Six on Saturday - End of July 2021

 Another month has whizzed by and still 'he' is asking if there are any gardens open in the locality this weekend, all those years of training are paying off!  In the meantime this morning he shall no doubt pass a constructive comment as we look out of the conservatory window as we enjoy our leisurely breakfast. We have undertaken a top to bottom clean of the conservatory this week, and although we sweep up loads on insects each day, there were still some in hidden corners.  He is even adept at catching butterflies in his butterfly net.

1. No lack of all manner of flying insects in this garden, including bumble bees, hover flies etc.  It is not surprising as we have so many plants with the just the right sort of shaped flower for them. Although a little 'dark' in the middle of the bed, the long spires of tiny flowers on the Teucrium hircanicum are humming with the sound of wings. I would be exhausted if I were to join in with any bumble bee watch.

It will probably get moved and having just looked up Teucrium hiranicum on Beth Chatto's site, I have an idea to place a few seedlings amongst the silver plants in the front garden.  Again with so many of my plants, I find the leaves very attractive.

2. The Eryngiums this week have been the bee magnets par excellence. Here the stand of Eryngium Silver Ghost stand sentinel on the edge of the gravel garden. 

Each little flower on the cone is visited

3. On the other side of the sitting circle Eryngium Planum Tetre Petra has had the blue rinse treatment, without even having to bend its head over any basin.

Eryngium Planum Tetre Petra

4. As for the little eryngium Bourgatii, she will shortly pale into insignificance as others around start to shine, so this is her moment: though with its silver and white patterned leaves, it is usually admired by me, at least, as soon as her leaves emerge.

Eryngium Bourgatii

5. Erigeron karvinskianus 'Lavender Lady' is enjoying its new sunnier position.  Since getting her last September at the Bishop's Palace plant fair, this little plant has been moved, and is now getting on with putting on a great show.  When I first grew the pink/white erigeron, I found that it did not seed that freely, and found that it grew pretty well from cuttings which I just placed in the garden soil not far away.  This coming week, I'll be doing the same with Lavender Lady, and see how successful that will be, at least, compared with growing from seed,  and waiting to see what its flowers are like, I shall have the same coloured flowers within a few weeks.

6. You could be lulled into thinking that it is all grey and silvers, wake up put on your sunglasses, Storm Evert is past, the cucumber plants have been picked off the floor, plants stakes will be straightened this morning. I have Dahlia David Howard growing in a pot close to the house, the safest place away from slugs....

I read "‘David Howard’ is a miniature dahlia, with mid-orange flowers set off to perfection by the intense bronze foliage. It’s an ideal variety for a large pot or container." It was just love at first sight for me, when I first saw it, many years ago.

I mentioned this to my friend Alison, and she said that as she had some she would save me a tuber. I was delighted to receive this one a few weeks back.  It works well with some other plants close by the house, and those may well be the topic for next week's SOS.

Some of the SOSs that link with each week with the Prop have very large gardens, and can't be doing with moving things around, or have enough space to grow most of the plants they are currently interested in.  I always love to read posts and pick up tips or just admire or commiserate. The Prop is on holiday this week, but has still set up the buoy, marking the space around which we can set up our regatta.