From my garden at the start of October 2026- Six on Saturday

I was absent for SOS last Saturday being in Ireland, and was able to make comparisons between that very green and pleasant land, and the relatively parched areas coming across Wales and back home: here it has hardly rained.  Just as you think there will be nothing more for the garden to offer, somethings rise to the fore.  I am joining  in with Jim and others to sharing Six things from the garden.

1. I was concerned about the Sternbergia lutea over the summer as it got so hot and dry where they are located in the front garden.  I need not have been worried and on our return the three little clumps were green with a few flowers left for me to enjoy, but I missed about half of them.

Sternbergia lutea

Whilst in Ireland both north and south, I was looking forward to seeing what people grow there, for we have our SOS friend Pádraig who frequently shares Six from his garden. Yes from the coach and also when we were walking, we could see extensive 'gardens' around their beautifully kept homes, but it consisted mainly of very very green lawns right up to boundaries often with no trees or planting except for the odd clump perhaps of Hydrangea. I know there must be some exceptions as there are many notable plants coming from gardeners on the other side of the Irish Sea, Maybe there are gardeners tucked away in pockets, and perhaps Pádraig is one of the leading vanguards with regards to planting. Maybe there is not so much of a culture of gardening as we enjoy in England.

2. Also now out in flower in the front garden is the clump of Nerine bowdenii which may have struggled with the lack of watering: it hasn't seen a hose or watering can, only the infrequent showers these last few weeks.

Nerine bowdenii 

It is a treat to go round the garden after having been away for over a week, and these two plants were very welcoming. Both of these were gifts from my plantswoman friend Hilary.  She is coming round during next week, and I hope they will still be looking good for her.

3. Just how far should an embrace go and for how long?  The little terracotta chap is now almost entirely embraced by the curly stems of the rosemary, once again in flower, so not only an embrace but a scented one, and during the day the humming of bees. The Rosemary has almost outgrown its spot, and I have been 'succession' planning with a well growing cutting taken maybe a year ago.  I'll plant it up in a large pot and next spring decide where about to plant it.  On the whole I rarely replant the same sort of plant in the same spot, preferring to refresh the soil with an addition of compost etc and planting something different. 

4. Last week I showed  Persicaria 'Golden Arrow', so this week I am showing another of the Persicarias that have bounced back. With purple, cream/silver and green leaves and the name Persicaria runcinata 'Purple Fantasy' there will always be a little space for this  psychedelic looking plant.  It has to be kept in check though, so often yielding plants to share.

5. A few weeks ago I posted about Scilla hughii, as I was curious about the little bulbils/bulblets  I found on the roots.  I'm happy that three have survived, and have started to put on some growth.

Three Scilla hughii bulblets

The 'mother' bulb is definitely showing signs of further splitting  with two crowns and I also noticed that there is another bulblet starting to grow on the outer perimeter of the pot, from one of the bulblet I left on the roots when I repotted it.

Scilla hughii forming a double rosette 

This may be the contender for the spot where the Rosemary is currently growing.

6. Earlier this week I went to a talk held by the Wells and District Wildlife Group called 'Learn to Love Slugs and Snails' given by Nathan Orr, Mendip Hills National Landscape Nature Recovery Ranger.  Except for admiring their form, there was not much understanding or love lost between myself and those slimy creatures that nibble and gnaw.  Have I turned into a lover of those molluscs? It is another creature in the garden to observe and only a couple of days after the talk, with a few light showers during the night, I found this beautiful slug. I followed it for a little while and in the time it took me to fetch a little more washing to put on the line, it has disappeared. I haven't yet been out to check any damage on the Kale plants given to me by Alison, which may just swing me back to my previous position if they have been decimated!!

Other wildlife which thrilled me this week was 'my frog', hummingbird hawkmoths, 'my robin' and several other visiting thrushes, so for now, maybe the slugs, snails and I can coexist, as the slugs will be busy breaking down all the autumnal detritus. 

Arion Rufus

Being of the 'older set' but still gardening, walking and cycling, and wanting to continue with these for many more years, I have taken up the Strong Woman Challenge being run during October,  with any funds raised going to the British Heart Foundation.  I hope to keep up the exercises even beyond the month as I would really like to be strong enough to garden for a long while yet, open jam jars, and run up and down stairs!

This is the link if you would like to support me:

 https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/strongwoman2026-noellemace

Six on Saturday - 19 September 2026

 SOS you know the form, Six(ish) things from the garden all linked together over at Jim's.

1. The Asters are starting to give a wonderful splash of colour, taking us and our gardens up to the feast of Michaelmas after which all these flowers were originally named.

A Blogging friend Brian Skeys has just written a delightful article celebration Michaelmas, which reminded that some of mine could feature this week.

Aster novi-belgii Blue

Since adding the Asters to the garden a few years ago, I have divided them very successfully and have some repeats. I would love a pale pink one, and ought to look out for one in readiness for next year. Any suggestions?

2. Sometimes it is the juxtaposition of plants that brings a smile to my face as here where the Pittosporum Tom Thumb which thankfully has survived the rather harsh trim and the silver leaved Lamium maculatum form a temporary twosome.  Temporary as I believe there are bulbs lurking beneath the Lamium which will be removed at some time during the winter or spring.  It got there are a little weed seedling and for now it stays. It gently self seeds and being easy to pull up, it usefully fills bare spaces around the garden especially protecting the earth during the winter rains, and offering cover for the various insects.

Lamium maculatum

3. Another lovely leaf pop is supplied by the chartreuse green leaves of the Persicaria 'Golden Arrow'. My friend Maggie gave me a small piece somewhile ago, and I have been able to divide and place them around the garden.  This particular one was burnt to a crisp, and just before the rains, I cut it to the ground, now it has re-emerged fresh and chartreusey.

4. Another Aster and one which I divided earlier in the year is Aster Pyrenaeus 'Lutetia'.  She has had a rather tough year, but has had no watering since the initial two or three weeks settling in water. Here she is sprawling through to reach a 'look at me position', through the Miscanthus nepalensis.

Aster Pyrenaeus 'Lutetia'

I need to think over the best position for these Asters.  All three plants of Lutetia and in 'subprime' positions.

5. During the summer this pale lemon calendula, seeds supplied by SOS sister gathered from her garden, has been a beautiful counterpoint to the other colours in the garden. I call it 'Lemon Heaven' as I dead head it., In one case also the plant was cut back almost to the ground.  It has since come up rather well.  

Calendula 'Lemon Heaven'

During the heat the flowers were imperfectly formed, and I thought maybe the form of the plant had degraded due to some unknown genetic condition, but it was just the heat, and like many of us, we flourish only when 'normal weather' resumes.

6.  Although I no longer have my very small veg border, I still grow a number of herbs.  I find them decorative and delicious, and I certainly would not be without the Allium tuberosum, or more easily remembered as Garlic Chives. 

They hadn't been watered either during the summer, and from the number of flowers, I think it is time to refresh the plants and autumn is a good time. This time of the year they throw up their flowers and they are another form of nectar for the insects. There was a small copper again this year on them, but I didn't have my phone on me.  I shall leave the flowers for the bees and butterflies, then divide and share amongst my gardening friends locally.

That's it for this week, except that the garden threw up another interesting insect observed for the first time here. I found it dead in the shower room, which is just by a length of ivy covered fence, so it may well be Oedemera femoralis.  

Oedemera femoralis

I hadn't realised its rarity, otherwise I would not have thrown it back outside after I took the picture.  I'll be sure to observe it more carefully next time.

Six on Saturday - 12 September 2026

The weather continues to be garden friendly with rain and also sunny episodes.  This gardener is certainly in a better frame of mind. I am joining in with others over at Jim's as usual for Six on Saturday meaning six things from the garden this week, with a little blurb to go with it.

1. With flowers refreshed, insects are visiting in greater number with bumblebees, crab spiders and shield bugs here. The young Robin has developed a fine singing voice certainly far better than a few weeks ago.  He has been enjoying a good supply of proper robin food meaning worms and many have been brought up as a result of removing old plants and planting new.

2. With a little more rain, and the ground starting to take in humidity, it was time to make some hard decisions.  I mentioned that I had removed the apple tree and now that area has a new planting of the Japanese Umbrella Pine Sciadopitys verticillata which I have had for around 12 years and until now planted up every few years into larger pots.

Umbrella Pine Sciadopitys verticillata

3. Elsewhere I decided that one Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' was sufficient for a small garden, and also growing along side a large clump of Iris Sibirica Silver Edge was ready to be divided.  And so the cornus was dug up, and the Iris divided and shared amongst several friends, and then there was space.  What a fabulous feeling!  Space to plant two plants that I had been nurturing since last year in pots. 

It is just a year since the Cercidiphyllum japonicum with its autumn caramel scent and Corylopsis Sinensis which will have early yellow spring flowers with a wonderful scent arrived from Jurassic Plants as very small young plants, and after a year in pots it was time to get them into the ground. 

Corylopsis Sinensis ahd Cercidiphyllum Japonicum

4.  Different types of cyclamen are up even some sown a few years ago by ants, which were collecting seed from special cyclamen being grown in pots resting on top of the low wall. Growing in chippings with virtually no soil, and the top of the tuber above ground, I am leaving them as a reminder of the resilience of nature, or at least cyclamen.

Cyclamen hederifolium

5. I picked up a couple of plants this week just to add a little colour at this time of the year.  I had been meaning to add a buddleja to the garden if only to please the many butterflies that visit.  It is still a small shrub but in time will grow up to 1.5 metres high.  It has a lovely scent.

Reve de Papillon Red

It is now in the ground.

6. Again from Thomas D'Arcy, Penstemon 'Andenken an Friedrich Hahn' (Garnet) has been added to the garden if only to offer up trumpet flowers for the Hummingbird Hawkmoths which continue to visit the garden. I've also seen big fat bumble bees visit the blooms. 

Penstemon 'Andenken an Friedrich Hahn' (Garnet)

It too is now planted out. Soon cuttings of this will be taken, and I think that all the pots with plants waiting to be planted out, except for pots of cuttings which are being rooted, and will be kept under shelter during the winter,  are now empty. 

I love the autumn and its lower light levels and early morning slanting light...wouldn't it be lovely to have a few Amaryllis belladonna which Jim has shown this week?   

Six on Saturday - 5 September 2026

We are sighing with relief as rain arrives every few days.  Gardening is once more a great pleasure, as I am sure several of us will admit to when you read other posts linked in to Jim's weekly Six on Saturday post.

1. The garden has perked up nicely following cooler temperatures, a little rain, and some cloud cover. The colour change had started to creep in a few weeks back, the Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' as it feel its chlorophyll needs stashing away, do doubt brought on early due to the drought.

Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'

2. You have to bend to see these little gems, but it is worth it.  From one small pot several years ago, I have from time to time split the clumps and they finally form a 'fairy circle' around the Ginkgo Tree. The  Acis autumnalis have just started to come up, and strangely not that evenly, as regards to timing. Next week the whole ring will be up and flowering.

Acis autumnalis

3. Another bending moment is required to view the lovely Cyclamen hederifolium that are appearing around the garden.  In a few weeks these will have beautiful leaves lasting all winter, many with unusual patterning.

Cyclamen hederifolium coming up

4. Am I scraping the barrel with this one, or scraping a fungus off a terracotta saucer?   I read that 'The bright yellow fruiting bodies commonly seen in houseplant soil belong to Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, a saprotrophic fungus known as the flowerpot parasol or plant-pot fungus'. These growths are likely to belong to Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, the "flower pot" fungus. I saw this on another base of pot and saucer, a few weeks ago, and went slightly wobbly at the knees wondering whether this would be fatal, not so I read but it is the tell tale sign that I may have been overwatering!

5. Athyrium otophorum var. okanum got moved to the garden from its pot in 2024, but this year proved dire for its health where it was.  This week, I decided to dig it up and hopefully with a lot of tlc it will recover so it is a question of  'In the convalescence bay' rather than  'The exit bay'. At least if we have as hot and sunny a summer next year, I can easily move it to the shade, and water it, but not overwater it! Hopefully it will look like this next year. 

On the subject of ferns,  my three ferns in lovely pots also looked a little bedraggled a few weeks ago. Each year I have a little moth/caterpillar which feast on it.  The leaves then start to get brown and tatty.  For the last few years, and again these have occupied the same pots now for probably fifteen years, I trim all the leaves back, and soak the whole pot and top in a bucket of dilute seaweed extract.  It only takes a couple of weeks for new fronds to form, and I have the pleasure once more of delicate new green fronds along the shady side alley.

This was a fern that 'appeared' in the Kenilworth garden, the first one one is probably a year older, than the other two, and new ones have formed in the garden here too.  

6.  The sting from the sun has gone, and I felt it was time to consider a freshen up of the succulents, and with rain now in the offing, they can now be moved back to each side of the front door.  Each year I have left them there more or less all summer, but this year they would have been too hot, and have been in the back garden since late May. Some have been repotted, old leaves removed and cuttings taken etc.

The balance are back in the shed or still out in the garden. It is usually 5C above forecast temperatures here, and I only move the succulents into the conservatory when the forecast is for ground frosts.

I continue to reposition, trim, edit, and take cuttings...all wonderful activities preparing for next year.

Green Olive and Semolina Pavé from Bake with Jack Homebaker's Club

I was enjoying a delicious lunch with friends on Friday, as part of our book club,  when I said I had planned making a pavé.  I explained what a pavé loaf is but not in french: 

'Un pavé est un bloc solide en pierre, en béton ou en bois utilisé pour le revêtement des rues, des cours ou des terrasses'.  With the criss crosses in my mind I had the dark bricks that you sometimes find in victorian stables.  The loaf is only shaped like this, and is definitely light and delicious. 

A pavé loaf, or pain pavé, is a rustic French bread named after the French word for "cobblestone" due to its flat, low-profile, and blocky rectangular shape.

Of course I followed Jack's step by step demonstration via the Homebaker's Club, and I followed the final shaping demo twice to get it just right.  I didn't have the full 150g green olives as required but found around 100g in a couple of pots I had, some of which were marinated in  a hot spicy mixture, which I partially washed off.  As several of the bakes use fine semolina,  I was pleased to find it online.

The dough is pretty sticky but I kept to Jack's technique, and found leaving it a few minutes before continuing with the hand kneading effective.  It makes for a large loaf of around 800g with slices having a good oblong profile.

We had some for lunch today with red peppers, tomatoes and cured meats, which followed a delicious chicken and asparagus soup. That had been made a week or so ago, and came out the freezer this morning.  It was a lovely lunch to follow a long morning working in the garden.

Each month with the bread recipes, Jack who is also a chef, gives extra recipes and tutorials on using the breads. Jack is such a good teacher it is worth joining the club, if only for a month or two to decide if this is for you, here is his offer regarding using this bread to make Crisp Bread with a tasty Avocado dip:

'Odds and ends of bread are a useful and fortunate byproduct of our life enriching hobby as homebakers if we have a library of recipes to help us create something delicious with them. When these crispbreads are properly dried they keep really well, indefinitely perhaps. Keep them in an airtight container or food bag and they will be there, ready for dipping or spreading or just snacking whenever you need. Our Green Olive and Semolina Pave is the perfect match for a creamy avocado dip topped with insanely tasty oil of chilli, mint, basil and garlic. Try not to be put off by what seems like a big, long list of ingredients, once you break it down there really isn’t that much there. I have no shame in telling you that I ate this entire dish for my lunch on the day of filming. It was wonderful.'