Six on Saturday 24-08-2019

The universe is taunting me.  Now that we’re back off holiday the weather is fabulous. Sigh.  On this bank holiday weekend, the Reading Festival is in full swing, my gardening will be accompanied by the distant thumps and booms of the music (well, some of it is music).  Various teenagers of this household will be going through this local rite of passage, staggering in hungover at all hours in need of food and a shower. While they’re doing all that, I will be busy. After 3 or 4 weeks of limited time (and, frankly, enthusiasm), I have quite a list of things to do in the garden this weekend, it’s beginning to look a little unkempt in places. At least I won’t be distracted for long by the 3rd Ashes test! Deary me. Anyhow, time for Six on Saturday. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – a flower, a harvest, an insect, a favourite tool, a job to do, anything at all. Join in!

For this week’s Six we are back in my garden…

1 – Salvia microphylla ‘pink blush’.  Bought a year ago in the end of season sale, this plant spent most of the intervening time in its pot. I eventually planted it in the front garden as part of the new planting scheme (which is a grand term for me plonking plants in somewhat at random).   By this time it was fairly drab looking. I cut it back and hoped for the best. It took its time, but did respond over the summer, putting on some new growth. It is now flowering nicely.  I think I prefer it to ‘hot-lips’.

2 – Mina lobata, spanish flag.  Success!  I’ve been trying to grow this wretched plant for a few years with no joy. Either the seeds never germinated, or didn’t thrive when they did. This year I managed two garden-worthy plants. They have done a pretty good job covering the front garden fence and have begun to flower well too. Chuffed.

3 – Thunbergia alata, black-eyed susan vine. Staying in the front garden, Fred sent me some seeds and I ended up with 8 or 9 plants. I put some at the base of a cane wig-wam and some along the fenceline.  Neither group has thrived, but now they are putting on some growth and have begun to flower, although lower down than I’d like. This flower is about 30cm from the ground – not great for a climber!  I plan to grow more annual climbers next year, I need to do some seed catalogue research…

4 – Physalis alkekengi, chinese lanterns. A few weeks ago these were still very green, but they have quickly turned. The flowers are forgettable in comparison. A nice bright addition to the front garden.

5 – Eupatorium purpureum, joe pye weed. I grew these from seed this year. I haven’t been paying attention to this one, planted in the corner of the front garden, so I’m not sure if this flower head is still emerging, or if it has gone over. The former I think.

6 – Persicaria amplexicaulis x ‘Fat Domino’.  This sole representative from the back garden was grown from seed last year. The plants are twice the height they were last summer. They won’t have come entirely true, so the flower spikes are perhaps less Fat than the parent plant.  Perhaps Domino has been on a diet. I have seen this plant described as “not over-exuberent’, and although the plants are more vigorous than last year, they do seem to be behaving themselves.  They flower for months and our buzzy friends seem to appreciate them. I probably need to dig a few up and spread them about to prevent congestion.

Those are my Six, what are yours?  If you’d like to take part, just publish your post and pop a link to it in the comments below. If you also mention my blog in yours that would fab. For more details, check out the brief participant guide.

Have a lovely gardening weekend, and don’t forget to pop back during the day as more links get added.

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