Six on Saturday - 13 November 2021

With slightly more time to spare, and a reduced resolve to get on with other hobbies, I have been flicking through periodicals and magazines.  Although not a gardener himself, I find myself reading out snippets to Mr S. He is quickly learning to 'speak the speak' just as we can for football such as 'Well its was a game of two halves, and if the team had not come together and scored that extra goal, it would have been a draw'. As an example a couple of extracts  from Gardens Illustrated November 2021 applies to my garden too and maybe to your?

"Plants are allowed to place themselves, shifting the pathways through natural processes of self-seeding and creeping growth" in reality plants are getting out of hand and you were warned that once you planted Briza Maxima you would never be without it, but did you listen?

"Rather than gaining a settled permanence, the community of plants remains in a state of flux; the key word is change." When I planted that shrub it seemed right but now I need to move it, yes if you compare the garden year to year or even throughout the same season,  you could get giddy, except for the layout cos it would be too hard to change that! And I've bought some new plants and need to make space for them, so that plant will have to go, Oh no, it can get moved to the front garden.

Clever words and strap lines, collect them and use them: suddenly your garden will be magazine worthy even if to this point, you were slightly embarrassed.  The wordsmith probably gets a higher renumeration that the plantsman person, however if the two are combined: Magic!  Which is why I keep reading and enjoying my gardening magazines and books. 

1. The Elephant Bush is happier in the conservatory than on the kitchen window sill, but as it gets cooler it may need to migrate back into the warmth. Diana, one of my blogging friends in South Africa inspired me further with uses for 'Spekboom's  succulent leaves as a garnish on 'Spagbog'. Portulacaria afra goes by many names such as  Elephant Bush: Dwarf Jade, Pork Bush.  This is a variegated version. Diana posted about Elephants eating this plant with some great pictures of the Elephants browsing a stance of these shrubs in South Africa.

Here the garden fairy realises that a trip to SA can only now be just a dream, so it is wonderful that there are other ways of enjoying the beauty of that country through some of the plants, books and film footage, and of course blogs and articles on line.

2. Sedum or that other long name but living up to its cultivar name of 'Autumn Joy' is hanging on.

3. Phlox bifida Ralph Hayward I find is a short lived plant in my garden.  To insure future seasons each year since it came I practice 'succession planning' planting and soon after flowering take cuttings.  At least I have one good plant, but since there is another one in the gravel gravel garden, I thought I would allow this one a little top dressing and got a little carried away using some interesting stones I had in my collection.

I hope it will be worth putting on the shed display shelf next year, as this is what its mama looked like in May this year!

4. By being late in flower this year, the Hydrangea continues to give joy. I don't know the variety but this one is from some prunnings which I picked up from the gardener at the Palace one winter a few years ago, who said that at this time of the year I probably was far too late.  I had three plants until recently, but decided to dig up and despatch the one which caught the late sun as it struggled through wilting each afternoon. Hopefully those remaining plants will be more resilient.

5. It was time to say goodbye to those three begonias that have given such a fine display planted below the
Fatsia Japonica Spider's Web.

6. Saved before they got sodden, the pan of emerging Dianthus cruentus seedlings has now been moved to the shed in a position as close to the window as possible.  It may be one of those pans that get moved in and out depending on the likelihood of rain.

Whether you are a 'wordsmith' or not, the main thing that holds us Six on Saturdayers together it an interest in plants, our own gardens, and a curiosity to know more, and form a community under the direction of The Anchor Man: Jon The Prop.  Of course, your curiosity may lead you to delve in, even if you have better things to do with your time to contribute.