Six on Saturday - 30 May 2020

It's very dry and hot for May, way too much. Primulas which I divided and moved to new place are struggling so much, that I need to shade them every day. I'm watering about everything, and it's becoming such a chore. But I accomplished a few things though over the week - I dug out tulips, and sorted them out, I am feeling I will have a very nice amount of bulbs for the autumn. Of course, some of the bulbs are on a smallish side - but that's fine, I'm happy to wait for them to develop for the next years.
Also I planted out the honeyworts. I pruned lilac. Planted out annual asters (or did I do it previous week??)

Anyways, time for Six on Saturday.
1. Bought some very cheap saxifragas at B&Q. Couldn't resist a bargain. Shame on me.


2. Pratia is doing quite well second year in a row. I should lift it, divide it and multiply.


3. That's my paeonias. I don't know the variety (as they were here before us) but the plant almost died when I was moving it out of the wrong place it was in, and it managed to come back, and this year we're finally having 6-7 buds and something to cut for the vase! It is definitely growing.


4. Cistus. It's just this time of the year when this bush is in the spotlight and is pretty. I'm quite indifferent to it, to be honest.


5. Sagina subulata aka Irish moss - I have one tiny clump, or - a patch of it. Somehow I find it hard to grow, this clump is not getting bigger, so I must be doing something wrong.


6. And, to finish the things off - I think I'll post one of the few roses I have which I know the name of. 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale', a hybrid tea rose. Unfortunately the bush itself this year is not looking as good as before, I think I pruned it too hard. This year - very little pruning, I promise. But isn't it lovely, this gradient from paper white to pink?

Propagation update

Wanted to show the progress on the sown plants and also cuttings.

Well, technically here is only one which is a cutting, a lavender. Now I need to find a good place for it.



Night scented stock, sown this spring, just started blooming. Such a gorgeous smell in the evenings!


Potentilla atrosanguinea and verbena bonariensis.


Some of my ferns, I think. I always wanted to propagate them to get more plants (as I have a lot of shady weedy areas in needs of being planted) - but never saw any seedlings around them. Until I noticed them appearing in the pot with lavender cuttings, which stayed outside the whole winter. Maybe they liked the conditions in that pot, I don't know! Anyway, I'm quite glad with the whole thing.


Cerinthe major, terribly needs to be planted out, soon.


Rhubarb 'Victoria' - unfurling its new leaves. I have too many plants now...


That's it. I need to make this sort of posts a regular :[

Another Saturday, another post

We have a long weekend, and I was waiting for it. If only all weekends could be long?!

My sixes this week. I'd call it today - 'what's in flower today in the garden'. Acutally more than six are in bloom now, but I chose these.

1. Pelargonium 'Chocolate', I bought it as an annual in garden centre (sigh) but I am going to save it to be a permanent resident, maybe make cuttings in autumn. Cause everything about it is lovely - bright peachy red colour, the form of flowers, the leaves.


2. Campanula portenschlagiana. It grew up a bit now from a small plant I bought couple years ago.


3. Digitalis, it sows itself everywhere and I am just moving the seedlings into any free place then available. But I need to find a right permanent place for her, so maybe she'd start growing there instead of everywhere.


4. Hesperis matronalis. Again, sows itself, it is short lived perennial. Lovely scent.


5. Libertia grandiflora. Grows well but someone is eating its flower stems... I suspect snails, cause there are lot of them in this corner.


6. And, three alliums in one photo! That's about all of my alliums actually, I'm not good at them apparently, I had quite a few, but now only one-two of each. A. cristophii, Purple Sensation and - OK, not really an allium - a nectaroscordum. I am thinking to collect seeds from these three and will try to multiply them to be in big numbers again.


I have a lot of plans for this weekend, I need to plant out cerinthe, do some weeding, take out tulip bulbs from a raised bed, and sort them, mm, yummy.

Six on Saturday - 16th May 2020

Saturday is finally here. Here are my six:

1. Shropshire Lad, climbing variety. It's looking better that last year (must be 2-3 years old now) even though someone was munching on its new growth. Well.

2. Geranium pratense 'Dark-or black-something'. Black beauty? Dark reiter? Doesn't look too dark to me, this seedling must have lost its sort qualities. Originally they are more purpled leaves than that. Still.

3. It's a veigela time this week in the garden. Well, for quite a few weeks :) I think it is a 'Florida Variegata', seems like it. The shrub was here well before us.

4. Also this one is in full bloom - evergreen azalea 'Olga Niblet'. I bought it this winter, and now have to make sure next spring it flowers at least half as this!

5.Another azalea, this time decidious. I thinks 'Lutea'. Also bought this winter. No flowers in sight.

6. Finally, this week this unknown self-sown aquilegia is flowering its socks off. This is one large clump. I have to remember to collect seeds from this quite vigorous and healthy plant (which is a rare sight in my garden).

Six on Saturday - 9th May

I want to join the bandwagon and start doing 'Six on Saturdays' just because I immensely liked the blog of Propagator, the fact that it is very mush alive, consistent and it is just so cool to have like-minded people to follow. I am obsessed with plants and gardens too, so what not to like. My first Sixes from last Saturday!

1. Anemone silvestris and rhododenron 'Unknown'. Still, they have a lot in common.

2. My wisteria, it is 6-7 years old and doing very good. But I have to prune it a bit once it finishes flowering.

3. A patio-pond I keep in hopes for it to be home for at least some of the amphybians (frogs and toads alike) who hopefully will start munching on slugs. Wishful thinking, I know.

4. Just part of the border I like - with primulas denticulata. I am going to separate and divide them again, to have even moar clumps next spring.

5. Delospermas cooperii, these both varieties must like this location. Sunny side of the house under the roof - hence very dry conditions.

6. Bugleweed & forget-me-nots. I started to like the combo, it is random but now I think I will encourage it more...

My personal Keukenhof

Better late than never - a visit to Gravetye Manor in March.

Just maybe a week before the lockdown happened we were visiting Gravetye Manor. We booked it a while ago, and it seemed rude to cancel ! And it was a good decision overall - the stay was fantastic, we didn't catch anything, there was only a few guests and we enjoyed this visit enormously. I made lots of pictures, of course. Once this is all over we are going to visit again, to check how gardens behave in a different season.

And, on top of everything I've got a clematis 'Gravetye Beauty', it's c. texensis, so very similar I think to "Princess Diana"/"Princess Kate". The latter I already have, to +1 to collection.

 I did like this scenery and this whole little corner. Something very private and misterious about it.

This is the main view I think, it was impossible not to make this picture.

Good borders, and how clever to have magnolia hanging over it, losing its petals.

This is just... I need this plant now.

Clematis armandii 'Apple blossom'. I have a personal history with this clematis, I had variety 'Snowdrift' and it died eventually after couple of years. I think the place was bad. Or maybe I did something wrong.

Well, but now I'm determined to try again with c.armandii.

Overall - a musthave!

Wintertime sadness

Some snow we were lucky to have this winter.

A new blue fir I will be trying to plant in a front garden. The plan is to prune it regularly, and eventually if it grows too high - cut it down as a Christmas tree. Feeling a bit sorry for it already ;-(

A future slightly-raised bed which is going to be my main garden project this summer. Used untreated oak slippers (since I am planning to be as organic as possible) and it took some time to locate it so that it looks horizontally-OK from the 2nd floor windows. Oh, and I have to prune roses on a foreground.. *sigh*

And looking forward for a weekend, as usual. Hopefully it is going to be warmer this time? I have two bushes to plant and a bed to fill.