At this time of year I am fighting an internal battle. I really really want to cut back and tidy up, not least because I have alliums and eventually other bulbs to plant. If I have time, this weekend I will satisfy my urges by clearing the summer plants from the large patio containers. I have pansies, cyclamen and chrysanthemums to plant in them, although I have to bury the tulips first. Could end up being a longer job than anticipated. They usually are. In the meantime, Six on Saturday. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything, you decide.

Here are my Six for this week.

1 – Aster ‘Star of Chester’. Lacking the necessary support, this tallish plant is flopping about the place, hiding demurely behind its better supported stable mate, a. ‘St Michaels’. If approached from behind, via the patio, the flowers can be seen. I shall have to do a better job of keeping it upright next year. I have a few of these, all from divisions or cuttings taken from the parent which I bought at Waterperry a couple of years ago.

2 – Dahlia ‘Tartan’. One that I bought as a decent size plant in a sale. It has been threatening to flower for a couple of weeks now but has finally got on with it. I’d say it has two, possibly three, weeks before Jack Frost does the dirty. I’m going to overwinter it and all my other pot-dwelling dahlias in the greenhouse, just as they are in their pots, no mucking about.

3 – Onions, Shallots and Garlic. Planting them is a job to do this weekend, weather permitting. Garlic was rubbish this year and the onions and shallots were only good for pickling. In the hope that I can improve on this year’s disappointing yield, I will plant these at exactly the prescribed distance apart. I usually cram them in any old how.

4 – Aster ‘Not-a-clue’. A low growing variety that I bought for pennies a pot off the pity bench. They were helpfully labelled “Aster”. They have filled out quite nicely, worthy of a good front row spot at this time of year.

5 – Lupin seedling. I sowed some seed earlier in the year, all were lost to a combination of neglect and rampaging snails. I’m having another go. We’re an optimistic bunch, us gardeners.

6 – Aster ‘Tonga’. Maybe. or ‘Bahamas’. I dunno, lost the label, might be neither. What I do know is that I like the colour. This plant, along with its twin, live in the front garden, bringing a splash of colour to the late Autumn garden. Even better, its not yellow, something of a relief after all those helenium.

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 fandabidozi. For more details you can read the participant guide.

I hope you all have a good gardening weekend. Gardening here will be jostling for position with the decorating, which I foolishly agreed to do. As I recall, I had identified an opportunity to save loads of money I could spend on the garden. I hate decorating…

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