Contrary to my prediction I did actually get some gardening done on Sunday despite my exertions on the North Downs Way the previous day. I mowed and edged the lawn, hoed some weeds, tied a few things in. Light duties to be sure, but stuff was done. This weekend I will have some time for gardening. I have roses to deadhead, tulips to move off the patio, pots to water, irrigation to re-commission, knautia to plant (still) and of course the dreaded bindweed to keep at bay.

Time for Six on Saturday then. Six things, in the garden, on a Saturday. Could be anything, you decide!

Here are my Six for this week….

1 – Rose ‘Paul Noble’.  A rambler, this was planted last autumn. It grew a bit over the winter, but this spring it has gone bananas, and is now flowering at about 10′ on the front wall of the house.  I have it trailing along the fence too. At the rate it is growing, it will be up to the roof and across the front of the house in no time. Fantastic.

2 – Allium ‘Christophii’.  A reliable returner, it also seeds all over the place, so eventually the garden will just be alliums.  I generally dig the seedlings up or hoe them off so I don’t get taken over.

3 – New toy.  I was sent this to try out, a rare freebie that I will now shamelessly plug.  I’ve wanted a hori hori for a while, but despite regular appearances on my wish list, one has never appeared wrapped beneath the tree on the big day.  This one is supplied by a new British family business called Japeto. They specialise in garden tools from or “inspired by” Japanese horticulture. I suspect “inspired by” in this case means “made in China”, but it’s a solid bit of kit, a good weight.  A trowel knife, it is a trowel, wait for it, shaped like a big knife. It has a serrated edge for cutting roots or whatever, and a handy depth measure on the other side for (I guess) gauging depth of bulb planting.  It came with a nice leather sheaf which can be attached to a belt for the full Davy Crocket look.  The steel of the blade goes all the way to the end of the handle so it should stand up to a serious bit of digging. I am yet to try it out, I will report back.

4 – Physocarpus opulifolius.  I normally prune these hard back to the trunk in early spring, partly to keep it trim, but also for better leaf coverage and colour.  I forgot to do it this year, but have been rewarded by lovely flowers, something I don’t normally see. The bees are happy, and so am I.

5 – Clematis recta purpurea. You might recall me saying how much this was growing compared to previous years when it first started to emerge from below ground. It has continued to grow well. I think it needs a taller support as it is beginning to flop a little.  It is flowering now too, at about 4′ high, maybe 5′.

6 – Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’. This is in a planter in the front garden, along with a rose (which smells divine, coming soon to SoS). Nelly often gets eaten by earwigs, but she has some more or less whole flowers at the moment.

That’s your lot for this week. What are yours? If you’d like to have a go 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 fab.  For more details you can read the brief participant guide.

Have a super weekend in the garden!

I’ll be back next time with another #SixOnSaturday.