6 – on – Saturday 25.05.19

Six things in my garden today.  If you want to join in and share 6 things from your garden then here is to how to participate https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/six-on-saturday-25-05-2019/  It’s fun, you see interesting things in other people’s gardens and lovely 6ers chat and comment on your pics.

Hello everyone,

Here are a few pics from the garden.  There are lots of things coming into their own now and it’s all feeing well established.  I’m pleased with the way it’s looking.  It’s been really warm and sunny here for a week or so now and everything is very dry.  We got the hosepipe out for the first time a couple of days ago and gave everything a good soaking which has perked things up a bit.  We’re also promised a dry Bank Holiday weekend so it will be weeding and more weeding for us, I think.

1. Mexican Fleabane.  What could be more cheerful?  It’s a dome of  these lovely pretty flowers at the moment and always makes me smile.  They tolerate the most unlikely of spots as long as they are warm and dry.  People tell me that they seed freely but this never has.  I have pulled a clump or two of it though and planted it in other places.  It looks a bit bedraggled for a while but soon establishes.

2. This is one of three Astrantia in the garden.  I’m not sure what variety it is but it is relatively short-stemmed, and a good deep rosy pink colour.   Always the first to flower, it’s in a north-facing border that gets oblique morning sun only.  It seems happy enough.

3. This is a really established and ageing Hebe.  It’s been in the garden for at least 20 years and has always been reliable.  It has a small glaucous leaf and these masses of sweet white flowers at this time of year that last quite well.  The bees love it, it’s always humming with activity when I walk round the garden.  There is a crocosmia leaf that has found it’s way through it, but that’s OK.  It’s ‘Lucifer’ and it’s bright red flowers will be a nice contrast a little later on.

4. This, I fear, is the extent of the fig harvest this year.  It’s a big plant, it grows well against a south facing fence but has never produced more than one edible fig.  I don’t have the roots constrained which may be one reason, and also I think I may be pruning off the fruiting stems in the spring to keep it manageable.  Good job I love the huge, fresh leaves it produces and can forgive the lack of fruit.  Even though I am partial to a fresh fig or two.   In fact, even two figs would be good.

5.  I do enjoy a Hosta.  This clump is doing well in the north border at the damp end.  It is backed by a clump of astilbe with dark red foliage and creamy white flowers later in the season.  Again, I don’t know the variety.  I used to have these Hosta in pots and when they outgrew them I split them and put them in the garden.  There are about six clumps this size, all doing really well.  One of them has been decimated by slugs, but the others are all in pristine condition as you can see.   I am thinking that perhaps one sacrificial Hosta may be a good idea…..

6.  I’m very proud of this little patch.  These are self-sown Sysirinchium in front of a clump of Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’, both of them love this front of the south-facing border position.  Behind them is a rambling rose ‘Felicité et Perpetue’ which will be a mass of small pale pink blooms any minute now.  You can see the buds just waiting.  I cut the rose down last year, back to just a stump really because it was getting out of control.  It has done it no harm at all and this year is absolutely covered in buds from top to bottom.

So, these are my six for today.  Happy gardening!

The Optimistic Gardener