Happy New Year! 2021 will have to try pretty hard to be worse than 2020 so I am hopeful of better things. I still have not planted the remaining daffs. Anyhow, time for Six on Saturday, you know the drill.
Here are my Six for this week.
1. Hellebore, new growth. H. ‘pink lady’, I think. Pink something anyway, and very welcome too.
2. Christmas tree debris. Still cluttering up the patio are these prunings, the result of my annual battle to get the wretched tree to fit in to the wretched stand. Not of the garden, but definitely in it.
3. Abutilon ‘suntense’. I grew this from seed a few years ago. It has been slow to establish but will allegedly get to 15′ eventually. I’ll have to contain it to 6 or 7 feet as I have it growing up a fence. It is currently about 4′ and I am hopeful that I may see the first flowers on it this summer. If happy they can be absolutely covered in blue mallow-like flowers. Semi-evergreen, it is still full of leaves, a rare spot of greenery in the mostly brown front garden.
4. Lobelia tupa. A few years old now, this is one of those big plants that grows from teeny tiny seeds. This one grew to 7′ or so last year, a record. I cut it back hard the other day, there is already a lot of new growth at the base.
5. Carrots, after a fashion. The final batch from 2020 sowing. There were three or four in this lot that wouldn’t have been embarrassed to share a bag of Class 3 oddments but the rest were useless. Entirely normal carrot harvest then….
6. Crocus, emerging. I’ve been looking out for these and just spotted the first ones today. I don’t see any sign of those in the lawn, perhaps I was too impatient with my moving last summer.
That’s your lot, I’m on the hook to make the dinner so I had best get on with it. Have a great weekend.
I’ll be back next weekend with another #SixOnSaturday.
With my garden covered in snow, I’m especially enamored by your H. ‘pink lady’ and wishing I had followed through on my desire to plant hellebores in my garden. Someday…
In the meanwhile, here is the link to a peek at my wintry Wisconsin gardenscape.
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I have tried to grow Lobelia tupa without success several times. I also thought it wasn’t hardy! What a beautiful exotic looking plant though, very jealous! As my garden was covered in snow on Saturday it was a bit tricky to find one thing to photograph, never mind six! Maybe next week.
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It seems to be fairly hardy here, but we don’t have very severe winters, a few degrees below freezing is usually the worst of it and thats quite unusual.
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Happy new year, and greetings from the frozen midwest! Shiver your timbers looking on here: https://dameeleanorhull.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-this-is-winter/
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Happy and hopeful New Year Mr. P
It is strange how several of us are having carrot issues.
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Are you going to be ” posting” again soon? I hope so.
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Thanks for hosting Jon, and wishing you a better year and better carrots and earlier bulb planting in 2021!! My seasonal 6 are here: https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-glowing-in-the-arctic/
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Happy New Year to you! I am a little off skelter this week with my dates and times! Your post made me want to get out and kick up some leaves and see what was growing in my garden! My snowdrops are coming up! See you next week!
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I opened the laptop yesterday morning, ready to post, convinced it was Saturday! The days, and I, will settle down soon, I hope.
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The Lobelia tupa sprouts are so lovely. We have had mild winter here so far, so observing a number of plants regenerating hopefully from the base. I welcome their initiative, but fear that they will not last through the hard frosts and possible snow anticipated in the months of January and February. Here are my six: https://roguegarden.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday/.
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I am so glad to read about your adventures with abutilon ‘suntense’, since I sowed seed for it last year. My plants grew to about 30-40cm and showed no sign of flowering (which was a disappointment- I obviously didn’t read the blurb well enough). So, I do hope yours does flower this year and look forward to seeing a six featuring it!
Here are my six: https://wp.me/pM8Y1-86n
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Your carrots look better than mine, yet I keep at it as well. Tried them in expensive, fancy potting soil this time…same result. Glad the Hellebores are showing up. Happy New Year!https://theshrubqueen.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-promising-signs/
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Happy New Year to everyone, let’s hope for good things in 2021, we know we can rely on our gardens to help us feel more optimistic about things in general.
I’ve got five from outside and one inside this week: http://kasmaty.blogspot.com/2021/01/first-sixonsaturday-of-2021-ice-flowers.html
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For some reason there’s something mesmerising about that photo of the Christmas tree clipping, almost like Wally’s hiding in there somewhere! Here’s my first offering for 2021 https://greengirlgardener.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-2nd-january-2021/
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Hellebore time approaches so I have one in my Six as well. My Lobelia tupa didn’t do very well this year so it’s had The Talk.
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What do you mean it’s Saturday?! Sorry, I forgot. Happy New Year to you and yours and the SoS gang. x
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Happy new year! Love hellebores and keep adding them to the garden, such a shame they are so expensive and never understood why. It’s good to see new growth, makes me feel so positive about life. Here is my Six on Saturday. Dafffodils out along with fuchsia and gazania still in flower. Mad!
https://hurtledto60.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-03-01-2021/
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They are pricy, particularly as big garden plants.
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Happy 2021! We ate pork and sauerkraut yesterday, which my wife’s tradition for ensuring good luck in the new year. Fingers crossed.
Weather has been grotty here, so my Six this week are all tropical plants in my greenhouse.
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Did you forget to eat that last year? If not, didn’t work. Just sayin…
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Much love for the hellebore. I intend to plant them everywhere! I’ve got three parsnips to dig up, I could be joining you in the parsnip equivalent of carrots schmarrots! The garden is definitely revving up. New growth poking through everywhere. All very exciting. Happy New you and all the fellow SOSers out there. Here’s my link https://n20gardener.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-happy-new-year/
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Happy New Year. Every gardener has his nemesis. You will have your day in carrot-dom! Could it be in 2021? (I have the same problem with onions). At least they’re readily available at the supermarket! https://pruneplantsow.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/prune-plant-sow-january-2nd-backwards-and-forwards/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
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The carrots! I know them only too well. At least you had some. I have had a couple of years where none germinated, or one did only to be eaten by a slug. So irritating. I love the hellebore and it has reminded me to go and cut back the foliage of mine and see what is hiding in there. My six are here https://plots11and24.edublogs.org/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-02-01-21/
Happy New Year everyone.
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I can’t grow them for love nor money. And yet I come back for more every year!
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Good morning. Your garden is beginning to get even more interesting now that spring is approaching and the days are lengthening. I enjoy pruning dead foliage and finding new shoots hidden at the base. Enjoy your weekend run. Will #1 son accompany you or has he learned his lesson?
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He was talking a good game a couple of days but now complaining of a sore ankle. We shall see…
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Happy New Year everyone. Lovely sunny morning here and I’m raring to get going in the garden again. The Lobelia might be added to my ever expanding seed wish list. All that from a small seed? I can’t resist having a go myself.
Here’s my Six for this week
https://www.hortusbaileyana.co.uk/2021/01/looking-forward.html
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Definitely worth a go. Took a few years to get well established here.
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Happy New Year to you Jon, and our happy band too. We look forward to seeing your blue Abutilon, and as for those carrots I bet they taste nice. Unless they are riddled with carrot root fly, they would be lovely fresh grated in a salad, or cooked in a soup. And you could follow the new trend and embrace eating insects! Here are my first six of the year: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2021/01/six-on-saturday-2-january-2021.html
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Carrots schmarrots. Dunno why I bother.
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Happy New Year to you too! That Hellebore bud looks promising, and it is a lovely shade of pink. I do hope the Abutilon sends out some flowers for you in the new season. It is such a busy time of the year, so I am not surprised that you have not had an opportunity to plant out the last of the daffodil bulbs. Hopefully you will be able to do that soon! Here is my short post for the week.
https://hairbellsandmaples.com/2021/01/01/six-on-saturday-w1-2021-cheers/
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Maybe today, we’ll see!
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I planted the last of my bulbs this week so there’s still time, although mine were tulips not daffs. Always great to see hellebores emerging – some consolation at this time of year. Here’s my six:
https://carrotsandcalendula.co.uk/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-wintry-things/
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Yeah they’ll be fine one I actually plant them. Maybe today is the day…
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My carrots were fantastic this year, biggest and best I’ve ever grown. The voles were most appreciative so we barely ate any of them. I’ve not seen crocus up yet though there are a few bulbs showing. https://wp.me/p6bCCa-2EY
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They continue to be my pointy orange veg nemesis.
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Thank goodness for a few dry days which allowed us work in the garden again for a while. Mary has tidied up the vegetable patch and raked the last of the leaves from the lane while I continued and finished putting in a new path along the back of a double-deep border – a border which had access from both sides but was still very deep. This will give opportunities for planting of small spring things along the edges. Much of the work was the lifting, splitting and replanting of clumps of daffodils which was unpleasant as the ground is still quite wet.
I’ve gone for the review of the year format for my post this week – just the first six weeks, a nod to the “six on Saturday” idea, and will see out the year next weekend.
Best wishes to all. A Happy New Year. Good health etc.
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The sun is shining here, I may actually get out and plant those pesky daffs…
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I’ve spent two days moving large clumps of daffodils in wet conditions, hundreds and hundreds of them. My poor fingers were frozen.
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Finished! Planted the remaining daffs. Yay me.
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May I say, “At long last!” LOL Well done!
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Happy New Year! It’s so nice to see those first signs of new growth, isn’t it?! Here’s to much more of that over the next few weeks…
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It sure is! HNY to you too.
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I’ve not noticed my lawn crocus yet. I will have to go check but plenty of daffs and a few snowdrops returning.
This week’s six prepping for next exam looking at Vine weevil. https://wp.me/p7AXpE-2Qu
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Ah the evil weevil. My daffs are showing too, even the ones I haven’t planted yet!
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Very useful piece on vine weevil, thank you.
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Happy New Year to you. I was going to say that the carrots look great. Were they tasty – that’s the main thing? I’m hoping 2021 will be a great year for us all. Maybe your mallow will choose to flower this year.
Here’s my six – detailing the ideas I’ve been having for garden projects this year.
https://www.teabreakgardener.co.uk/new-year-garden-dreaming/
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I forgot to being them in so they re still on the soil outside. Probably got frosted last night. Oops.
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Happy New Year Jon! I also looked up Abutilon Suntense, looks very like Mallow, very pretty. Here are my six: https://thenostalgicgardener.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-seeds-02-jan-2021/
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Yes it has many common names, many if them including mallow as they strongly resemble the flowers.
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I think I’ve given up on carrots. Just looked up Abutilon Suntense – great looking flowers. All the best for 2021 https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-frosty-foliage-2-january-2021/
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Good morning all, and a very Happy New year. We’ve had a cold spell here so I’ve not much to report other than a little tidying and some woodland walks.
My six: https://peerlessgardening.wordpress.com/2021/01/01/six-on-saturday-2-1-2021/
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For two of my six, I tried out that image comparison function for the first time. The camera was not stationary, so the pictures do not match up perfectly.
What sort of fir is your Christmas tree? For a while I had representatives of all but one of the North American firs. Incidentally, the one that was lacking happens to be native to the next county to the south. I am not familiar with European firs.
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Not sure to be honest, just one roughly the right size for the room. Grabbed from the nearest DIY store.
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It is likely a European species that I am unfamiliar with anyway.
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Hi Jon and Happy New Year. I can see that despite Brexit, crocuses are growing the same way across the Channel. You can compare with mine ! Here is my link this week: https://fredgardenerblog.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-02-01-21/
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Yes, although I may never be able to buy them again! They come from Netherlands mostly i think.
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In this case you will have to place your order via a friend in France 🧐😁… who will deliver England!
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Thanks! I’m sure i will be able to get them, just for more £££.
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I thínk the full-frown seven-foot lobelia will be to my liking. Is it any think akin to the red cardinals?
The tallest I can muster among my six would be jasmine. You take home the Saturday Elevation Trophy (SET).
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No it’s a different beast, doesn’t really look like a lobelia to be honest. Big plant, quite architectural. Needs a bit of support to avoid floppage.
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Happy New Year! All the best to you and yours in 2021. Lovely hellebore – mine lasted ages last year. Here are my sunny six https://basia329.wordpress.com/2021/01/02/six-on-saturday-02-01-21/
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Happy new year to you too!
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