Six on Saturday - 13 May 2023

We have had deluges of rain, but also a couple of days of sunshine. Already the Holm Oaks are starting to go through their summer moult, as evergreen trees do and this is when I hope that we don't have too many easterly winds as we did on Friday as they shed over on my garden rather than on the other side of the wall where they are growing. 

Here are my Six this Saturday:

1. The Nemesia Vanille Fraise was left in situ over the winter with just a light prune and just look it now, growing in the 'Willow Pot' in full flower and filling the garden with its scent. 

2. Another plant which I hope will flower year after year is the Choisya 'Aztec Pearl'.  It is somewhat dominated by the Persicaria Red Dragon that seems not be at all snuffed out by the huge amount of rain, in fact the converse is true. It was just a small new plant last November.

3. One of the plants in full flower and much admired was again a white:  Centaurea Montana Alba.  Over three weeks I have had requests for this plant and having divided this and positioned it at various points in the front garden over the last couple of years, was able with my trowel to provide some good plants straight away to friends.

What is so good about this silver leaved perennial cornflower is that as soon as a flush of flowers is over, I cut it right back to the ground, and it spring back and flowers again.  I get at least three repeats, and this year I shall monitor this clump to see how many regrowns I get.

It  is not just one way with plants: this week I received a piece of Brunnera macrophylla 'Hadspen Cream' from Brenda,plants were exchanged when we visited Batcombe House, this week. That has been planted in a shaded area.  Once it grows and I can judge its habit here in the garden, it will be a good one hopefully to place in different areas. I've visited Batcombe House previously but went mainly to meet up with gardening friends.

4. This is the view of looking towards Gooseberry corner but with the planting and with the fruit trees growing on nicely. It was looking at this border which featured in May 2021, early this morning, which illustrated to me how worthwhile taking a weekly overview of the garden is.

5.  Always a favourite area of the garden, the gravel garden is looking fine and for the last couple of weeks the creeping thyme 'Jekka' has been attracting pollinators. It easily roots along its long stems into the gravel and I have been placing 'new' plants to start to give the front Mediterranean themed garden some early carpeting cover and colour.

I've read that it is a good culinary thyme, and I really ought to put that to the test.  Also I understand if you cut this one back it bounces back with perhaps another display to follow.

6. Another little plant which has given pleasure since first planting three years ago is the heart leaved globe daisy: Globularia cordifolia.  Batcombe House also have this trailing off a short brick wall to great effect.  It was obviously very happy there as it had been in for years as seen from it thickish woody base. Here it is just starting to flower today:

Globularia cordifolia

Finally: 

Since high profile people can made a U turn, I hope readers won't be dismayed that after writing recently about my decision to temporary halt my weekly posts linking in to memes, I feel it important to return at the very least to SOS which is hosted each Saturday by Jim. 

For one I won't be silenced:  after receiving

 'Your post titled 'Apple D'Arcy Spice' has been unpublished' Your post titled 'Apple D'Arcy Spice'was flagged to us for review. We have determined that it violates our guidelines and have unpublished the URL

I have no idea what caused an infringement, but I have removed the links to apple suppliers to the RHS and others, and now it is accepted. How those links were an infringement I do not know, however on resubmission it was 'uncancelled'!

Secondly I had some friends round for a Book Club and luncheon, and their comments regarding the garden and some of the plants made me look at the garden with fresh eyes.

And looking back at my post in May 2021, I realised that these weekly posts allow me to note my feelings and also views of the gardens and plants which I enjoy looking back on myself. They give me so much pleasure....