Last weekend I didn’t do much in the garden, but did get the rest of my climbing roses pruned, trained and denuded of any remaining leaves, and a couple of my remaining clematis cut back a suitable amount. All are raring to go. Best if we don’t mention the rugby, so we’ll move dreckly to Six on Saturday! Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – a flower, a job to do, a success, a plan, a weed, seedling, anything at all. Join in!
Here are my Six for this week.
1 – Daffodils, basic. No doubt there’ll be a few of these today. These are the vanguard of what is a growing army of daffs in my garden. Other, less basic, types will follow in future weeks.
2 – Geranium of some sort. I’m not sure if this is an ex-flower, or on it’s way to being one, or if that is it in all its glory. Regardless, its timing is pretty off.
3 – Thalictrum, nosing its way through. A triumph last year, I’m glad to see them returning. They have been fighting their way through the mulch duvet but have now made a successful bid for freedom. They will quickly shoot up.
4 – Sweet peas, assorted. I sowed this unruly lot back in October and they have been lurking on the greenhouse shelf ever since. They look a lot less bedraggled than last year’s batch which I left outside in the cold frame. I think the greenhouse, unheated, suits them better. I should wait till April to plant them out, but I’m tempted to chance it next month after a bit of hardening off. There is often much talk of pinching out sweet peas but I’ve also read that those grown cold over the winter will bush out by themselves as they are slower growing than their spring-sown brethren. I shall leave mine un-pinched, #metoo and all that.
5 – Sedum ‘autumn joy’. I mulched over the top of those tiny cabbages that preface new growth on these sedum plants. To reach the light those cabbage patch kids have started to get long and gangly, like a few teenagers of my acquaintance.
6 – Crocus oojamaflip. I don’t recall which variety this one is, it doesn’t match any of those on bulb orders I’ve made in the last couple of years. It’s nice to see the first few coming through, there should be a few hundred more to come.
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 just dandy. For more details you can read the brief participant guide here.
Have a super gardening weekend, watch out for Stormy Ciara, and don’t forget to check in during the day as more links are added.
I’ll be back next weekend with another #SixOnSaturday.
Your sweep pea are so tall already!! I am cheating a bit this week as Storm Ciara which has been with us all sday prevented me getting any photos today. https://murtaghsmeadow.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/future/
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She’s just arriving here now. Pretty blowy!
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stay safe – wind has not been too bad but we have had a huge amount of rain.
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You remind me I must try to figure out when to plant Sweet Peas here as the gorgeous Daffs and Crocus are completely out of the question. The Thalictrum is definitely purple and cabbagey, love it. http://theshrubqueen.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-more-bromeliads-and-caterpillars/
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I’m late today- story of my week! Great to see your daffs, and the geranium looks like a macrorrhizum, but it’s very early, something to look forward to as leaves are usually aromatic…..My six –
https://blogoftwogardens.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-4/
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Enjoyed reading your post, as always, Jon. I grow Winter Sunshine sweet peas as well as more seasonal varieties but the WS ones have to be sown early and grown in the greenhouse so mine are now planted (and pinched!) out in the greenhouse bed. They are enjoying being able to spread their legs (so to speak) as well as the sunshine this week when temps in the g/h got up to 21 degrees at times! My 6 are here https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-promising-a-rose-garden/
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Crocus and daffs for me as well. Seeing new shoots like your Thalictrum always gives me a feeling of excitement and anticipation
https://thequiltinggardener.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-08-02-20/
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Yes, it never gets old.
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Evening. You’re doing very well with both crocuses and daffs already – we’ve a few primroses but our snowdrops are not even fully open yet !
https://eaglesfeartoperch.blogspot.com/2020/02/hard-landscaping-in-front-bed-six-on.html
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A harbinger of spring. Not quite there yet.
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Your crocus are gorgeous. I’ve never heard of oojamaflip before. The things I learn here!
https://stoneyknob.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/sos-soaked/
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Thingumybob, wotsit, whadyacallit are suitable alternatives…
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Yeah! I have all those in my garden! Did you survive the storm?
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Oojamaflip is an absolutely gorgeous colour. You put me to shame with all your endeavours. Here are my SOS
https://flowerswalksnature.home.blog/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-8-02/
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Yes it’s certainly not a shy colour…
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Oh, if I could grow SWEET PEAS I’d be a happy gal! Your plants are coming along nicely! Talking about your unknown crocus……I’ve noticed my hard work of putting labels on my plants in the garden has been sabotaged….. The critters are breaking them off and carrying them to other parts of the garden! They are chewing on the plastic tags! UGH! Here is my SOS for today! https://thecadyluckleedy.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-sleuthing-in-riga-latvia/
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Sounds like you need to post a guard.
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Love your Crocus oojamaflip. 😁 I have a lot of oojamaflips in my garden too – somewhere, they have labels, but the plants grow over them and they’re lost until moved.
I’ve started pruning, but the skies are turning dark and the wind is getting up – so not much else will be done for a good few days.
Here is my six for this weekend. Finally managed to get my blog up and running – if anyone finds any glitches would appreciate if you could let me know.
https://notesfrommygarden.co.uk/2020/02/07/six-on-saturday-2020-08-02/
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Yes it is getting a bit windy here now too.
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Daffodils and sweet peas, two of my favourites. Beautiful. Here is my six for the week. http://pottedup.home.blog/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-08-02-2020/
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Your post reminds me to plant crocus again. They are a welcomed bright spot in a late winter landscape. My very wet landscape can be seen here: https://aftereden.blog/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-8-february-2020/
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Yes and not expensive either. Tedious to plant, of course…
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I’m always envious of the blooms you get this time of year, compared to us here on the Northeast coast of America. Today you’ve reminded me that I want to plant sedum Autumn Joy this year. I love seeing it so tiny and new and pale in color to start out. And I can’t wait to see more of your blooming crocuses — both named and unknown! Here’s my Six things: https://www.petscribbles.com/backyard-garden/
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Yes I guess you have a good couple of months of winter to come yet. February can be cold here, so we’re not out of the woods yet.
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Still definitely winter in most of Canada! Love your early daffs!!
https://countygardening.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-08-02-2020-february-indoors-and-out/
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Yes you are in hibernation for a wee while yet.
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I’m giving the sweet peas a miss this year after a couple of not great years. I might try a different annual climber. Your yellow crocus is a ray of sunshine. I have several making an appearance this week, but I worry about all the new growth on the perennial plants. February can be a cruel month. I hope Ciara doesn’t cause too much mayhem! Enjoy your weekend!
https://wp.me/p79zFr-2E4
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They were a disappointment last year for me too. I am also trying a bunch of different annual climbers, we can compare notes.
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It seems that Spring may have sprung in your garden with the yellow daffodils and crocus. It still thinks its Winter here though. I hope you all get the chance to do some gardening today – looks like storms will keep us indoors tomorrow.
https://www.hortusbaileyana.co.uk/2020/02/mostly-snowdrops.html
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Not quite yet. Spring may be showing a bit of leg, as it were, but winter is still in charge for a.few weeks yet.
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It’s hard to believe that spring is beginning to unfurl in the north. It seems to have happened so quickly. Maybe time passes swiftly as we age. Anyway, loving all signs of wetness and fruitfulness in the gardens. Here is my contribution from a water-starved southeastern Tasmania. http://pruebatten.com/2020/02/08/sos-8220/
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Oh definitely winter still..february will still have its surprises.
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Not a daff in sight in my garden! So I will enjoy yours and the beautifully sunny crocus. I shall have to see if my thalictrum are showing any signs of re-appearing. I pinched my autumn sweet peas and am trying to find a moment to sow the next batch. Can’t decide it there’s too much happening at the weekends or if its my own inertia! Must be done in the next week…or two. Here’s my link https://wp.me/p97pee-vB
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Work of moments, no excuses!
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Love your 6!
No Six on Saturday for me this week (again), just not enough hours in the day, spent the last month clearing nasty Asian Jasmine and sticky weed (that even the shears wouldn’t cut through), along with a fair amount of ivy from a vertical bed, We did one half last year and replaced the crud with rosemary but the ivy is a constant battle as it’s on a mission to come back! Taken a break from the vertical bed this week to prune roses and give them a good layer of manure (2 beds down, 3 to go), but had to put that on hold yesterday as our gravel arrived for the new cactus bed which has taken 12 months to come to life, we barrowed and spread 2 tons yesterday and have another 4 tons waiting for us on Monday morning – needless to say I’m less than active today.
Your geranium is some kind of cranesbill, many people pull them out as they grow like weeds but I love them, a mild winter will see some happily flower at this time of year, we’ve got lots of buds on the steps at the daily work garden where I let it grow.
I have sweet pea envy! If I can move tomorrow I must sown mine, but I have plans to make lemon meringue pies and lemon cordial as we’re drowning in lemons – two buckets full picked yesterday and you can’t even see where they came from 🙄
Have a good week, maybe I’ll have time to take pictures next week!
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That might be crocus Oojamaflip may be C. ancyrensis ‘Golden Bunch’ as it’s one of the ones commonly sold
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Could well be, yes. I recall I bought a mixed lot 2 or 3 years ago, suspect part of that batch.
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I’ve got sweet peas sown, I suppose that’s something. I have daffs in mine, I guess Tete a Tete qualify as basic too, and crocus. https://wp.me/p6bCCa-29R
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I’ve planted a lot of tete a tete for this year, looking forward to them.
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Nice Crocus! After a break, I am sneaking back. https://timhewittgardener.com/2020/02/08/the-return-of-six-on-saturday/
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Well hello!
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Thalictrum is pulling through earlier than mine. My six today are here at https://digwithdorris.wordpress.com
Thanks
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Comments are closed on your post so I’ll add one here – love the hellebores and the clematis. Sadly my Clematis armandii died before it even got started. An expensive mistake.
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Thanks for telling me . I did not intend for comments to be closed. I wonder what happened to your clematis?
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Everything seems.very keen to get on and grow. Perhaps the manure mulch is encouraging them.
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Oh yes that will certainly be helping the Thalictrum.
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It’s great to see new life coming back slowly into the garden, your crocuses are way ahead of mine!! I always think that February is a month of anticipation: Spring is not yet here but it is almost tangible, it’s in the air and the garden is very slowly starting to wake up! Here are my #sixonsaturday for this week:
http://thepinkwheelbarrow.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-anticipation/
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Yes definitely glimpses of the spring garden.
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Nice daffs. Some buds have just formed on mine in the front garden. Your sweetpeas are looking healthy. I’ve not sown any yet – they were a disaster last year! https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-8-february-2020/
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Mine were rubbish last year, much better off in the greenhouse over winter, shan’t leave them outside again.
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Good morning. Hope all is well on the training and ankle front. I’m still waiting for my first daffodil, usually, I have the first in the neighbourhood but it’s not appeared yet. Without further ado, here are this week’s Six-on-Saturday.
https://grannysgarden229242407.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-08-02-2020
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Yes going ok thanks, various niggles to work on, but keeping up with it all.
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The thalictrum look like tiny brassica at this stage. I’ll have to run out & see if mine have come up. I’ve just started my sweet peas, so yours look amazing. Was it worth it for the space, doing them early? https://lorahughes.blogspot.com/2020/02/gangbusters.html
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Well they only take up a teeny bit of shelf, they are in root trainers, so space isn’t particularly an issue, esp over winter.
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Hi ! This week, apart from the crocuses, all your other plants seem to be ahead of mine. I don’t have an open daff or geranium or sweet peas yet. However there is a very sad photo in my Six… Here is my link this week: https://fredgardenerblog.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-08-02-20/
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Bonjour Fred, oh no, a sad photo? Hope not too tragic.
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recovered… fortunately
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https://tonytomeo.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-perks/
Mine look like they are more in the forests than in the landscapes.That is how our landscapes are. Really though, only the first two are outside of the landscaped areas.
Thalictrum looks weird. It does not even look familiar. Why is it purple now?
The sweetpea that my niece grows gets started in the previous autumn too, but grows outside in their mild climate. It does not do much through winter of course, but blooms quite nicely in spring. However, the season is quite brief. She has never pinched them, but does plant quite a few to get them to fill out better.
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Why purple? Why not…
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It seems like it should produce foliage first, or at least get some sun before it starts to color.
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Is that blue or purple stockings which your Thalictrum is wearing to keep her warm, no its leaf mould: lovely stuff. Sweetpeas look fresh and raring to go. Mine this week: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2020/02/six-on-saturday-8-february-2020.html
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Actually it’s rotted horse manure, probably has some bedding in it that resembles leaf mold.
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Your sweet peas are looking brilliant. I wouldn’t be able to resist the pinch, just to stop them tangling up with each-other. I sowed mine this week. I’ve also got some crocus, iris and more snowdrops to share. https://www.teabreakgardener.co.uk/beautiful-bulbs-and-seed-sowing-six-on-saturday/
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I should probably pot them on, but might never get round to it!
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What a delight seeing the daffodils – even if they are only the common ones! I can’t grow them where I am as it does not get cold enough for them, but Jonquils grow readily. I am just starting to plan what I will be planting for a spring show in September, so I am taking lots of notes from everyone’s posts in the Northern Hemisphere! The crocus is very pretty too.
My Six on Saturday can be found here: https://hairbellsandmaples.wordpress.com/2020/02/07/six-on-saturday-w6-2020-rain-glorious-rain/
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Yes they are ways very welcome.
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The gardening gods are toying with us as usual. A lovely bright, calm week spent at work followed by a weekend of storms and driving rain. I spotted my first daffodils in bloom at the end of January in a sheltered south facing spot behind an old church wall in a nearby village. Normally this would be uplifting but like many observations in the natural world these days seeing daffodils in January makes me feel a little uneasy. I have a bit of stone wall building to do today. Surely the wind won’t be strong enough to block rocks over?
https://schoolhousegarden.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-08-02-20/
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Ciara might have it in her!💪
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Don’t you believe it! I know our “Mistral” here in the south of France is pretty extreme but it’s more than capable of blowing rocks from walls, blowing people over and trees down. It blew the lines off our phone poles this week and we’ve since had no internet/phone/tv, Almost a week and not fixed yet😫 Lines are out in the open across a field so no trees to help take it down, just good old wind power. My phone data is going to be running a tad low this month!
Have fun with your wall building 😊
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I have featured Crocus Oojamaflip this week. Always good to see new shoots poking through the soil like the Thatchium. Last week was my 2nd anniversary of my SOS. Thanks Jon for all the encouragement. Here is my six. https://sedumsdahliasandhayfever.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-8th-february-2020/
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Time flies when you’re having fun! Glad you’re still enjoying it.
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Nothing much new except glorious sunflowers from me. Daffodils already! I remember gloomy Copenhagen days watching signs of spring in the UK while it was still winter where we were. https://basia329.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-08-02-20/
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These ones are always first and early. Plenty more where they came from!
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Nice to see the crocus coming up, I’ve got a handful coming up in the lawn and more looking successful in pots. I think I’m going to get my sweet peas sown this week. Got an idea for a teepee with a gap inside so Alice can place inside surrounded by sweet peas.
https://30daysofwildparenting.wordpress.com/2020/02/08/six-on-saturday-8-2-20/
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Nice, I’ve seen that teepee thing done with runner beans. Should work well.
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Just need to get some wood and a day to construct.
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Sweet pea teepees are fantastic for children! Your daughter will love it and the memories will stay with her for life.
I already have plans for a large one for my granddaughter (first grandchild born in December and another reason for my lack of Six on Saturday lately), I’m a bit premature as she’s only eight weeks old this week, but nothing wrong with bit of early planning 😁 🤣
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