Six on Saturday - 19 September 2026

 SOS you know the form, Six(ish) things from the garden all linked together over at Jim's.

1. The Asters are starting to give a wonderful splash of colour, taking us and our gardens up to the feast of Michaelmas after which all these flowers were originally named.

A Blogging friend Brian Skeys has just written a delightful article celebration Michaelmas, which reminded that some of mine could feature this week.

Aster novi-belgii Blue

Since adding the Asters to the garden a few years ago, I have divided them very successfully and have some repeats. I would love a pale pink one, and ought to look out for one in readiness for next year. Any suggestions?

2. Sometimes it is the juxtaposition of plants that brings a smile to my face as here where the Pittosporum Tom Thumb which thankfully has survived the rather harsh trim and the silver leaved Lamium maculatum form a temporary twosome.  Temporary as I believe there are bulbs lurking beneath the Lamium which will be removed at some time during the winter or spring.  It got there are a little weed seedling and for now it stays. It gently self seeds and being easy to pull up, it usefully fills bare spaces around the garden especially protecting the earth during the winter rains, and offering cover for the various insects.

Lamium maculatum

3. Another lovely leaf pop is supplied by the chartreuse green leaves of the Persicaria 'Golden Arrow'. My friend Maggie gave me a small piece somewhile ago, and I have been able to divide and place them around the garden.  This particular one was burnt to a crisp, and just before the rains, I cut it to the ground, now it has re-emerged fresh and chartreusey.

4. Another Aster and one which I divided earlier in the year is Aster Pyrenaeus 'Lutetia'.  She has had a rather tough year, but has had no watering since the initial two or three weeks settling in water. Here she is sprawling through to reach a 'look at me position', through the Miscanthus nepalensis.

Aster Pyrenaeus 'Lutetia'

I need to think over the best position for these Asters.  All three plants of Lutetia and in 'subprime' positions.

5. During the summer this pale lemon calendula, seeds supplied by SOS sister gathered from her garden, has been a beautiful counterpoint to the other colours in the garden. I call it 'Lemon Heaven' as I dead head it., In one case also the plant was cut back almost to the ground.  It has since come up rather well.  

Calendula 'Lemon Heaven'

During the heat the flowers were imperfectly formed, and I thought maybe the form of the plant had degraded due to some unknown genetic condition, but it was just the heat, and like many of us, we flourish only when 'normal weather' resumes.

6.  Although I no longer have my very small veg border, I still grow a number of herbs.  I find them decorative and delicious, and I certainly would not be without the Allium tuberosum, or more easily remembered as Garlic Chives. 

They hadn't been watered either during the summer, and from the number of flowers, I think it is time to refresh the plants and autumn is a good time. This time of the year they throw up their flowers and they are another form of nectar for the insects. There was a small copper again this year on them, but I didn't have my phone on me.  I shall leave the flowers for the bees and butterflies, then divide and share amongst my gardening friends locally.

That's it for this week, except that the garden threw up another interesting insect observed for the first time here. I found it dead in the shower room, which is just by a length of ivy covered fence, so it may well be Oedemera femoralis.  

Oedemera femoralis

I hadn't realised its rarity, otherwise I would not have thrown it back outside after I took the picture.  I'll be sure to observe it more carefully next time.

Six on Saturday - 12 September 2026

The weather continues to be garden friendly with rain and also sunny episodes.  This gardener is certainly in a better frame of mind. I am joining in with others over at Jim's as usual for Six on Saturday meaning six things from the garden this week, with a little blurb to go with it.

1. With flowers refreshed, insects are visiting in greater number with bumblebees, crab spiders and shield bugs here. The young Robin has developed a fine singing voice certainly far better than a few weeks ago.  He has been enjoying a good supply of proper robin food meaning worms and many have been brought up as a result of removing old plants and planting new.

2. With a little more rain, and the ground starting to take in humidity, it was time to make some hard decisions.  I mentioned that I had removed the apple tree and now that area has a new planting of the Japanese Umbrella Pine Sciadopitys verticillata which I have had for around 12 years and until now planted up every few years into larger pots.

Umbrella Pine Sciadopitys verticillata

3. Elsewhere I decided that one Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' was sufficient for a small garden, and also growing along side a large clump of Iris Sibirica Silver Edge was ready to be divided.  And so the cornus was dug up, and the Iris divided and shared amongst several friends, and then there was space.  What a fabulous feeling!  Space to plant two plants that I had been nurturing since last year in pots. 

It is just a year since the Cercidiphyllum japonicum with its autumn caramel scent and Corylopsis Sinensis which will have early yellow spring flowers with a wonderful scent arrived from Jurassic Plants as very small young plants, and after a year in pots it was time to get them into the ground. 

Corylopsis Sinensis ahd Cercidiphyllum Japonicum

4.  Different types of cyclamen are up even some sown a few years ago by ants, which were collecting seed from special cyclamen being grown in pots resting on top of the low wall. Growing in chippings with virtually no soil, and the top of the tuber above ground, I am leaving them as a reminder of the resilience of nature, or at least cyclamen.

Cyclamen hederifolium

5. I picked up a couple of plants this week just to add a little colour at this time of the year.  I had been meaning to add a buddleja to the garden if only to please the many butterflies that visit.  It is still a small shrub but in time will grow up to 1.5 metres high.  It has a lovely scent.

Reve de Papillon Red

It is now in the ground.

6. Again from Thomas D'Arcy, Penstemon 'Andenken an Friedrich Hahn' (Garnet) has been added to the garden if only to offer up trumpet flowers for the Hummingbird Hawkmoths which continue to visit the garden. I've also seen big fat bumble bees visit the blooms. 

Penstemon 'Andenken an Friedrich Hahn' (Garnet)

It too is now planted out. Soon cuttings of this will be taken, and I think that all the pots with plants waiting to be planted out, except for pots of cuttings which are being rooted, and will be kept under shelter during the winter,  are now empty. 

I love the autumn and its lower light levels and early morning slanting light...wouldn't it be lovely to have a few Amaryllis belladonna which Jim has shown this week?   

Six on Saturday - 5 September 2026

We are sighing with relief as rain arrives every few days.  Gardening is once more a great pleasure, as I am sure several of us will admit to when you read other posts linked in to Jim's weekly Six on Saturday post.

1. The garden has perked up nicely following cooler temperatures, a little rain, and some cloud cover. The colour change had started to creep in a few weeks back, the Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' as it feel its chlorophyll needs stashing away, do doubt brought on early due to the drought.

Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'

2. You have to bend to see these little gems, but it is worth it.  From one small pot several years ago, I have from time to time split the clumps and they finally form a 'fairy circle' around the Ginkgo Tree. The  Acis autumnalis have just started to come up, and strangely not that evenly, as regards to timing. Next week the whole ring will be up and flowering.

Acis autumnalis

3. Another bending moment is required to view the lovely Cyclamen hederifolium that are appearing around the garden.  In a few weeks these will have beautiful leaves lasting all winter, many with unusual patterning.

Cyclamen hederifolium coming up

4. Am I scraping the barrel with this one, or scraping a fungus off a terracotta saucer?   I read that 'The bright yellow fruiting bodies commonly seen in houseplant soil belong to Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, a saprotrophic fungus known as the flowerpot parasol or plant-pot fungus'. These growths are likely to belong to Leucocoprinus birnbaumii, the "flower pot" fungus. I saw this on another base of pot and saucer, a few weeks ago, and went slightly wobbly at the knees wondering whether this would be fatal, not so I read but it is the tell tale sign that I may have been overwatering!

5. Athyrium otophorum var. okanum got moved to the garden from its pot in 2024, but this year proved dire for its health where it was.  This week, I decided to dig it up and hopefully with a lot of tlc it will recover so it is a question of  'In the convalescence bay' rather than  'The exit bay'. At least if we have as hot and sunny a summer next year, I can easily move it to the shade, and water it, but not overwater it! Hopefully it will look like this next year. 

On the subject of ferns,  my three ferns in lovely pots also looked a little bedraggled a few weeks ago. Each year I have a little moth/caterpillar which feast on it.  The leaves then start to get brown and tatty.  For the last few years, and again these have occupied the same pots now for probably fifteen years, I trim all the leaves back, and soak the whole pot and top in a bucket of dilute seaweed extract.  It only takes a couple of weeks for new fronds to form, and I have the pleasure once more of delicate new green fronds along the shady side alley.

This was a fern that 'appeared' in the Kenilworth garden, the first one one is probably a year older, than the other two, and new ones have formed in the garden here too.  

6.  The sting from the sun has gone, and I felt it was time to consider a freshen up of the succulents, and with rain now in the offing, they can now be moved back to each side of the front door.  Each year I have left them there more or less all summer, but this year they would have been too hot, and have been in the back garden since late May. Some have been repotted, old leaves removed and cuttings taken etc.

The balance are back in the shed or still out in the garden. It is usually 5C above forecast temperatures here, and I only move the succulents into the conservatory when the forecast is for ground frosts.

I continue to reposition, trim, edit, and take cuttings...all wonderful activities preparing for next year.