While there is undoubtedly more going backwards than going forwards, there is still plenty of colour to be found. Harder to find is gaps between the showers to get out and take pictures. Low light levels and wind don’t help either. At least I don’t have to work out in it any more, for which I am truly grateful. It also means less opportunity to get out and work in, or enjoy the garden.
One.
Oak Tree. I’m going to start on a sour note, get it out of the way. There are new people in one of the gardens that backs onto ours. Between them and our next door neighbour is an oak tree, probably 35 feet tall and quite a bit more in width. It overhangs the north east corner of our garden by a few feet but casts no shade onto our garden. It shades most of theirs and their neighbour’s for much of the day. It has a short trunk and all its branches spread from about 7 feet up, so crown raising is near impossible. But it’s been a big part of the background for all the time we’ve lived here. It has what planners call “high amenity value”. Indeed I considered calling the local council to see if it had a TPO on it, but didn’t. I think I’d rather they felled it than this though.
Two.
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Izu-no-hana’. A second outing for this hydrangea for the simple reason that it is still looking pretty good. It may have been late to start flowering, but I included it at the end of July when it had just started and those same flowers have kept in passable condition since then, especially noteworthy given the weather we’ve had.
Three.
Impatiens omeiana. What a good plant this is. Good foliage and flowers when nearly everything else is beginning to wind down. All it demands is moisture. There are several other forms in cultivation of which I have one but the temptation to get more is great. If I see others offered my resistance will crumble. Plus having more than one clone raises the possibility of setting seed and who knows where that might lead.
Four.
Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’. I’m hoping that this is going to get better than this. At the moment it is not a sufficient improvement on common golden-rod to stave off execution. It has options; it can go on for a long time, get showier, attract a late flush of bees or butterflies; but make no mistake, it’s on a verbal warning.
Five.
Begonia evansiana alba. Or, to give it the full RHS treatment, Begonia grandis Dryand. subsp. evansiana (Andrews) Irmsch. var. alba hort. AGM. In spite of which it is a lovely plant for moist shade.
Six.
Dahlia ‘Penlea’. Most of my Dahlias have come from the National Collection at Penzance. This I obtained elsewhere; it isn’t even on their list. I think it’s the best red I’ve got. This year it has started flowering very late, partly because slugs hit it earlier. That thing where you have a bud just starting to open and you come out and find it doubled over because some beastie has chewed through the stem. Grrrr!
I have never succeeded in getting the colour and texture of this beauty in a photo. The light when I took this didn’t help. It’s much better than this, and this ain’t bad.
So that’s this week’s six. I’ve had a sneak look at The Propagator’s six already so I know he has a similar story to tell about one of his Dahlias. As ever I’m keen to follow the links on his blog to other sixes, it’s a great snapshot on what’s happening in other peoples gardens right now.
garden ruminations 
Oh that damage on the oak makes me cringe – what a terrible job someone did.
I like your idea of a verbal warning – I know we think the same about plants that don’t do enough to earn their space don’t we. Let us know if it bucks itself up.
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Ouch! It’s not just that they pruned it, but they did such an ugly job, leaving stubs of branches instead of cutting them off cleanly.
Nice to see the alba Begonia. I have the pink variety of B. grandis. It was supposed to be alba, but it came from a local nursery that has a huge selection, very reasonable prices, and labeling that is often not quite right. I think they must recycle tags left over from similar cultivars. I still shop there, because, well, they have a huge selection and very reasonable prices.
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I used to have the pink but it was in the wrong place and succumbed to dryness and competition. I seem to have the conditions right for the white, should maybe try the pink again. Your Callicarpa Americana is new to me, must see if that’s grown here, not that I have room for one.
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The oak tree! Ouch! The Garry oaks here on Vancouver Island are fanatically protected. We have one at the edge of the property and the arborist just takes off damaged limbs and branches that threaten the house. He does a beautiful job. Actually, that Solidago is quite pretty. I’m reluctant to plant any of them for fear they’ll become thugs. What do you think?
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Trees here can be protected by Tree Preservation orders, but they are applied rather randomly and enforced if the local authorities have the resources, which they sometimes don’t. I couldn’t comment on the Solidago, there’s no telling what will become invasive elsewhere.
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Butchering that oak like that should be a criminal offense! Sorry about that..can imagine the frustration
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I’m trying to put myself in their position, and even more so, their neighbour, shaded by a big tree not on their land. Not just shaded, it overhang them by about 20 feet. I can’t see a good solution.
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