Six on Saturday - 25 July 2020

On Saturday mornings, after I have finalised my six I go over to The Prop, read his blog. Today he has put into words my feelings about my garden and some of my plants, not expressed here, such as whether to leave plants where they are, or move them, will plants last another season etc. And being paticularly pleased with something one has grown onself.  Great to read what he and other 'real gardeners' are thinking, doing and planning.

My compost bin newly arrived this week and  is already gobbling up material that I would otherwise have carted to the tip.  So Mr S is very happy with no spiders etc. in our car. It won't be a patch on the one I used to have years ago, when I had an allotment and chickens..

(1) Crepis incana is looking good.  This Greek perennial plant has pink flowers borne on branched stems which rise up from soft grey green lobed leaves.  

Crepis are Hawksbeards.  This plant is often described as being a pink dandelion, but Dandelions belong to the genus Taraxam.  I  moved it last year, and it has grown well, though it is now becoming overshadowed by adjacent perennials.  Being a real treasure, and hard to get, it is worth taking care of it.  The root cuttings taken last year were unsuccessful.  This plant must count of one of my top summer flowering plants in the garden. 

With flowers held at around 20cm high, it is a small plant. The flowers are superb in a clear pink around 3cm across. The seeds produced in the UK are not fertile, I have tried and they failed.  I would like to understand why this is so.  Maybe they are not self fertile. As last year, I shall be sure to dead head, and allow plenty of time for the plant to build up before the Autumn.  I think it does need its own clear space, and I am planning to move it to the gravel garden.

(2) In the gravel offering up a dramatic evening performance and maybe secretly humming "By the Light of the Silvery Moon", I love to go and see how Eryngium Giganteum Silver Ghost, is developing. Fresh seed given to me by John Massey was sown in situ  February last year.

 

(3) Again in the gravel area Origanum 'Emma Stanley' is making a colourful statement.  The bracts continue to grow longer.  I was introduced to this plant early this year during a lecture given to our gardening club by Paul Cumbleton, on crevice gardening.  It was ordered and planted within a couple of weeks! It has about four stems such as this one, and a good number of young shoots coming up from the centre. This is a decorative origanum.

(4)   Origanum vulgare compactum: In the gravel garden, where there is no danger of soil splashes, this compact origanum, is in danger of being snipped back too many times.  It is in a  hidden position, as seen from the house.  

It forms a lovely dark green dome, and is just coming into flower.  

At the rate I am using it, I had better set about dividing this one.  The flavour is complex and added to sauces or scattered on top of dishes, a few minutes before finishing the dish, help to keep the fresh flavour to the fore. It works equally well uncooked as an extra note of interest in salads.

My parsley has become submerged by ant hills which is making me very fustrated.  The garden is overrun with colonies.  

(5)  Over on the other side of the garden there is a little shade.  Here Astilbe glaberrima var. saxatilis is having its moment.  It looks quite lovely in a delicate and small way in the low morning light. I think it is worth growing for its foliage alone.  It comes from the sub-tropical island of Yakushima to the south of Japan.

(6) They say good plants can be grown from fresh seed.  Persicaria runcinata 'Needhams Form' is another small alpine plant, that is growing just along this Astilbe.  Jim first posted about this plant last year. This was seed collected in his garden, sown as soon as it arrived, and germinated nicely early in the new year.  I'm hoping it will flower this year.  In the meantime, I just love the small leaf shapes, and the red stems.  I'm happy to note that it is not on the slugs' and snails' menu so far.

Hope you find time to spend in your garden this coming week, whether it is working, or lazing by day or maybe enjoying some cool air under a silvery moon!