-2019/
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Yes she is a good’n. My other one is enormous.
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A good flowering selection. I’ve got lots of pretty little geraniums poking out all over currently. The foxgloves ate swarming with bees and clematis coming into flower. All as it should be.
My six also featuring clematis https://wp.me/p7AXpE-2mt
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Yes, lots of flowering going on. I forgot to schedule my post, sorry it was a bit late…
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No worries. I’d been working my way through reading other sixes.
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