Six on Saturday 28-09-2019

There’s no two ways about it, we have entered Autumn. Temparatures have dropped to seasonal norms, overcast skies are more common, there has even been some worthwhile rain. Moreover, leaves are beginning to turn and the garden is starting to show signs of needing a good tidy up. I know we are supposed to leave “done” perennials for seed heads and structure, but about now I have an almost irresistible urge to hack things down and prepare for next year. I’m going to try to leave that until this time next month. While we wait for that, it’s time for Six on Saturday. What’s that, I hear you ask? Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – a gnome, a pond, a flower, a harvest, a pest, a plan, anything at all. Join in!

Here are my Six for this week:

1 – Colocasia esculenta ‘Black Coral’. I bought this and another green colocasia in a recent half hearted trip to the garden centre. I was looking for bargains but all they had was a couple of dozen of these at half price. Once I got home I remembered that they are not hardy and will need lifting for the winter. That’s a bit of a pain, but for now I’ll leave it in its pot. They should get to a few feet tall next year and will provide a bit of foliage interest.

2 – Aster ‘Little Carlow’. A promise of things to come, this clump is just getting going. There are zillions of flower buds. I took cuttings of this earlier in the year, as one does, so I should have a few more clumps in years to come.

3 – Lupin ‘Tequila Flame’, seedlings of. I collected some seeds from a bought lupin and finding that they can be sown in the autumn, went ahead and sowed them in late August. They germinated well, fresh seeds helping in this regard I think. I pricked them out a couple of weeks ago and they are doing very nicely. I will grow them on in the greenhouse over the winter and plant out in early spring.

4 – Nasturtium. If I can paraphrase the Eagles, you can chuck them out, but they can never leave. I grew these as a jolly climber 5 or so years ago, then decided I didn’t like them much. In a carefully planned act of vengeance, they return each year, wanted or not. Could be worse.

5 – Delphinium elatum, candle larkspur (I think). These were among the mystery seeds from the HPS this year. Sown in early spring, I planted them out in a group of five in the front garden. I was surprised to find they are flowering, tucked in behind a tithonia. I’m not 100% of my ID, the pictures online seem to be very blue in comparison.

6 – Cyclamen. Every year I am pleasantly surprised to see these. They are not easy to find, tucked in between the compost bins, the trellis and a very unruly patch of lavender. Cyclamen to me sound like they belong in a Doctor Who episode, or possibly in the Giro D’Italia.

Those are my Six for this week, what are yours? If you’d like to join in, just publish your post and pop a link to it in the comments below. If you also mention my blog in yours that would be fab. For more details you can read the brief participant guide.

Have a super gardening weekend, I will be dodging rain showers in the garden. I have lots to plant out, but first need to identify where they can go! Don’t forget to check back in as links get added during they day.

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