Six on Satuday - 9 October 2021

1. Just as I was wondering what new I could learn about things happening in the garden at this time of the year, when I was piqued by a friend's post on facebook about a change in one of her Dahlias.  Her David Howard had changed most of its petals, whereas on mine just a few emerged white. For a couple of weeks I was wondering whether David was developing a Mallen Streak, or was just going 'grey' as the Autumn encroached, or might have suffered from inadequate watering whilst we were away.

I had a bit of a dig around on the internet, as I had given away my lovely book on Dahlias, and came across the term 'Colour Fluidity'.  The link will take you to an interesting article on Longfield's site, together with more interesting articles on Dahlia growing.  I may just have one Dahlia in the garden, but it is still interesting to learn about such things.

2. When it isn't a spider, and don't we all have lots of those at the moment, and it still have eight long legs, and still doesn't look like a Daddy Longlegs, but with no waist and no ability to spin a web this Harvestman is enjoying the sunshine.

3. And this is not spiders' webs covering the sempervivum Sprite, and not a cultivar of a Sempervivumn Arachnoideum as far as I know, but the frost like hairs on the leaves caught my fancy.  Sempervivums and succulents seem to be having a resurgence at the moment. It is going through its green stage though when I bought it earlier on this year it was quite red.

4. When I found a late flowering small allium I felt I had to get it, and it is just starting to open its flowers now.  Allium thunbergii Ozawa which is a small allium will hopefully clump up in the gravel garden.

5. A single plant in isolation with plenty of space to itself with its flowers glowing in the early morning light is a joy to behold.  I hope the bidens survives the winter.

At the stage when I was helping plant out the Elizabethan garden at Kenilworth Castle I learnt that when prize plants were first grown, they were grown in singles with plenty of space and given due reverence.  On the whole I seem to favour that approach, though I also like mass planting too. The first potato to come to England was planted in Kenilworth.

6. The cyclamen hederifolium whether special ones in pots such as this 'Silver Shield' with pink flowers

or otherrs such as this all Silver leaved form in the garden, continue to bejewel my garden, and give me great pleasure.

Those are the Six on offer today to add to the meme which Jon The Propagator set up ages ago, and which each week some of us join in with.