When complaining about the recent too-hot weather, I think I predicted that I would soon be complaining about too much rain. I was right. Come on Summer, where are you? While we wait for the sun to come back, it is time for Six on Saturday. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything – a flower, a tool, a pest, a beastie, a job to do, a design, anything at all. Join in!
Here are my Six for this week.
1 – Helenium ‘Short n Sassy’. Flowering earlier even than Sahin’s Early Flowerer, this plant is a good doer. It is low-growing, a foot or so, so brings some useful colour to the front of the border. I dug up a clump and divided it to get 15 or so plants which are now serving on the front line of the shady border (which gets decent light most of the day).
2 – Actual tomatoes. I’m very happy about the tomatoes this year. After a couple of disappointing years owing to a mix of incompetence and blight, it seems I am likely to get a good crop this year. I have 10 plants in the greenhouse and another 5 in the sunniest corner of the patio. These tomatoes are on the patio plants, they are further ahead than their greenhouse brethren which get less sunshine. I have a few different varieties, some cherries, some regular tomato size.
3 – Eryngium. I’m not sure which variety these are. I have them in numbers, scattered through the front and rear gardens, all the result of propagation by root cuttings some time back. They are turning emphatically blue just now and will be a bee magnet.
4 – Seedlings. I always like to have some seeds on the go, they make me happy. These are a mix of biennials and perennials, sown with next year in mind, and annuals for a late show this year. Starting top left and going clockwise they are:
- Erysimum ‘My Fair Lady’
- Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’
- Scabiosa ‘Fama Blue’
- Zinnia ‘Mammoth’
- Lupin ‘The Governor’
- Erysimum ‘Ruby Charm’
I have a few others brewing but not yet germinated. I will be pricking out the more enthusiastic seedlings this weekend.
5 – Hollyhocks. I grew these from seed last year. They are planted in a group of 3 or 4 in the front garden. All are the same colour, a cerise pink that I think is probably the default colour they regress to. Still, it’s nice to have them, they give some good height and a jolly colour to the centre of the garden.
6 – Begonia ‘Garden Angel Blush’. One of several plants I bought from Barracott Nursery, aiming for a semi-shady spot. This one seems to have settled in well and should get to 50 or so cm high. It is bone hardy and will be quite happy in my garden over the winter, taking frost down to -10 degrees c. The leaves are silvery red with a distinct maple-like cut to the leaves. I am attempting to propagate via leaf cuttings which so far is proving unsuccessful. I will continue to try, can’t help myself.
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 in the comments below. If you also mention my blog in yours that would be marvellous. For more details you can read the brief participant guide.
The forecast is not brilliant this weekend, but I shall be out in the garden as usual. I hope you have a great gardening weekend, don’t forget to pop back as more link are added during the day. If you don’t already, I would definitely recommend heading over to Twitter. A quick scroll of the #SixOnSaturday hashtag will reveal hundreds of twitter-only Six posts each week, from all over the world.
Stay safe, I’ll be back next weekend with another #SixOnSaturday.
Wonderful colors!
Here are mine from the garden at the new house! https://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-in-the-new-garden/
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I love the colour of the hollyhock. Great to see all your seedlings too. Here’s my six-ish. Today https://bramblegarden.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-peachy-shades-saturday-july-4th-2020/ karen
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Cheers Karen, look forward to reading.
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GREAT SIX! I hope you are well! Thanks for sharing!
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Soz, didn’t make it today. I blame 3 days spent sorting HPS issues. Last week I featured some plants and others commented mine were way ahead of theirs in the flowering stakes. And this week you’ve got your sassy helenium. Mine are a couple of inches high and nowhere near flowering. My eryngiums are just starting to develop heads whilst yours are already blue. It’s surprising how much difference there can be just because someone is a bit more north than someone else. And there’s no apparent logic. Nature’s just doing her thing and we’ve just got to put up with that.
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The winter hardy begonia seem like a good idea – is there a specialist that sells them? Well done on your mid-year seed sowing – I have biennial seeds ready but suffer from a shortage of compost – and must look out some perennials to try too. Your seedlings look great, especially My Fair Lady I have helenium and eryngium envy, both things that haven’t done well here – but we have had some of our own tomatoes this week, which is probably the earliest ever! Thanks for hosting, Jon – much appreciated. https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-the-cutting-beds/
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Growild nursery or Pan Global Plants for begonias.
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Oooh thanks Jim, I shall look them up 🙂
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That’s going to be one delicious crop of tomatoes! I only have tiny blooms so far. Center stage for my six this week is the feathered diva in the backyard. https://wp.me/p4Y6ke-2AI
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I’m sure they’ll soon turn into 🍅🍅🍅
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Love that Helenium. We keep buying new plants but for some reason they just don’t like our conditions no matter where we put them in the garden. Some things you win and some things you don’t.
Here are our six for this week.
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Any new plants? Or short n sassy.
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We have tried a number of different Heleniums. All grow well first year and then never return the second year 😂
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Huh. Something about your conditions perhaps. I have to keep dividing mine as they quickly make a big clump.
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I did not realize Begonias were ever that hardy and it is beautiful. You have given me several new plants (All of them) I want to try in my garden this winter. Congratulations on the tomatoes, they can be trying but so delicious. Here is mine today..http://theshrubqueen.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-the-rainforest-garden/
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Most are not, but some can take a bit of cold.
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You always have such a wonderful collection for your Six. I’m envious of your eryngium. Mine ate very tall with lots of little green thistle flowers but no sign of them turning blue yet. My Six is a bit eclectic this week from enormous tall trees to patio plants. My neck was stretched in both directions!
https://hurtledto60.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-4-07-2020/
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I love that hollyhock color. My neighbor gave me some seeds a few years back, but they never did much. I should try again.
Here are mine.
https://lisasgardenadventureinoregon.blogspot.com/2020/07/happy-independence-day-america-when-i.html
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Definitely worth another try.
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What a nice six on Saturday. Especially like the Helenium. Here is my six on Saturday https://wp.me/paZ8Ih-AM
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Cheers Keith
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I love your six. I am definitely going to seek out the gorgeous Begonia. There is nothing like the metallic blue of eryngiums. Mine obligingly seed around so I don’t have to bother taking cuttings. I am joining in this week. https://wp.me/p3dx4o-3Q7
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Good luck with your begonia hunting!
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Beautiful photos
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The eryngium color is terrific. I’m impressed you started with cuttings. Well, the Propagator you are. Good luck with those tomatoes. Here are six from me this week: https://aftereden.blog/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-4-july-2020/
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Can’t help myself!
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Lovely Eryngiums. The only one I have in my garden is E. yuccifolium, but the blue are stunning. Must give one a try.
Here are my six:
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It’s not a common garden colour, worth having I think.
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Are yours not stinky then? I had to move mine last year as the smell was awful. But I noticed a bit must have been left in the bed because one has popped up!
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The eryngium? Not so as I’ve noticed!
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Try sticking your nose into it. Or maybe you are lucky and don’t have the smelly one. I noticed mine had lots of flies attracted to it rather than bees.
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I love heleniums, those are great! I have tomato flowers, but no sign of any tomatoes yet, I hope I didn’t plant them too late! Here are my six for this week
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They’ll catch up I expect. 🍅🍅🍅🍅
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Hope so!
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Great flowers this week – I really like the Helenium – it has a really interesting centre. I have hollyhocks this week as well – mine have a bod case of rust unfortunately so this may be the last we see them…
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I’ve mainly avoided rust on my HH, so far anyway. They are a martyr for it.
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Very impressed by how organised you are with seedlings. Do you grow them in pots or seed trays and how do you label them? Do you have a waterproof marker? My six this week: https://kasmaty.blogspot.com/2020/07/sixonsaturday-brave-new-normal-day.html
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Almost always pots, 7cm or 9cm, trays are usually too big, waste of space and compost. I use pencil, doesnt fade or wash off. Have tried loads of markers, all ultimately useless!
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A hardy begonia is an interesting concept. And those heleniums are gorgeous! Here’s my link. https://pruneplantsow.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/sixonsaturday-july-4th-independence-day/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
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There are quite a few, worth checking out.
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They are probably not winter hardy here in the US.
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Maybe not. This one will allegedly handle down to about 15°f.
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Morning! Those helleniums look like fun! I might need to look at something like that for my garden; my orange/yellow choices so far have mostly been annuals like rudbeckia. Funny old #SixOnSaturday saga for me this week… https://mysecretgarden61808037.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/sixonsaturday-home-is-where-the-good-mental-health-is/
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Worth getting. I think. And you can easily create more plants.
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I’m glad your tomatoes are doing well. I had problems with blossom end rot last year, but I’m hoping a change of growing medium has sorted that out (a good amount of garden soil in the mix). Your eryngium are looking fab.
It should have been our village open gardens this Sunday, but it was cancelled due to Coronavirus. The weather forecast (gales!) means we may not have had many visitors anyway, but I’ve made this weeks Six a virtual open gardens instead
https://www.hortusbaileyana.co.uk/2020/07/not-open-gardens.html
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That’s interesting. Why do think the garden soil helps, do you know?
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I used mainly non peat compost last year and I think it was just too open and free draining, so the plants rapidly ran out of water. This year its a mix of garden soil (fairly clayey) with home made compost and a bit of shop compost. I was fairly mean with the latter as lock down meant I had a limited supply. So far so good.
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I’m going to have to come back to this post several times, so much of interest. The eryngium is a beauty and the linking lesson in propagating them by root cutting a timely ‘masterclass’ for planning autumn activities. Here are my six: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2020/07/six-on-saturday-4-july-2020.html
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Yes it’s worth having a go, not too difficult.
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Your tomatoes are looking very healthy. Love the Eryngium and the Helenium – great coloura. More six here – https://murtaghsmeadow.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-4th-july-2020/
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Hiya, yes, looking promising so far for the 🍅
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Ah, tomatoes. I am missing growing tomatoes this year, but on the other hand I am not missing having to water and feed them constantly. Your Helenium is a beauty. My two taller ones have apparently gone to plant heaven. Not a sign of either of them and they were only 2 years old! I might have to buy some more as I love those flowers with their twirling skirts.
Everything is growing madly down here in the SW with the sunshine and the rain: https://wp.me/p79zFr-35V
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Twice a week for the tomatoes, work of moments, especially as I’m here more for the time being. If it gets sunnier then I suppose they’ll need doing more.
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Good morning. I like that begonia and, of course, the hollyhock is a lovely colour. May I have some seeds? That’s a colour I don’t have in the garden.
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Certainly! I’m going to try take some cuttings of the begonia too, so there may be one or two of those heading your way at some point.
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Love that begonia, will have to check out Barracott Nursery. Lovely helenium, they are such great plants, and I like the name of that one. Here are mine, hope you enjoy them https://offtheedgegardening.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-no-name/
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You should! Although don’t blame me if you do….
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I did, and I didn’t. How weird.
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You didn’t blame me, or you didn’t buy plants? Not sure which is worse.
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I didn’t buy any plants, a true indication of being under the weather.
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Definitely. Go and have a lie down.
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I’ve found ‘Short & Sassy’ to be far more reliable than the taller Heleniums in my garden and the SnS don’t bother with it so much. Why would they though with a Dahlia planted next door? Keep us posted on the hardiness of that beautiful Begonia. I am trying, again, to propagate my indoor Begonias.
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Ha yes, my dahlias have been victimised heavily this year.
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That you even mention Barracott is likely to cost me, another good nursery on my doorstep that I haven’t visited since last year. I have that Begonia, it’s beautiful, but I’d take the hardiness claims with a pinch of salt. They seem to take forever to get going in the spring, I’ve taken to getting them started under protection and planting them out. A shorter Helenium sounds, and looks like a great idea.
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Oops, https://wp.me/p6bCCa-2lN
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Yes, not dying of cold and being a useful plant are very different things! Hope it’ll be OK here.
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What a bright and sunny flower the Helenium is. Absolutely stunning! Your crop of tomatoes is looking promising, and it is great that you have such a variety of them. If you had King parrots you would be tearing your hair out!! They are our regular visitors again as it is our tomato season too. I wish my seedlings looked at healthy as yours! I will just have to keep on trying. Germination is very erratic. I do like the hollyhock; its flowers are just beautiful!
Here is my Six for the week, on succulents: https://hairbellsandmaples.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-w27-potted-succulents/
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Yes it is, shame about the silly name!
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Morning!
Love the foliage on those begonias. Very nice indeed. I could find some room for those here.
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Looks like they still have some at Barracott’s. Just saying….
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Your love of seedlings is so endearing. By now I’m happy mine are all grown up and independent but you’re sowing more! I’m looking at a packet of nice apricot foxgloves and thinking I should be more like you and get them sown…
Here’s my six – a mixed trug of flowers and fruit including an update on my greenhouse grape and lots of raspberry jam.
https://www.teabreakgardener.co.uk/a-mixed-trug-of-fruit-and-flowers-six-on-saturday/
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I expect I’ll be cursing their diminutive stature if it gets hot again, they’ll be tricky to keep alive. I see signs of roots on the geranium ‘pink delight’ cuttings, btw, will keep you updated!
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Hope you get a decent tomato crop. I’ve just got 3 on the go so if I manage a salad that’ll be good going.
Was worried hollyhocks were going to snap in the wind yesterday but think they’ve pulled through.
This week’s six with dahlias, fuschias, sweet peas, sambucus and hydrangea https://30daysofwildparenting.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-4-7-20
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I think they are pretty robust. Yes, fingers crossed for the tomatoes, look like best evs.
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Lots of great, bright color in your garden this week, Prop, and I know what you mean about seedlings making you happy. Those sprouts look healthy! I’ll be starting fall veg this week in the greenhouse. We’ve returned to grey and drippy weather here, sadly. My Six: https://gardensatcoppertop.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-july-4/
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Fall veg, that’s a bit depressing somehow! Sensible though. I am not that organised, in fact im still trying to get the summer veg sorted!
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Rain has been the topic of the week in the south-east of Ireland also but it continues to be very welcome as the garden had become very dry. Despite heavy rain last weekend and continued lighter rain on several days during the week when I went to repair a bare patch on one of the front lawns I found the ground still dust dry. I was amazed and understood why the grass was struggling.
Propagating the eryngiums from root cuttings is something I must try!
Best wishes to all. My photographs this week are from a bright and sunny morning, blue skies, on Wednesday of this week and are a tour of sorts of one half of the garden. Everything looks better in the sunshine.
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I guess it’s called the sunny South East for a reason! I am a bit bored with the rainy weather now, could do with a bit more sunshine.
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Sitting indoors is truly not good for the soul.
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Oh it doesn’t keep me indoors, I just get wet!
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Good on you!
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One glance at your Helenium ‘Short n Sassy’ tells me that it’s one that every garden should have. It’s a lovely-looking helenium and gorgeous photos.
Tomatoes are doing good, with 15 plants you should have a really good crop this year.
I like that you’re thinking ahead with the seedlings, that’s something I fail to do, I wonder how well they would overwinter here – do you keep them as small plants in the greenhouse or plant them out?
The colours and markings on the Begonia leaves are very attractive.
Here’s my six for this week: https://notesfrommygarden.co.uk/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-2020-04-07/
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It depends how big they get. If they are a decent size by the autumni might line them out in the veg bed till the spring. Otherwise a cold frame or maybe the greenhouse.
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I have tried begonia leaf cuttings several times and the results are also random. It depends on the varieties. I do like your hollyhock . This year I will only have one ( pale pink), the others will bloom next year. This is my link this weekend : https://fredgardenerblog.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-04-07-20/
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I shall keep trying!
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I tried getting a bit more artistic this week. (Actually, I just copied what I see others do; but some came out rather well.)
Hollyhock baffles me. Actually zinnias do too. If they are happy there, they should be even happier here, where humidity is minimal. However, hollyhock rusts severely! Zinnia is very susceptible to powdery mildew. It makes no sense.
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Shame! Still i expect there are lots of things that work well there that don’t here. All’s fair in love and gardening.
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Yes, but I am accustomed to what does well here. I could do without zinnias, but hollyhocks are alluring.
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Beautiful Hollyhocks. Every year I consider getting Eringium or that other blue spikey plant with globe type flowers for the front garden, but I forgot all about it when rearranging the front earlier this year. Drat https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-4-july-2020/
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Always next year…
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It’s great that you have seedlings on the go, a chara. Great forward planning!
I love that you have a really frost-hardy begonia. Most are a lot of work to overwinter. I’ve learned this mostly through incompetence. 😩
Here’s my Six at https://growwriterepeat.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday/
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There are several that are pretty hardy, worth seeking out.
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And so I shall. Little bit of homework never hurt anyone!
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Hope you get a good crop of tomatoes! The helenium are really lovely – gorgeous colours. It is winter here of course. My six for this week from sunny Wellington https://basia329.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/six-on-saturday-04-07-20/
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Fingers crossed for the 🍅
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