In the garden mid July 2026 - Six on Saturday

 Another week of sun, heat and no rain and with the temperatures remain high even overnight, the garden is certainly showing signs of stress.  However we are still gardeners and trying to enjoy the open space which is our privilege to garden.  To read a little more on gardens and other gardeners head over to 'Jim's Garden Ruminations' where we congregate each week to share these weekly 'garden cuttings'.

1. Some of the roses are having a second flush, with the sun and heat they are not lasting, but it is lovely still to enjoy them.  Munstead wood is trying very hard:

Rose Munstead Wood second flush

Early one morning just as the sun was rising I went out to deadhead the Munstead Wood rose before it shed its many petals, and what did I see but this green insect.  The light here is different to the picture above as it was not long after 5 a.m. when I went out. I didn't get a good enough look to see whether it is a cricket or a grasshopper. I posted this on the Entomology group on Facebook and it has been suggested that it is Leptophyes punctatissima (f) Speckled Bush Cricket.

Whilst deadheading I was collecting the petals which I shall dry and add to a bowl for the house.

2. It is even worth taking pictures as within days the plants start to flounder. The combination of Helianthemum Golden Queen this time with the Lemon Thyme behind it has been one of my favourite deck chair views. 

This coming week I shall be snipping back all the spent flower stems on the Helianthemum, which tend to fall parallel to the ground with the newer growth on top.  This Helianthemum is just marvellous. I try to leave the flowers on for all long as possible as we have so many different bees, moths, butterflies etc in dire need of a little respite too.

3. Also in the gravel garden is this delicate little yellow Allium flavum. I originally planted a little pot in 2021, but this gradually dwindled, and these two flowers are from a little group of self sown ones. As this little allium with its blue grey leaves are perfect in this spot, I shall be sure to allow the seedheads to mature fully, then prepare a little area not far away to receive the seed, then just cover with a thin layer of finer stones, and let nature take its course.

Allium flavum

4. I've not watered the front garden at all, and it is looking decidedly 'Mediterranean' but not as bad as my friend's garden in Spain, where even her garden cacti are in very poor shape.  Amazingly this Kniphofia name 'unknown' is doing remarkably well.  We have heavy clay here and it seems to be doing well despite that, and when I plant I do try to incorporate a little grit.  The mother clump is yet to flower, but I have just read that they need dividing every three years or so, so when this has finished and we have some rain, making the soil workable, I shall be dividing the older clump and probably this one too, relocating a few around the garden. I'll cut a flower or two with some leaves, put them in a jar, and place that around the garden to see what they will go next to well, then put in a cane to remind me where to plant the divisions.

Kniphofia

5. I mentioned Pelargonium 'New Century White' only a month ago, mainly to show its cuttings.  This is the original plug plant from last year.  Repotted and trimmed it has at least fifteen flower spikes open!

Pelargonium 'New Century White'

6. Whilst we are with white flowers, I continue to be intrigued by the different flower forms coming up on the Cosmos.

White Cosmos

Sometimes not growing a pure strain of seed brings more interest and variety for a small garden. another good plus for Cosmos is that the slugs and snails leave them alone.

For my six I have tried to keep positive but the picture below of Astilbe Chinensis Pumila taken from my post in 2014

shows that the conditions in my new garden and with the hotter drier summers, it is a plant that will not thrive, having been reduced to this dry mass not flowering each summer for the last three years. An example of wrong plant, wrong place, wrong climate! 

Guided Tour round Park Wood

It was early June when Mr S and I went on a guided walk of the Park Woods which I recently became acquainted with. The day started off dreary with heavy rain and so it didn’t look good for our planned afternoon visit to Park Wood. The weather forecasters said it was going to be a dry afternoon and so it turned out to be. Barbra Lakin (Biodiversity and Landscape Officer for Somerset County Council) was our guide. Straightaway she told us how trees are surveyed into categories, ‘Notable’, ‘Ancient’ and ‘Veteran’ and what features a particular specimen needs to have in order to qualify for one of these labels.

All of these trees are precious, supporting as they do so many other species in their canopies and the structures themselves. In my opinion, the current ideas regarding planting hundreds of saplings in order to mitigate the loss of these habitats loss through urban development falls a long way short of the reality. Only recently in Wells during August an old hedge had been removed by housing developers, old hedges and trees and all the wildlife just cannot be replaced!

Of course, a mature wood comprises not only trees but lots of other flora. Open glades created by the removal of diseased Ash trees and other timber harvesting are now filled with species welcoming the new light. Barbra pointed out several including Herb Paris which is apparently an indicator species of Ancient Woodland, showing that the area was wooded long before the current planting took place.

Herb Paris

Sunny glades also provide shelter from the strong wind that we have been experiencing recently, and I spotted demoiselles, four spotted chasers, red admirals and painted ladies amongst others taking advantage of them. Isn’t it wonderful to see so many painted ladies this year, after virtually none last year.

At the very start of the walk along the field edge we were introduced to different thistles of which Carduus acanthoides, The Welted Thistle, 

but I wonder whether this is Carduus crispus as it has strong spines and the flower stalks are spiny to the top. 

There were a number of interesting sedges which were coming into flower, but I did not take notes of these.

At one point where the paths diverge there was a tall umbellifer pulling up towards the light which we were all warned not to touch: Hemlock water dropwort

Hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) 

Common marsh bedstraw was growing through the brambles..

Unlike the garden escapee the Yellow archangel growing in the woods does not have the leaf variagation.

Yellow archangel

The field rose here bathed in green light filtering through the leaf canopy.

Rosa Arvensis -Field Rose

It had masses of stamens and longer than I had expected. There are quite a few of these wild roses which have white petals growing on woodland and their edges around Wells.

In a Vase on Monday - 13 July 2026

I am staying calm even if I am in a pickle!  That is what posting on IAVOM can do to be. It was Cathy's great invention and I say many thanks for this weekly habit, my contribution this week may be described as 'snippets'. It was a delight a couple of days ago to pick some lovely calendula and therein lies one of  the sources of my worries.

Accompanying the lovely pale cream calendulas in this week's vase is the grass Phalaris arundinacea var. picta which I love to call Gardener's garters.  The elephant also thinks it is too hot!

The seed was a gift received in the post from a blogging friend.  This year I was grateful to received seed from three friends. After sowing the seed, I must have discarded the envelope, what it you Cathy? If so, let me know, and would like to say thanks to you.  

Close up of Calendula from gifted seed

What is not to like about receiving seed and growing something that has been hand harvested and then sown again?  

These little violas/pansies are the smallest but still cute flowers from a garden cross seed which just found a little place to grow, either moved by the ants in the garden or just ejected to lie dormant in the soil. They were all from the same plant. I recently picked up this heavy cut glass vase from a local charity shop, and the watering can is a crystal miniature which once belonged to my mother, and I use it as a prop to indicate that we are in a drought situation and some plants need to be rescued with a little water.  I don't bother watering the violas as I now feel confident there is an abundant seed bank in the soil, and they will re-emerge as new plants when the conditions are right. They are all naturally pollinated so none will be similar

What a week we have had: it has been very hot and very dry, and today we awoke to strong winds and scorching sun by mid morning, which meant when opening windows early to try and cool the house we have a layer of dessicated pieces of grass and other plant material settle on everything in the rooms  at the back of the house!  I had to do shopping and go out to Knit and Natter, but Monday is Mr S's cleaning day, and I returned to a home put back in order: all ship shape.

I'm currently reading Mr & Mrs Disraeli: A strange Romance by Daisy Hay. I am pleased I picked this book following our visit to Hughenden back in May this year.  I thought I would read one of Disraeli's novels which are put into context in Hay's book as being the way Disraeli put into writing thinly veiled observations of his day and also trying to portray his own social and political thoughts and observations. I may yet choose one.  I am part way through this novel and it gives a good overview of society at that time. 

Six on Saturday - 11 July 2026

It's been a very hot week again.  Morning or late evening after dinner are the only times it is bearable to get outside, and many plants are just about hanging in, and I am afraid I have had to resort to using the garden hose to rescue certain plants from certain death, and to clean out the bird baths, once saved water has been used up. There are many Six on Saturday posts to enjoy over on Jim's blog.  

Six 'ruminations' from my garden: with many thanks to Jim for this in many ways, and all the other contributors and people who post comments, who keep up my enthusiasm even during this hot weather for things plants and gardening.

1.

Tagetes Cinnabar 

For seeds for Tagetes Cinnabar I have to thank Cathy. I had a good few strong plants from these , but due to the marauding slugs and snails I have just two plants left, but they are orange and vibrant, a sure pleasure to have. I was surprised that slugs and snails like them as they are so pungent. They are tall beautiful green plants topped with beautifully shaped and coloured petals around the central boss.

Tagetes Cinnabar

2. Some of the annuals I sowed this year are bearing up well.  I think the Cosmos was free with a magazine and may have included cupcake.  Some of the cosmos I grew on in 10cm pots, but some when they were just a few cms high, were planted in groups of  three or so seedlings direct in the garden to take their chance, the surplus which would have otherwise been thrown away.  These have done better in my opinion, and the slugs haven't touched them. There is a mixture of pale pink and white.  I shall certainly try these again next year planting  small seedlings in the garden, rather than potting them up individually.

Cosmos

I've mostly been the sort of gardener that likes to propagate through division and cuttings, but over the last couple of years thanks to some seed sharing with mainly IAVOM friends I am starting to appreciate the joy of growing annuals from seed. I too like to share my seed, so will be posting a later this year.

3. The gravel garden is probably the most resilient of areas.  It could well be because there drought tolerant plants are being grown plus the mulch would help too. This little plant which I first saw in Beth Chatto's garden is  the little Limonium bellidifolium. I was attracted to the little dome of leaves, and it has since proved easy to divide and now I have a number of little plants.  Early in the morning the light was just right to catch the colour of the tiny flowers. 

Limonium bellidifolium

The plant cluster at 10 o'clock is starting to get buried by soil brought up by ants.  We have lots of ants in the garden and early during the week whilst we were sitting in the shade having coffee, we witnessed a nuptial flight as winged ants emerged first crawling up stems before flying up in a cloud. That was on Monday 6th July.

Whilst looking up Limonium and entering into the spirit of growing more flowers from seed next year I came across Limonium suworowii which seems quite showy and maybe right for adding colour and may tolerate the drier weather.  Any thoughts? 

4. We have to time our morning drink to catch the shade cast by the large oak trees on the other side of the wall, and as I had my phone with me, decided to try and catch the dewdrops on the Echeveria Elegans succulent bowl on the table. 

Dewdrops on the Echeveria Elegans

5. Looking at it as we chatted, it really looked over congested. An easy not strenuous job to do when it was a little less stifling during the evening, was to turn it out of its pot, and replant some of the best rosettes, having first removed all the dried leaves and some of the leaves near the bottom of the stem which where it will throw out new roots. 

This time one of the shallow bonsai trays was used to take a display which will remain in there for two or three years.  I couldn't bear to throw away too many and found some antique terracotta pots in the pot store and for now for ease of moving around the garden and also watering, they are sitting in one of the garden tubtrugs, though they will have to be moved out of there when rain is expected. 

 6. I took the opportunity of repotting some other succulents which needed larger pots, and now I am quite out of potting compost.  I still have plenty of grit, sand and the other things I mix in with bought potting compost.  It is such a strange situation and gives a funny feeling.  I shall be rectifying this soon.  For now most pot plants have been moved to a shady spot, but the square table where we sit outside for all our meals, lunch is later to catch the shade as well as the shed shelf are only fit for succulents which have been acclimatised to the outdoors for a few months, and a few of the rocks and stones I collect on my walks.

Last week on Cathy's anchoring post for In a Vase on Monday, she paid homage to her mother and one of the memories that stayed with me, was that she advised of  the value of introducing regular habits into our routines.  Sometimes I vacillate about continuing with Six on Saturday, given that I feel that I must have said all I can say about a small garden, and that I may be boring due to repetition.  However for myself it has encouraged me to appreciate maybe the small things and take the problems on the chin or even try and think of solutions and not being too despondent on the problems. It also helps me to look up and relearn names of plants and also often learn more about their habits.

N is for Nasturtium

Hurrah it is Nasturtium time.  I knew it was time to feature some in a vase, as yesterday whilst having breakfast Mr S mentioned the vibrant red display at the end of the path.  I didn't see red but an orange, and when I questioned him he said it was on the plant I sometimes use in salads.  I knew it just had to be the nasturtiums for this week's vase. 

The seeds were kept from last year which I was pleased that I did.  Usually nasturtium seeds overwinter, but for the first time, none came up in the garden, and I started these in pots.  The original seed came from my friend Carolyn's old garden.  She has just moved to her new house after being in temporary accommodation of over a year and ought to ask her if she would like some seed back.

Although not obligatory, the Queen of this weekly get together Cathy always has a story: this week Cathy pays a tribute to her mother. This post will be linked into hers as will others.

I had a root around in an effort to find the old printers' block made of wood with the letter N. The ginkgo leaves which are the same as the ones posted a couple of weeks ago and are still fresh and a similar green to the nasturtium leaves.  My mind then wandered to things Japanese and the beautiful Japanese paintings of nasturtiums.  

As for books, it is along with the post on flowers that I sometimes show what I have been reading.

Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon is excellent, and also enjoyed by Mr S. It is the second book by Ariel Lawhon for the book club, the first  being The Frozen River. The Outrun by Amy Liptrot isn't a book club book, and I love its sense of place, the story too.  I would love to visit those far away islands but somehow they are too far away, I had a good sense of place from Liptrot's narrative. As for The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr, I wanted more hours in the day but also wanted it to continue.....

Interesting online read:

Just a short quote from the article about Nasturtiums from the site of Isabella Stewart Gardner.  I'll be spending the hot afternoon exploring this amazing Museum, of course without having to put my foot out of the door.

It received its common name “nasturtium”—which in Latin translates to “nose-twister”—from Renaissance botanists due to its peppery flavor and spicy fragrance similar to watercress (Nasturtium officinale).