Six on Saturday – An Eclectic Mix

Another week and still in lockdown, but hopefully we’re starting to get a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, we’re looking forward to hearing what Boris Johnson has to say about his plan for our future tomorow……

It’s been a busy seven days here at home, what with being back at work (albeit upstairs in one of our bedrooms) and in the garden; pricking seedlings out, feeding, weeding and pruning. Today I even turned my hand to barbering and gave Chris his first lockdown haircut – and it’s not too bad at all!

Yesterday was filled with poignancy, camaraderie and even fun. We have a great group of neighbours, including a brilliant musician, and so from the top of our drives with picnics, Keith and his PA system brought us the Last Post, Churchill’s speech, a toast and a sing song – it certainly lifted all our spirits!

My six this week is a mixed bunch of colour – the garden is flourishing with all this sunshine!

Tulipa ‘Lambarda’ is hanging on as most of the tulips start to fade. This dancing queen is a flamboyant specimen, I planted quite a few in 2018 but only 4 have reappeared this spring so I’ll be treating this one as an annual in future and more will be planted in autumn.

An insect attractor, I grew Lychnis flos-cuculi or ‘Ragged Robin’ from seed last year. Although there are mixed reports as to whether this plant is invasive (I’ll be keeping an eye on it), according to The Wildlife Trusts, Ragged Robin is an increasingly rare sight as our wild wetland habitats disappear. It thrives in sun or partial shade, in any soil, but does like plenty of moisture.

A self seeded aquilegia – what a beaut!

Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ or coral bark maple is a most elegant plant with all year round attraction. The leaves will pass from bright green to flame over the next few months and once they’ve dropped in autumn, its gorgeous coral coloured bark will add interest to the garden all winter. I’m a lucky gardener with this plant; I grew it in a pot for its first couple of years at Scott Road and one winter, I mistook it for a red stemmed dogwood (they were all grouped together for protection) and chopped off its main stem for our Christmas door wreath. I didn’t even realise I’d made this awful error until springtime! It has however survived its ordeal with a rather impressive recovery..

Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow” is a plant that needs to be kept in check, but it’s worth the effort – it has an incredible vibrancy! It grows healthily in well drained clay or loam soil in partial shade and has a height and spread of 50-100cm, so it does need plenty of space.

With a height and spread of 35 x 90cm, Iberis ‘Absolutely Amethyst’ is a pretty candytuft with plenty of colour. It suits a rockery or the front of a border in full sun and isn’t fussy about soil type.

That’s my six for this week, happy gardening all – please stay safe and well!

For more SoS please visit its home at: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/

12 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – An Eclectic Mix”

    • Phao Hewitson says:

      It’s very orangey-red and there’s also the contrast of the green leaves. It does die back in late autumn, a bit messy to clear up if there’s a large clump and of course if there’s any life left in it, you have to be careful of the milky sap. But it is a lovely plant to grow in a ‘hot’ border!

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  4. sedumsdahliasandhayfever says:

    Wow you was lucky with that that Acer and I bet it looks stunning in the autumn. The aquilegia photo is stunning. Well Boris has spoken. Some of what he said is confusing and I would have liked him to give companies more time to get “COVID safe” but at least we are moving forwards.

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    • Phao Hewitson says:

      Acers like well drained, enriched soil in a semi-shaded position. They are also better not planted too deeply as they like their roots shallow, well worth the effort, they’re so elegant!

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