Six on Saturday - 21/10/2023

Talk about rain, except for yesterday morning up until about one o'clock, it has been raining, sometimes 'bucket loads', or even shed loads.  This morning we have a few hours of respite, but it has probably been the same for others in the UK, if not worse.  However it is still mild, and these is still plenty of colour and green dominates at the moment. I'm looking forward to reading Jim's post and others who link in to his talking about six(ish) things in our gardens.

1. I keep dividing and moving plants every two or three years.  This also yields many plants to give away as in the example of Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White'. All through the winter the foliage is a great ground cover . This originally came from my dear friend Kay from Kenilworth, since moved. Many friends have benefited, and also many divisions have been sold from the HPS Membership sale table.  I ought to plant out a few for the next sale at Yeo Valley next year on 23rd of March.

Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White'

2.  Several of us comparing the purple leaved Loropetalum 'Fire Dance'.  It had to be cut back severely early this year after suffering from the freezing temperatures, and I am pleased to see it has bounced back.  To add further to its woes, I have decided there is a spot still along that same shady border where it will be better seen and also shine more just behind the Lophomyrtus x ralphii 'Little Star'.

3. Acer 'Wakaranai' has obviously had a great year and looking great, both from a distance and close up.  That is not the name but one suggested by Gill Heavens, who of course has a wonderful turn of phrase!

4. I always knew them as Arum Lilies, now called Zantedeschia aethiopica from South Africa, and having seen fine clumps of them growing in some of the front gardens of older properties, realised that they grew well in the area.  What surprised me was that it was growing in full sun in dry areas. I've always liked them and when I saw a plant earlier this year I decided to grow it, first in a nice pot, but then I planted it in the ground.  The weather has suited it, and it has thrown up what perhaps will be its last flower this year.  

5.  When I moved to this garden from Kenilworth, I was delighted with the Ivy leaf toad flax growing on the wall.  On a tour of Wells Bishop's Palace gardens given by two Enacters who took us round showing us a number of plants, I heard that seed may have come when statues were brought to the castle from Italy.  There are a number of 'stories' about how it first came to England, and I refer you to The Frustrated Gardener post on Kenilworth Ivy for a number of them.

6. There are always things that can irk me.  One of them is when I can't get on with gardening and I have some one else working in the garden.  Barry is the person sent by the company, and the work is slow and not particularly efficient, not much planning or management of time, but this is Somerset, and things get done in 'Somerset Time'!  Things are being well done though.  

The second thing is that my green bin was not emptied on collection day. After phoning up, as I wondered whether I needed to renew,  I was told to leave it for for someone to come and empty it.  Although I am bin monitor for the close and move most bins to the end to make it easier for the bin collection, my bin was left unemptied, and despite phoning up, it still hasn't been collected three days later. There isn't even a system for paying by S.O or D.D....only in Somerset me thinks! You have to phone in and renew and pay over the phone!

For my second in the Tree Appreciation Tuesday I chose a Yew tree, it turned out to be two trees a male and female one twinned and fused!