Six on Saturday - 2 May 2020

At last some rain after almost five weeks of sun.  We are all still in a very strange place.  The garden continues regardless. 

The Prop brings us all together on Saturdays to share the joys and sometimes trials that our garden may have brought during the previous week.....


(1) Auricula Nessun Dorma...The symphony of spring flowers used to be marked by auricula for me, but somehow they fell by the wayside.  Nessun Dorma was the only one from my collection which I brought with me, all the rest being left behind with gardening friends. I rudely poked her  into the ground when we moved here.  Last year I salvaged it, as it was cast aside to make room for something different.  I thought again, and just split it and put it in a pot thinking I would pass it on.  Lingering neglected, it has tried to sing out to me.  (Link to a great performance of Nessun Dorma). Maybe I should remind myself of the best ways of looking after it, repot it in late August according to Woottens excellent guidelines. Then take proper care of it.

A  view of some of my former auriculas....

(2) Lucky me....

I  posted about my Pelargonium myrrhifolium var. coriandrifolium in flower a couple of days ago. 

At the same time I was doing some reading up about Pelargoniums.  I started to search out another species...and this little one may be my way of getting it via a swap.  I had given my other good rooted cutting away to Sally who visited just before we all went into 'isolation'.

The baby leaves start out broad, then become finer.

Time to take more cuttings.....

(3) Phlomis fruticosa Bourgaie has survived the very wet winter in its new location of sloping well drained sunny site. It is doing very nicely.....

(4)  Phlomis purpurea Matagallo found the rain just a little too much. Can you imagine the weight of water that  collected on the fluffy grey surfaces as they became saturated?  It obviously needs to be grown far more meanly, and put on some stronger wood. It was only Sunday that I was watching bumblebees  weigh down the lower lip of the flowers and drink the nectar. 

On close inspection I found that a sizeable branch had split off.  It is amazing to think that this was grown from seed only two years ago.  A good prune, and a repositioning to another area of the garden.  Since it can easily tolerate hot and dry conditions it can go into the front garden which is being planned to be a no water zone...The hose isn't long enough...good enough reason!  It can reach the drive to wash the car...but I usually use a bucket.

The other two Phlomis Purpurea Matagallo shrubs had been pruned harder and didn't suffer the same damage being a little more compact, but these are yet to flower. I shall have to work out the best growing and pruning regimes.  

(5) Sempervivums reunited...

(6) Another purple plant:  Aeonium arboreum Velour.  Last autumn I broke up my very large plant.  The topmost which was most handsome spent a couple of weeks just propped up in a vase in the centre of our conservatory table.  Rather than throw it away, I potted it up, and over the winter it set some good roots...

I have two smaller plants left, and along with all the other succulents, they are set up in the garden ready for the summer season....this was before they were grouped together.