Six on Saturday - 13 June 2026

It is more or less the middle of the year, and I shall probably be shouted down, in saying that I have loved the cooler weather we have been enjoying, as well as all the rain.  The garden is lush and green, and I am delighting in how many of the plants have responded without the harsher higher temperatures. I'm joining in with others over at Jim's.

Six things from the garden this Saturday. 

1. One of the plants on the shelf is this delightful little Campanula pulla. I bought this last year from Graham and set it up in a bonsai pot in the Kusamono style.  I have loved the bud stage with the arching stems over the last couple of weeks and now the inky blue buds are opening to reveal the deep blue blooms.

Campanula pulla

It overwintered in the pot and been very nicely behaved. The plant is really quite small, and one of my little treasures.

2. This Filipendula vulgaris multiplex is looking particularly nice this Saturday, it has just started to open with lots of buds waiting to open. It might well make another appearance in a couple of weeks time.  I enjoy every stage of a plant, and often appreciate it before it reaches its peak, and afterwards the seed heads, though I cannot remember these ones, as I probably cut these down too soon.

Filipendula vulgaris multiplex

3. Last week I showed the 2026 plug plant from Henton and District gardening club.  Last year there was a choice and I opted for the Pelargonium 'New Century White'.  It had flowered all winter in the conservatory, and a few weeks back, I decided to cut it back and repot it. As usual my fingers itched to create a few cuttings.  Now one of the cuttings is flowering!  Here they are alongside with the repotted Pelargonium, which is a real 'cracker'.

4. A few weeks back I showed the Rhodohypoxis which had been left all winter in the gravel garden.  It flowered first and now the ones which I had not divided, ie they are still in the same soil and the same pot as they were last week, and absolutely full of flower and I have one each for the tables.

5. When it comes to promises about pots in the garden,  Mr S pointed out that I had not kept to my plan on reducing them. Well maybe not, but I am now planting up several plants together. The golden leaves of Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' where already growing in a smaller pot, so I can safely say no extra pot was used.  When I saw this Actaea Brunette at my friends little shop, I was beguiled by its deep purple leaves, so much so that I did not even read its label where it describes it as reaching 1.2 metres.  It will of course have to be liberated into the garden.  But where, and until I have decided it makes for a nice little grouping 'in a pot'! I added a few of the self seeded self hybridised violas.

Actaea Brunette in a pot

6. The hydrangeas definitely welcomed all the extra rain, and are starting to open.  I haven't needed to water these once.

Now that my lunch has gone down, I am out into the garden to play. 

 

Day Trip to Teignmouth

Weeks ago we had booked a day out on one of John Martin's day out by coach.  We walk to the bus station starting our trip at 9:30 a.m. arriving in Teignmouth just after 11:30.  We had viewed Teignmouth from just across the estuary at Shaldon when we were driving home from friends in Torquay a number of years ago.

Luckily the day was calm, with no rain.  It was overcast, a little misty at first, and high tide when we arrived. We had a walk along the front to the Point and along the estuary looking for the little restaurant Catch 22 where we hoped to have lunch.  It looked really lovely, but sadly it was fully booked.  We asked where we might find something and they suggested Trade Winds.

We explored some of the little streets, however being Sunday most places were closed, but we did find Trade Winds there and settled down for a good enough dinner both choosing Steak and Kidney pie and vegetables.  The service was excellent and the Patron was obviously well liked as he knew many of the clients by name.  The portions of steak and kidney pie which were delicious were more than ample and I was very pleased that he suggested I opt for the smaller portion. I couldn't possibly contemplate dessert, but later on our walk had an ice cream each.

View of The Ness from Teignmouth Point

After lunch we decided to walk along the promenade which later turns into a walk along the railway.  It was the sort of day where the colour of the sea so closely matched the colour of the sky with the slight mist you had to guess where the horizon might be. The sound of the gentle waves along the beach were calming and soothing as we enjoyed the air, looking out for the few wild wild flowers that grew along the path.  Other promenaders and their dogs were also enjoying the day, and it was amusing the watch the dogs on the beach.  Along the edge of the sea there was not much to look at but I did manage to find three pleasing pebbles.

Looking towards the Parson and Clerk at Holcombe

As you approach Holcombe where the train enters the tunnel, it looks as if the path ends, and there we intended to turn back on ourselves, sometimes walking on the beach and sometimes on the path, as we did on the way down.  However, an old gentleman engaged us in conversation and towards the end, he suggested we went down the steps at the end and under the railway, then after a short walk we would find a nice place for a cuppa and restbefore turning back.

The Salty Dog Kiosk is a little treasure. With a coffee there was a bonus cake, of which I chose a delicious rock bun, but since none came with the tea, I shared mine with Mr S.  It was made by the lady running The Salty Dog, and I would say it would have won first prize at a Village Fete! We sat amongst other walkers some with lovely dogs, chatted, and rested, then got up for our return walk, around four miles in all.

When one books a day out, weeks in advance, the one thing that cannot be counted on is the weather.  If you are going under your 'own steam', then you can postpone your trip.  We considered ourselves lucky in that Sunday it didn't rain.  The day before, for the Summer Fête at the Bishop's Palace , itwas a wash out, and it also rained heavily on the Sunday night through to mid morning Monday.

 

Charisma - In a Vase on Monday

 These roses in the Timeless Series called  'Timeless Charisma' are probably the most colourful and strong of the rose trees I planted just a few years ago.  They withstand rain, sun and wind very well, but just before the downpours I decided to pick for this vase all the one variety  

As I was very busy I put just the roses in this large pewter biscuit barrel, but the next morning when I looked at them, they really did look like one of the stark 1960s arrangements that housewives may have put into a cut-glass vase. I went out early and picked some white Nigella aka Love in the Mist.  Well Charisma and Love probably go together! 

Another day passes and I nipped out into the garden to do a little cutting down of spent flower stems during one the drier spells, and rather that disposing of the seed heads, I thought they could be added to the arrangement.  Charisma and Love drew in Pimpinella major 'Rosea' seedheads and stems from the purple Verbascum phoeniceum violetta...So Charisma, Love, Pimpinella and Violetta form a charming arrangement.

Yes, I was happy with that....no more need be added. I am joining in with Cathy for this week's get together. 

Six on Saturday - 6 June 2026

The start of June has been cool, wet and windy, but with a few hours of sun as well.  The water but is now full and at least with this rain the soil is more moist making it easier to garden, move plants, and seedlings etc.  Our band of gardeners heads over to Jim's with our six each Saturday and there should you fancy joining in you will also find how to do it, as well as links to other SOSers posts.

Let us get cracking:

1.  Starting off with a view of my garden shelf as it is this week:

The succulents have made their way out of the conservatory, and some of the smaller ones are in their summer location on the shelf.  I tend to change what goes on this shelf purely on a whim. They usually are the smaller plants with intricate details, that I like to observe close up. The larger pots are on the ground, and more about them another week.

2. In the taller studio pot is our 'plug plant for the year' from my gardening club.  This year we were all given the same one to grow which we are then to take for judging at our Summer Party.  

It has taken a few weeks to grow from a plug plant to this colourful specimen of  Bidens 'Bee Happy Orange', and at the level on the shelf one of the surprising things to discover is its lovely scent. 

Talking about judging, I am off to day to judge a section at the Garden Fete at the Bishop's Palace in Wells today. 

3.. This  small hover fly was attracted to the bidens. This week I was relieved to find hover flies visiting flowers.  I think they are late this year, was it my lack of observation or was a hiatus in their life cycle?

4. I was checking out the front garden and noticed that the clump of Rhodiola pachyclados sometimes known as Sedum pachyclados, was ready for 'rejuvenating' as it had grown wide with the middle dying out.  I removed some of the side growths and have placed them in one of the old bonsai pots, making a 'Kasamono' style planting. I like the smaller dainty rssetts of blue green to silver leaves.  At this level it is so easy to love at their wonderful detail.  I have never had these flower for me but I am quite happy with that.

5.  With a week of very heavy showers and also strong winds, the roses shrubs have had a battering. Rose Grace and Rose Munstead Wood definitely came off worse, and I have had to trim off some of the heavier flowers whilst dead heading, and will need to find some supports.

Over on the other side of the seating circle the four Timeless bushes with their strong stems are still upright.

This is a close up of Timeless Pink the closest in the above picture.

Rose Timeless Pink

6. This is a view along the Shady Border path leading towards the Gooseberry bush.

Towards the back, a little in front of the gooseberry bush, the patch of Valerian with its tall flowering stems is wafting its lovely sweet vanilla scent. It currently has loads of blackfly up its stem, with a patrol of ants travelling up and down, but there are also loads of ladybird larvae and pupae around the garden and they will soon be under control.  For some reason loads of white Love in the mist has come up but no blue ones this year, and the pale pink froth half way down the path on the right hand side are the flowers of the lovely ground cover plant Saxifraga stolonifera.  Once it flowers, the plant dies off, but there are plenty of little plants forming at the end of their stolons, a little like strawberries. Is there a name for a plant that is hardy, lives through the winter and dies after it flowers, but has in the meantime propagated itself through stolens? Also does this saxifrage set viable seed?

AI tells me that they are called stoloniferous monocarpic and produce vegetative clones called pups or runners.  I'll be exploring my lovely old books later to read more about this and understand a little more about this form of plant.  

So it is best bit and tucker to go judging and helping out for the day.

Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf

Unusually for me, I set to and watched the June instalment of Bake with Jack Homebaker's Club almost as soon as it was live.  One of the bakes for June 2026 is the Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf.  Two loaves are made from the 400g flour recipe.  

Apricot, Almond and Orange Fruit Loaf

This morning Mr S and I enjoyed  a fabulous guided tour of Chancellor's Farm by Somerset Wildlife Reserves Manager, James Ozolins and  Kate Lawrence, the Wildlife Trust's tenant farmer, who grazes the land with her herd of Ruby Red Devon cattle.  After a light lunch at home, the afternoon was free so I decided to tackle this recipe. Watching Jack really lifts my mood, and I learnt a few tips along the way.  I was also in between the various stages, working out in the garden.

This loaf is slashed just after shaping, with egg wash  applied just before they go into the oven.  As one loaf is going into the freezer, it didn't get its orange sugar glaze, and I have kept the balance of the glaze to apply when we eat that one at a later date.  As you can see here, I didn't quite get the egg glaze down to the baking sheet level of this loaf.  Tomorrow is Bun Friday, and this is what we shall be having for our breakfast, along with fruit and coffee for me, and tea for Mr S. 

As many of my local friends and others further afield may be aware, over the past couple of weeks there was an 'iced bun story' in the media, following the announcement by local baker Burns the Bread, that they were to call an end to their Iced Buns. Several years ago our WI went for an evening visit to Burns the Bread. Behind the shop front, the bakery, which serves a small number of their local shops, including one in Wells, is situated in a warren of rooms  on the High Street in Glastonbury. We we shown round the bakery, and show various lines of bread being kneaded, and I can confirm that their bread undergoes the long overnight fermentation. We all had a go at making our pasties too.

Yes, I have made iced buns, and they really are delightful when they are fresh.  On our trips out, when passing a good bakery, Mr S's choice is often an iced bun.  Of course he was 'weaned' (not really) on Butter Buns, as he was a Cirencester lad.  Sadly Whiddetts closed, and it is also one of those buns loved by those who knew, that have passed into the annals of time. The lesson both from the passing of Whiddetts and very nearly passing of the Iced Bun from Burns the Bread range, is that unless we buy specialities from good local bakeries, the products and the bakeries may disappear!

Just how do you tell AI that they are wrong when they quote that Butter Buns are coated with caster sugar when it was definitely coated with icing sugar?  All those who loved these buns knew of the techniques for eating these involved avoiding breathing in the fine dust of icing sugar when taking a bite! If you fancy making Butter Buns I wrote about them with my recipe some time back: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2012/07/butter-buns.html

Being a person who likes to get things done, and even if I have to learn how to, I have just contacted AI and effected the change to their description of Whiddetts Butter Buns. I rather enjoyed my various corrections and their response.  How strange: I am communicating with AI as if they were a person, and I must say it is very polite!

One of the original sources for AI's original mistakes was from a Scandinavian source Dan Sukker, which I visited: they have a good range of excellent Scandinavian recipes well worth a try.

If you read this post, why not leave a comment, I would love to hear what your favourite bakes from a craft bakery might be, whether it is a currant/current one or one from years ago.