In just four weeks time it will be the Spring Equinox. How do you like them apples? One doesn’t like to wish one’s life away, but I am sooo ready for winter to be over. Just 3 more Six on Saturdays after this one. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything, you know the drill. Join in!
Here are mine…
1 – Eccremocarpus scaber, probably. If I’m right, this is a survivor from last summer’s climbing “annuals”. The Chilean Glory Flower is often grown as an annual here but can survive the winter in milder parts, particularly if sheltered. Fingers crossed it will be even more vigorous this year than last.
2 – Ginormous pile o’ chippings. Earlier in the week I got a call from a local tree surgeon, asking me if I wanted a truckload of freshly chipped wood. I was about to go into a meeting so hurriedly agreed, forgetting to ask how much of it there was. A lot, it turns out. I will use some for paths in the front and back garden, and some will go to build a good compost heap, but I will have loads left over, no idea what I’ll do with all that. Maybe I need more compost bays. If I can find somewhere to stash it to rot down, next year I will have a good mulch that will probably do the whole garden. I need to move it all this weekend, right now it is not possible to get to the side gate…
3 – Stachys, fresh growth. A month or two back I was bemoaning the state of my stachys plants which looked very bedraggled. I removed all the decaying leaves, stripping them all back to the bare stems, near enough. I’m pleased to say they have all recovered some dignity, putting out fresh green growth.
4 – Daffodil ‘Jetfire’. A favourite last year, I bought a load more. This group is from the original batch, the new ones are barely in bud. I imagine they will soon catch up.
5 – Alcea seedling. I forget how many seeds I sowed, probably not many, but so far only one has germinated. The seed was from the HPS scheme, this one was described simply as “hollyhock, burgundy”. We shall see.
6 – Daffodil ‘beauvallon’. These buds caught my attention as I initially thought they must be allium buds. Odd, thought I, those summer drummers are not supposed to flower till well into the summer. On closer inspection they are daffs, not alliums. The bud is an unusual shape, a definite touch of the onion about it in my humble opinion. When it flowers it will be a blousy double, not something I’ve grown before. Shouldn’t be too long now.
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 be tip top. For more details you can read the brief participation guide.
This weekend I will be mainly shifting loads of woodchip around the garden! Don’t forget to check back in as more links get added during the day.
I’ll be back next weekend with another #SixOnSaturday.
Tinkety-tonk and down with the Nazis.
The Propagator 
Happy Saturday! I feel your pain at having to move the wood chips, we had 6 tonnes of stones/large gravel delivered a couple of weeks ago that had to be wheelbarrowed right round the house in the daily work garden to get it to the cactus bed, we used 5.5 tonnes on the bed – talk about exhausted!
Here’s my first Six of the year!!
https://dizzydelights.blogspot.com/2020/02/six-on-saturday-22022020.html
Have a good week.
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A Break in the weather so a day in the garden and a late Six. Hope the hollyhock gets some friends soon.
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Haha – I know all about large wood chip piles! The paths I remulched with around a 6″ layer are now well trodden in and the fruit cage looks immaculate – so useful to have a free source, but in moderation of course! We would have ended up with twice as much as we got if we hadn’t waved frantically when we did! My 6 are here https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2020/02/22/six-on-saturday-musings/
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Yes I very nearly got two truckloads. Glad I decided on just the 1!
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😁
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Yay, Daffodils and lovely ones. I got a load of chippings a couple of months ago and am still spreading it though it is composting nicely. Here are some mad tropical flowers http://theshrubqueen.com/2020/02/22/six-on-saturday-hallelujah/
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I’ve noticed some allium-like daffodil buds this week. You’ve made me wonder if those were doubles too. I’m sure you’ll find a good use for the chippings – they’re a good problem to have.
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That’s a lot of wood chippin”! Have a great week!
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No six from me this week – too wet and windy to get outside for photographs, but hopefully next week. You wouldn’t care to pop a few barrowloads of those chippings down to Devon would you? They’ll make a great mulch – just don’t dig ’em in!
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No six from me as I’m on my half term travels. I’ve done a quick one on twitter from earlier in the week – lots of spring flowers
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Oh and I love your jet fire daffs. A great variety. Mine are nowhere near flowering yet…
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Oh, to have people delivering woodchips to my door. And daffodils in bloom. A lucky man you are. Be careful to lift with your knees… Here’s my Six. https://pruneplantsow.wordpress.com/2020/02/22/sixonsaturday-february-22nd-is-it-garlic/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
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Good afternoon. Today’s sunshine is most welcome and has, temporarily, transformed the garden which was looking quite gloomy during the week. Hope the running is still going well. I should like a few barrow loads of those shavings, please. Have a good weekend.
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There will be plenty left, I’ll bag some up.
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Thank you.
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Your blog shows definite signs that Spring is on its way and no, we shouldn’t wish time to pass more quickly but February is my worst month.
Here are my six https://thirdageblogger.blogspot.com/2020/02/six-on-saturday.html
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I’ve either commented twice on your Six, saying vaguely the same thing, or not! Sure it is user error. Feel free to delete one. 🙂
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I looked at my stachys today and it looked very sad. Absolutely soaked. I’ll give it a cut back to see if that helps but it might be time to find something else – a bog loving species perhaps! Jetfire looks lovely. I have Tete a Tete – apologies to Fred (no accents). Shame that positive thinking doesn’t hasten the arrival of Spring Equinox! Can’t wait. Here’s my link https://wp.me/p97pee-vY
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A bit too much wood chip, perhaps. To have purchased that would have been quite a few quid so get on with the spreading! Jet fires are cute
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More of the same from me I’m afraid, nothing much doing in my garden, wet, wet, wet and windy all week, though at the moment we have a respite from the rain. Like Gill I was wondering about the Jetfire – I was certain that it has a darker more orange trumpet – maybe as they mature the colour changes. Your Stachys looks very healthy – for now.
Enjoy your weekend!
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Definitely jetfire.
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Are you stamping your feet? 😀
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Just reading the label…
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OK. I believe you, you are after all the Master of Ceremonies…. 😄
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And I labelled them…
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Haha… but are the trumpets a different colour than last year?
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Your odd daff looks very interesting and I hope you post a picture of it when it blooms. We put our wood chips straight on the garden and I don’t know if that was a good thing or not. They might have impeded some of the rain, but that wouldn’t worry you, I guess! Here are my six: http://janesmudgeegarden.com/sos-february-22nd-2020/
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They can go straight on so long as left on the surface as a mulch. I already have a mulch on so have to do something else with it…
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Oh, that’s a lot of chippings to deal with! I’ve attempted in the past to grow Chilean Glory Flower, but with no success – I should stick to plants I know will survive this area!
It’s good to know that Stachys can be stripped back like that – the new growth looks very healthy. I have Stachys monieri Hummelo on order, and it’s new to me, so I’ve made a note of your comments – I’m sure that they’ll be more than useful when I see it looking bedraggled.
Good luck with your Alcea seedling – I’m sure more will follow shortly!
Heres mine for this week. As you’ll see I’ve had weather-related issues throughout the week!
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Now you also have wooden chips like me !! 😁 good luck spreading it all over your garden. 50 wheelbarrows and I still have more than half ….. My link: https://fredgardenerblog.wordpress.com/2020/02/22/six-on-saturday-22-02-20/
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50, oh dear. Could be a busy weekend…
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When I worked at Cliffe we regularly had full tree surgeon loads dumped on the road outside the main gates. We would make a game of guessing how many barrows it would to shift it, generally it was over a hundred, although I didn’t have to do it all myself. 🙂
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I will have full compost bins!
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Looks like we might be getting some welcome sunshine here today along with the wind. How was your run in the gales last Sunday?
Here’s my six
https://www.hortusbaileyana.co.uk/2020/02/mid-february-in-garden.html
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I haven’t worked out how to leave a comment on your blog yet but i do like the unswathed crocuses and I hope your flooding subsides soon.
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O, I hope Ellen isn’t visiting your part of the world (she’s here) or you’ll be sharing wood chips w/the all your neighbours. How great, the Chilean glory flower surviving! You’ll have to let us know if it behaves differently this year than last. Some of my daffs look like yours & it didn’t occur to me they were odd, but then I got some double bulbs free w/an order several years ago, so I don’t know any better. Promise you’ll post them when they bloom (as if you wouldn’t). https://lorahughes.blogspot.com/2020/02/stagnation.html
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Quite, as if!
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Is that what was going on last night – Ellen?! When will it all end??
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I have a daffodil called Rapture which is similar to Jetfire and is only just above the ground so now I’m a bit concerned about them. At least the woodchip’s clean, if you’d have said yes to a load of manure you’d have been in deeper doo doo. Here’s mine: https://wp.me/p6bCCa-2ax
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Thing is I need manure to make a good mix. I’d be very happy if someone delivered a load!
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Now if you’d like to bring four barrowloads of those chippings to Bracknell – there might be the odd seedling or two in exchange
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It’s mine, all mine! I cleared the pile on saturday afternoo. I do have about 15 bags left, planning to use some as mulch, some to top up the compost heap as it settles down.
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At least your chippings and the moving of them will keep you off the wet soil, and the exercise will keep you warm. All that running was just to keep you fit for such an occasion as this. Looking forward to the Spring and see what that round Narcissus bud produces. Here are my six https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2020/02/six-on-saturday-22-february-2020.html
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Morning Jon in a bit of a hurry. Here is my six https://sedumsdahliasandhayfever.com/2020/02/22/six-on-saturday-22nd-february-2020/. I will read your blog later
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Love the woodchip! You can use it as a mulch now, it is a bit bright but will soon darken. And no, it doesn’t do the plants any harm by robbing nitrogen, just as long as you keep it on the surface. Glad the stachys has pulled itself together and can never get bored seeing a freshly germinated seed. Now are you sure that is Jetfire, looks a bit more like Tête-à-Tête (note all accents etc in place just for Fred). Happy barrowing! And yes, down with the nazis. Here are mine https://offtheedgegardening.com/2020/02/22/six-on-saturday-2/
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I have mulch on already, although there is a scant yard or two that need it. Sounds like a plan. Definitely jetfire. All the tete a tete went in planters.
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Blimey, that’s a lot of chippings! https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2020/02/22/six-on-saturday-22-february-2020/
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It did not occur to me that palms might be an odd topic for winter until I read you mention that the spring equinox is a month from now. Palms are here all year, but they probably seem like a summery topic to some. We really could use some more winter here. There has been no rain in a month, and none is predicted. It is likely that February will be a completely dry month.
That ‘big’ pile of chip is actually much smaller than what I used to deliver. A partial load could bury a two car driveway. We used to dump them in medians on highways for road crews to spread out. Sometime, a neighborhood got a load, and parted it out.
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Jetfire looking good. I saw a good display of it at Burton Agnes earlier in the week. I seem to have a few supposedly tender annuals surviving the mild winter as well. See if they run rampant now.
This week’s Six focussing on practical jobs and an update on my career change.
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I am away this weekend so no SoS post from me. Autumn approaches here though it was 26c today.
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