Six on Saturday 16-11-2019

Autumn still, just about. That went quick! I have limited enthusiasm for the garden at the moment, preferring to stay in the warm and dry. I will pop out at some point over the weekend to potter about, I suppose. While I contemplate that, it is time for Six on Saturday. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – a project, an overdue job, a flower (lucky!), a beastie, anything at all. Join in!

Here are my Six for this week…

1 – Compost bin, empty. After a bumper compost making year in 2018, this year I have barely bothered. I have, of course, shredded garden waste and composted that, along with veg scraps and so on, but I have not gone out of my way to collect ingredients and make a big hot heap. I have quite a stack of green materials, so a load of wood chips would be ideal now. Time to contact some tree surgeons.

2 – Cuttings, Salvia Amistad. The parent plants are still hanging on out in the garden, although the flowers are almost done. They will probably be OK in my garden over the winter, but I have a dozen or so babies here as insurance. I’ll keep these in the greenhouse until the spring.

3 – Virginia Creeper. This is just beginning to turn. I planted it a couple of years ago with the idea that it would climb up the front of the house and hide an uneven patch of render. Last year it grew everywhere except that patch, requiring me to shin up a ladder to detach and re-attach it stragetically. This year I would give it a 6 out of 10, it has certainly thickened out and covered more. I’ll adjust again this winter.

4 – Ricinus. Sticking with lobed leaves, several of my Ricinus plants are still going well, despite a frost and temperatures below 5 degrees on many nights. I continue to be pleased with them, I will definitely grow more next year. It has been suggested to me that I might be able to overwinter a plant in the greenhouse, especially if I can give it a bit of extra protection with some fleece, say. Not sure if I can be bothered, although the prospect of them growing even bigger next year is an enticing one.

5 – Chrysanthemum ‘Dulwich Pink’. This is another plant I’m looking after for the HPS Conservation Scheme. I say looking after, strictly speaking that entails leaving it leaning against the fence in the side passage “for now”. It’s been there for a month. Mind you, with total neglect from me it has begun to flower. I shall get it planted out at some point. It should be hardy in my conditions, perhaps with a bit of a mulch blanket, and I should be able to propagate from softwood cuttings in the spring.

6 – Agastache skeletons. The flowers are long gone, really, although there is the last vestiges clinging on for dear life. In the main though, all that’s left is the skeletons, which en masse like this I think look quite striking. Tempted to cut them down as I am, the remains do look quite good and the are not flopping about the place. A temporary stay of execution then.

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. If you also mention my blog in yours that would be fab. For more details you can read the brief participant guide.

Wrap up warm if you’re heading out into the garden, and don’t forget to check back later as links are added during the day.

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