The fine weather continues and the garden responds. I’ve been spending a lot of time watering, mostly pots but some things in the ground that are beginning to suffer too. I have lots flowering at the moment, so somewhat spoiled for choice, but I’m not keen on really bright sunshine for taking pictures of flowers. Early and late, when the light is better, much of the garden is in shade and the things I want to take pictures of are usually half in, half out.
One.
Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’. I go for years being certain of the name of a plant, then I decide to include it in a Saturday six, check before I include it and all my certainty goes out the window. Nearly all the pictures that come up when I Google this show a much paler flower. It might be Filipendula palmata rubra. Whatever it is, it grows happily in our used to be the pond bog garden, gets well over three feet tall and flowers its socks off. In the garden from whence it came it fares less well, being in a dry sunny spot where it gets six inches high and doesn’t flower.
Two.
Iris ensata cv. probably ‘Moonlight Waves’. This is in the back left of the wider Filipendula picture, also in the bog garden. It’s very beautiful but only for a very short time.
Three.
Sweet peas. Last year I grew sweet peas on my allotment. Not hugely successful but enough to make me want them closer to home this year. Part of my Astelia had obligingly died, so I had a suitable space; all I needed was something to train them up. I went for a fairly primitive wigwam of bamboo and string; a sort of proof of concept notion, to be replaced with something more permanent if it works. So far so good. I’m thinking artistic wrought iron obelisk to replace it, anyone know of a good artisan?
The seeds for the sweet peas were just some I managed to save when I was taking down the allotment row. I’d do that again.
Four.
Sisyrinchium ‘Bowles Mauve’. Again, that’s what I’ve always known it as but go online and such a thing barely exists. It’s less than six inches tall, has seeded around to the extent of about three extra plants in two decades and is having a good year flower wise. It’s an excellent plant for the edge of paths, perhaps I should try and get some seed from it and raise a few more.
Five.
Fuchsia ‘ Auntie Jinks’. People can be snobby about Fuchsias. Tough, I say, since from this quarter you’re going to be hit with several, if not more, over the coming months. This one is just a mainstream hanging basket variety for which we didn’t have a hanging basket. It’d not win any prizes at a Fuchsia show, but it’s still pretty good. A better photographer would have seen the welsh poppy and removed it.
Six.
Dahlia. I have quite a few seed raised dahlias flowering up the allotment but this is the first to get into its stride in the garden. The name ‘Garden Glory’ is buzzing in my head but I’m probably making that up. It’s a hell of a colour and my camera doesn’t like it a bit. I need to do some staking; last year that required the electric drill and a very long 17mm masonry bit, the ground was so hard. It’ll be the same this year methinks. And you wonder why I don’t like being overlooked by neighbours when I’m gardening.
Right, we have visitors coming, I have been assigned tidying duties. As ever, links to lots of other sixes are to be found on the Propagator’s post. Loads more roses and clematis to covet, add to wanted lists or whatever. Happy gardening.
garden ruminations 
Nice 6!
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Thank you!
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What a beautiful selection this week, Jim. I love your fuchsia. Mine are quite pathetic by comparison. Do you grow yours in sun or light shade?
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Most of ours get some sun but far from all day. That said, they flower better in sun provided they don’t dry out. Not that our sun will be as fierce as yours, you’re a good bit further south. You might well run into issues with high temperatures too, which some of them really don’t like.
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So far I’ve kept them in light shade on the terrace. Two are them are cuttings I took last year from a local garden… so fingers crossed they are acclimatised. They really are so pretty!
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I really love fuchsias, is this one hardy? Each week I look forward to seeing what beauties you are showing.
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It’s good that you like Fuchsias, there’s a fair few coming down the pipeline. Auntie Jinks is a basket variety, ie sprawling, so wouldn’t be any use planted in the ground, thus it’s hardiness or otherwise is ignored and as far as I’m concerned, untested. We grow quite a few in the ground that are not regarded as hardy, but this is Cornwall and the climate is changing. Hardiness is a tricky concept to pin down.
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I have only ever seen the pale yellow Sisyrinchium so interesting to see the Bowles mauve. Your Iris ensata is truly lovely.
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Bowles may have had nothing to do with the Sisyrinchium, more likely EK Balls. Research is ongoing.
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Sisyrinchium is native here, but to this day, I seriously do not know which ones are native, and which ones are exotic. Sisyrinchium californicum sounds like it would be native, but is not native to this region. I am not familiar with ‘Bowle’s Mauve’. However, that is a name of a traditional cultivar of wallflower that was more popular in the 1980s.
Your sweet peas still rok!
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Seems I may have confused Bowles with Balls, still to be unravelled. I have another slightly taller very pale blue Sisyrinchium that introduced itself and is spreading quite enthusiastically, another mystery plant to try to identify.
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A lovely bright selection this week Jim. I have a Sisyrinchium in my Belfast sink, but it hasn’t flowered well this year, I think it is being shaded by the Japanese Anemone leaves. Your fuchsia is stunning! So many flowers! Mine in the shady courtyard have got rust. I didn’t know fuchsias could suffer from rust, do you know why this is? And what I can do about it?
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I think the Sisyrinchium really needs full sun. Fuchsia rust is a real problem, I just looked up the RHS advice page on it: https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=163
I find only a few varieties to be very susceptible and in most cases it’s probably best to avoid them. I did spray a few yesterday, mostly rather old and hungry plants, suggesting that young healthy plants fare better. Good air circulation and hygiene are helpful too.
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My plants are all young, but also all in pots. I would have thought the air circulation was fine, but maybe I’ll move the pots further away from one another. I did spray them yesterday, but I don’t like using sprays too often.
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Sisyrinchium could be Dragon Eye or EK balls
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That Fuchsia is stunning also and your sweet peas looks fantastic.
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Ah! Could my befuddled brain be confusing Balls with Bowles.
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Your sweet peas are faring much better than mine, a problem that stems from the poor plant husbandry over the winter. I like a good bamboo wigwam. They look ‘organised’ to me, in a man vs garden sort of way.
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I sowed the sweet peas early Feb, avoiding overwintering. It’s beginning to look like I should have done a later batch too. They flower on the top foot of the plant, so in a months time all the bloom will be at the top of the canes. I think you’ve probably hit on one of the fundamental principals of garden design in “‘organised’, in a man vs garden sort of way”. Especially apposite in the context of bamboo wigwams with its undertones of boyhood games.
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You’ve broken my heart w/the first photo – my Queen of the Prairie usually blooms w/the golden rod which, at the moment is showing a yellow blush while the Queen is about 8″ tall. I thot it was because the Doodle’d used it as her path until I put barriers up, but now I’m thinking I’ve totally put it in the wrong place. Mine’s a lot lighter in colour than yours is. I like both, to be honest. At least now that I know there may be a more insidious problem than my dog, perhaps I can create a mini bog for next year. That sweet pea mix of yours is gorgeous. The blossoms look absolutely huge. Don’t wait until next year to let us know what obelisk you’ve decided upon. That’s going to be a real eye catcher in your garden, those blooms & the wrought iron.
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I have golden rod still in tight bud too. The nearest I ever got to almost prairie was on the outskirts of Calgary and it was pockmarked with ponds all over the place, so I imagine providing a full spectrum of dry through to wet conditions. You might have to wait until next year before I decide where I’m going with the obelisk, beyond that it will stay in one form or another.
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LOVE the Queen of the Prairie!!! And, I’d stick with your bamboo tuteur, it looks great there.
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I did wonder about weaving a few bands of willow around the bamboos and keeping with the natural materials look but the bamboos are from my plant in the garden and they don’t tend to last very long.
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Beautiful fuschia! Who couldn’t love them? Looking forward to those you will post over the next few months.
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The intense red of the dahlia doesn’t shock me; the photo is successful.
About the Filipendula, I didn’t know. Does it bloom a long time? I suppose that pollinating insects adore these flowers!
Finally, stunning fuchsia!
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The Filipendula is over rather quickly, especially with hot weather. Oddly, there were lots of hoverflies on an Astilbe next to it but they didn’t seem very interested in the Filipendula.
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