Six on Saturday - In Search of Blooms

 A couple of hours or so of rain earlier in week very soon evaporated, at least it made it more comfortable for the slugs for a day, now it is back to the normal routine of watching the weather forecast promise rain, but none falling here.  By now most readers will know that I write these weekly bulletins headed by Jon the Propagator for they are the best way of reminding myself of what went on in the garden, with pictures, which I can search later with the clever search facility, and also remind myself that some years plants worked very well, and the need to look forward with hope to another year. If these help you see what plants you may be interested in and how they look in a 'real' not a show garden, then I am also very happy.  I have learnt so much by reading other such posts on other people's blogs.

Let's stay positive and hopeful and appreciate the few flowers that are surviving for our Six on Saturday this week.

1.  Catch these shooting stars. 

Allium carinatum  subs pulchellum

I've been catching the seeds of these Alliums each year, and gradually increasing the little clumps throughout the garden.  Even the ones where the foliage dried out in the drought have flowers opening.

2. The taller Origanum laevigatum  Herrenhausen again now in several clumps is a magnet of interesting hover flies, bees, etc.

 

3. Although bleached out by the strong sun, this dianthus is a favourite of the large Humming Bird Hawkmoths which seemed to appear at the same time these flowers started to open a couple of weeks ago.

Dianthus superbus 

4. The Eryngium Planum Tetre Petra was staked early in the season, and with its large number of blooms is a clear favourite of so many insects too.

5. King George is not quite standing to attention, but that has meant a few stems are languishing in the shade of other plants relishing the cooler conditions there.

6.  I'm not sure whether to be happy or fed up that this plant on the corner of the gravel garden just doesn't know when to stop flowering. I'm happy that it is the longest flowering plant in the garden, starting in the spring, and flowering until I very late in the autumn. Erodium Fran's Delight never fails to please.

A weekly task of dead heading required attention before the sun creeped round. 

Around the garden leaves are drying up, and looking like the Autumn is upon on us. I am already wondering what the next week will bring....

Do please go and One Man and His Gardening Trowel's Post this week for a great cartoon showing slugs commuting to his garden.  This was the second linking post I read this morning, and it sums up what happens when you don't despatch slugs!