Six on Saturday – 12/8/2023

Categories six on saturday59 Comments on Six on Saturday – 12/8/2023

I just came back from my allotment where I noticed that a couple of my tomatoes have botrytis in the main stems, cutting off the top of the plants altogether. It’s turned into that sort of summer. I was hoping to collect seed from my peas for next year but they rotted, I will likely struggle to get good seed of Cosmos, Rhodochiton and Cleome, all of which I have grown from my own seed for a number of years. Commercial seed producers presumably have the same problems, too hot, too wet, no pollinators. It can all seem very precarious.

Not so Six on Saturday, which come around once a week like clockwork. Six things from your garden, pictured and posted and flagged in my comments below. You know how it works unless you’re new, in which case the guide is here.

One.
Down to business. Astilbe ‘Delft Lace’ flowers after the rest of my Astilbes have turned brown. There are three plants flowering now, looking very similar, two of which are labelled ‘Delft Lace’, the other one, this one, I’m assuming is the same as I couldn’t see its label. It’s the last into leaf in spring too.

Two.
There was an old fella over the back fence who became sufficient of a nuisance in his dotage that I put up a fence between us so we didn’t see him and he didn’t see us. He’s long gone, there are new people there now, but I’m not planning to take the fence down. It does pretty effectively limit contact between us and them though. On one of the few occasions I talked to him last year I admired a Hebe that he had growing just the other side of the fence. We were given a few cuttings and this week I planted a group of three out in our garden. It really is a cracking colour, unfortunately he didn’t have a name for it.

Three.
Roscoeas are pretty easy to grow from seed and reach flowering size in a season or two. I have bought three or four and have then collected seed from them and grown more. I have several planted under a large patch of wood anemone, which dies down completely before the Roscoeas start to come up in summer. The only problems are that they like moisture, and slugs can hit them hard when they’re just emerging. This June, I don’t think they’d have come up at all without quite a bit of watering, and not all have come back this year, though I don’t know what has done for them.

Four.
Tritonia x rosea. I bought and planted these early last year and they didn’t flower in their first year. This year I have a dense grassy clump of leaves with wispy flowers above them. I think they may have looked better in the catalogue. Perhaps there will be enough flowers next year to make more of an impact.

Five.
Agapanthus ‘Northern Star’ has no such problems with making its mark. The only time this has faltered was one year when something else grew up around it and cut off the sunlight it craves. It flowers prolifically every year and the flowers last better than any other variety I have. It is still covered by a PBR which supports Dick Fulcher in his retirement, no longer growing Agapanthus but species Rhododendrons, which were always his first love. The contrast between Agapanthus and yellow Cosmos is fine but I’m glad the Amaryllis won’t be open in all their candy pink splendour until after our last garden opening tomorrow.

Six.
Another plant in context picture to finish with. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’ with the perfectly matching accompaniment of Cleome and the screaming mismatch of Crocosmia. I think the plan was that the Crocosmia would have been over by the time the Hydrangea flowered, or perhaps there just wasn’t a plan.

That’s it. Time to head out hunting weevils. Have a good week.

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Published by Jim Stephens

Gardener, no-dig allotmenteer, camellia enthusiast. I love colour, it cheers me up. Retired nurseryman.

59 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – 12/8/2023”

  2. Pingback: Six on Saturday, August 12, 2023: Pretty New Things! | Cosmos and Cleome
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  5. It’s worrying when even the professional seed companies are struggling to produce good seeds. I’m sorry to read about your garden woes. What you’ve featured in your six today look vibrant and healthy. I hope you have an enjoyable open garden tomorrow.

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  9. Pingback: August 12,2023 Six on Saturday – Gardening in the Prairie
  10. Pingback: Six on Saturday: Latecomers and Whims | Rambling in the Garden

  12. Jim, it looks like the rain you have been getting has been wonderful for your flowers, if not for the tomatoes and peas. Do you ever try rooting a tomato stem in water? It sometimes works, although you may not have enough time left in the season for it to bear fruit. Your Hydrangea looks splendid, and the Agapanthus is just spectacular. Thank you for sharing a cheerful six again this week. We are thrilled to have the crape myrtles in bloom at last, here. I am in the midst of writing an article about gardening for hummingbirds, and so my six this week are all plants that hummingbirds love. https://woodlandgnome.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/six-on-saturday-for-the-hummingbirds/

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    1. The rain has been good for growth; not in most cases so good for flowers, with some notable exceptions. The Crocosmias seem to have produced lots of flower buds in a hot June and they’ve lasted well when they’ve opened in a cool damp July and August. It’s a shame we don’t get hummingbirds and I’ve not seen many hummingbird hawkmoths this year either. I have never tried growing tomatoes from cuttings, or grafts; bit of a case of not seeing the point when they are generally cheap and easy from seed.

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      1. Yes, that stand of Crocosmia in your photo is outstanding. That is such a fun and easy flower when they are growing in a place that makes them happy. We have more rain coming early this week and are grateful for every drop, still, this summer. The original SoS post has been updated with the link to the article on hummingbirds. I only mention that because I could use some excellent photos of hummingbirds from a local wildlife photographer, that he very generously shared for us to use on the local master gardener website. There is one photo of a hummingbird moth for contrast. He uses the proper lenses and such to capture perfect hummingbird photos. We haven’t seen many hummingbird moths here this year, and alarmingly few butterflies. We did get to watch some hummingbirds feed on the oh so tiny flowers of some coral bells in the corner of our patio at dusk last night. I’ve only rooted cuttings from tomatoes late in the season when the mother vine was failing for some reason, and I wanted to try a new vine for the remainder of the season without the long wait from seed to fruiting size. We can ripen tomatoes here outside until early November most years…. when they aren’t harvested earlier by squirrels or deer…

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  13. Pingback: Six on Saturday: For the Hummingbirds – Our Forest Garden

    1. I don’t know how Roscoeas compare with Hedychiums for hardiness, pretty similar I would think, but there are several Hedychiums that are reliably hardy in the UK and they’re not so quick to complain when they get dry.

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  15. I’ve never had luck with Astilbe; maybe it is just too hot here. But, I love its light and feathery look. This photo makes me want to try again.

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  16. Sorry to hear about your tomatoes. It’s a similar story here as just about all the Big Daddy and San Marzano have developed blossom end rot despite being very careful with watering. Only the Sungold have produced anything, fighting back against the whitefly that have made themselves at home in the greenhouse.

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    1. I say it as shouldn’t, but it’s a relief to be reminded that there are tomato problems out there that I don’t have. I have a small amount of whitefly but it hasn’t really taken hold, and no blossom end rot. Lack of sun means lack of flavour, my Red Pear’s are huge but tasteless.

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  17. You are the first person that I have been in touch with who has Tritonia rosea, I got some here when I realised the Watsonia that I had wanted wouldn’t like my heavy soil. Mine have now made quite a decent sized clump but are not quite flowering yet, maybe by next Saturday! What is the name of your lovely red crocosmia in the last photo please?
    My six are here………….https://www.leadupthegardenpath.com

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    1. The Crocosmia is ‘Carmin Brilliant’. It isn’t quite as red as in the picture, I featured it in last week’s six and the colour in that picture is closer.
      The Tritonia have opened up a bit more since I took the picture on thursday and are making a bit more impact.

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  18. Pingback: Six on Saturday | 12th August 2023 – Little Blue and White House
  19. Pingback: Six on Saturday. 12.08.2023 | Lead up the Garden Path

    1. Not sure I’d sow cleome at this time of year here. I don’t know if they’re hardy enough to stay outside and the slugs would have them anyway. It would get them off to an early start though, which would be good, if perhaps I did a few in the greenhouse. You’ve got me thinking.

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      1. We are hardiness zone 8A so if I get them started before the end of September they will survive the winter and come back in the spring.

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  21. The Roscoea is a delightful colour, but like N20 I refuse to plant any more slug fodder. The Cleome is a great accompaniment to the hydrangea (snap) and that is one beautiful agapanthus, is it planted in the ground? I say it, but perhaps there are several. I often think that catalogue/website photos are misleading as no doubt the photos are of substantial mature plants and not the young things we receive in 9 cm pots that take years to get anything like the photo! I’m bemoaning the lack of sun again this week.

    Six on Saturday | always take the weather with you

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    1. The Agapanthus is in the ground. It will have started as one small plant but has been there a long time. Fred sent me seed of the pink Cleome and it has been fantastic, though getting it going in June was a struggle. It looks like it will set lots of seed too, so if you want some let me know.

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    1. I’d like to think of myself as a bold rule-breaker but most of the time I don’t seem to know that there are rules, so there isn’t much boldness involved. I don’t mind the clashy Crocosmia but the Cleome/Hydrangea combination is such a good happy accident it deserves to be appreciated without distractions. Might have to move a few things around.

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  28. I sowed my peas early in the season (sown in February and I had a lot) but I tried chickpeas later and these rotted. Very bad harvest: 4 pods! 😂 The heat and excessive humidity did not please them as you say. Hydrangea paniculata are doing very well this year!
    I also really like the dark colour of your Agapanthus which are very well flowered!
    Always in awe of the roscoeas that never did well to germinate here. I must not have the right method. https://fredgardenerblog2.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/six-on-saturday-12-08-23/

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  32. Pingback: Six on Saturday 12-08-23 – Fred, a French Gardener2

  33. I’ve got “Northern Star” too although it’s been sulking ever since I moved it from its pot into the ground last year, I’d be surprised if it ever looks as good as yours. I hope the open garden weekend goes well.
    I’m on a flying visit to friends down south today, by the time I get back this evening all I’ll be fit for is a cuppa & bed! So I’ll visit other people’s blogs tomorrow.
    My six is here: https://mysanctuarygarden.wordpress.com/2023/08/12/six-on-saturday-12-08-23/

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  35. What a pretty astilbe, some can grow tall and large, how high are these Jim? Nice hebe with its dark colours. Our tree surgeons are now turning up on Monday! Busy helping out today and tomorrow HPs annual lunch, my SOS will resume in a week or two!

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    1. The plant within the confines of the old pond liner is 85cm, the one outside in dryer conditions is 65cm. Good luck with the tree surgery. Tree surgeons make me nervous, there’s so much can go wrong.

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  36. Pingback: Six on Saturday | always take the weather with you – Cornwall in Colours

    1. Abundance of flower and longevity are easily overlooked as merits, or hard to judge in a young plant at the garden centre. I have a few un-named seedlings around and they may have similar individual flower heads but far fewer of them and lasting half as long.

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      1. Mine are all the same that I have been growing since I was in junior high school. However, at work, we work with a mix. Various colonies started at different times, and from different sources. As I pull the surplus and relocate them, they get mixed with others from other colonies. I prefer more uniformity, but can no nothing about this mix. Ultimately, it works out quite nicely anyway. I added the first white only a few years ago, and they are all the same.

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