Six on Saturday - Soggy Saturday

After a hot dry weather, today it is soggy. and from the weather forecast we are in for soggy days till the end of September.  Up till now no stacking has been needed but we shall see what happens over the next few days. Every Saturday Jim sets up the anchoring post for Six on Saturday, I am joining in with the 'gang' again. 

1.  I love a good Aster such as this Italian Aster King George is King of Garden this week.  Two clumps are giving the impression of a hedging plant.

So much do I like asters at the moment, than on a day out to Watchet on the steam train on Wednesday I succumbed to Fish and Chips, beer in a quirky pub, ice cream, books of poetry, and a very blue double Aster.  I guess now I have to find a place for it.

2.  It is coming to the time when I need to think about moving the succulents from the shelf to places either in the shed, the house, the canopy by the front door or the conservatory.  Unfortunately I love to propagate and now have a few to share, which is harder than you think. 

Aeonium Velour is already under the shelter of the canopy by the front door, and that seems to be a good half way house before the conservatory.

3.  Gardens, plants and skills are for sharing and this week 'Cucumber' Kate came over with some lovely old terracotta pots which she has to spare, and some cucumbers. Yes it raining for the first time this morning, and I as soon as I finish this, I am out to rescue the pots set them to dry and store until needed.

We spent some time chatting and I was able to share seed, show her how to take cuttings from Salvia Amistad, and give her some nicely rooted succulent cuttings.

4. Just by coincidence after writing my post last week, I bought a fig tree and have now planted it.  Since then I read that Fred has a very productive tree and I am looking forward to getting tips on growing great fruit successfully. This year I received separate lots of figs from two friends and was impressed by the quality and sweetness of the fruit.  Hope I live to enjoy many years from this one.

Fig 'Brown Turkey'

5.  A few weeks back I went the Summer HPS lunch, this was the first time I had been to such an event, mainly because the other annual events had been a little too far away from home.  After lunch we brought the plants we had to share, and there were some wonderful ones too.  Before this I had on my list a rose that I had wanted to grow for a number of years, and which my friend Kay had in her garden in Kenilworth.  Although she has now moved, we had some discussions about the possibility of my growing it against the back wall, and her advice was go ahead.  It was on my list to buy as soon as the work with the trees was completed.  There amongst the plants was a good sturdy Rosa banksiae 'Lutea'. Was that 'serendipity' again?  I nearly didn't go as I was on 'model railway' duty, but Mr S managed to find someone else to help him.

6.  I really cannot find room to squeeze much more into the garden, and I know there are bulbs everywhere, but I couldn't resist a few small purchases at the Rare Plant Fair last Sunday: a couple of ferns, and a handful of Crocus 'Dorothy' bulbs.

Fern Cheilanthes lanosa (grey felty) - Fern Asplenium x ebenoides