In the Front Garden Mid October - Six on Saturday

It is always interesting to see what gardeners and plant enthusiasts are up to.  A band of us, and you too can join, come together under the Prop in this weekly meme: Six on Saturday. I love the humour too in some of the posts and this week Jon made me smile when he described being as excited by the pots as the plants when he bought some violas.

(1)  Last week Cathy asked about my Golden Lonicera.  I've had this plant and loved it for many years in each of my gardens.  It is very easy to propagate, and several of the shrubs here now, were simply bits put into the ground, under the shade of the first courgettes grown in this garden. I really have a surplus, with the potential of a couple of good ones being offered to local gardening friends.  I must get round to posting this on our gardening club Facebook page.  I just can't help myself from propagating, but I ought to curtail this, as I find them hard to consign surplus to the compost, and love to find good homes for them, which is not always so easy to do.

Here a few shrubs are placed alternatively with Geranium Magnificum, also a much divided plant. I love to shape the Lonicera, but it looks to be sporty a similar cut to mine...ie not cut since early this year! The idea was to grow a low informal edge which would deter people from hoping across and taking a short cut across the lawn.  Now the lawn is gone and the area planted with shrubs, bulbs etc, it is even more important.

(2) Geranium robustum Silver Cloak: One of the new geraniums planted in the front is showing its first flower.  In my mind it will be resplendent next year. For now I am very happy with its finely divided silver grey leaves. I have not grown this one before and hope it is sufficiently hardy.  Thinking about this, I'll take a few cuttings later today.

(3) Again in the front, Iris Jane Phillips divided at the start of July has lost all its cut leaves and looks well on its way to getting ready to store up sufficient energy to provide me with my first blooms next year.  And one of those spare Lonicera just peeping in on the right hand side.  More Jane Phillips just along, spares too! 

 

(4) Tanacetum densum ssp amani aka Partridge Feather. Planted up earlier in the year in the front garden: another delicately cut velvety silver leaved foliage plant. I did have it in the back, but it got overshadowed and did not survive my moving it. I liked it so much I had to buy another!

(5) Not far away a silver leaved succulent, again moved from the back garden, is this little beauty. With its pale blue-green leaves it is one of those small plants that I can spot a mile.  About three years ago I spotted this in Alison's garden, it wasn't long before a small clump was established. It has yet to flower here, but again I hope it will next year.  Maybe it doesn't flower in this climate, but the rosettes alone of Rhodiola pachyclados sometimes known as Sedum pachyclados are fine by me.

(6) Just another little silver leaved plant in the garden?  Well it might as well join the Six on Saturday Front garden slot, since it is there.

Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana' with its soft silvery extra finely dissected leaves, whose silky soft leaves beg to be stroked. Yes it is small, but I like it! When I saw that our Herb Lady in the market had this for sale a few months ago, I knew I had to have it.