Six on Saturday – 9/9/2023

Categories six on saturday49 Comments on Six on Saturday – 9/9/2023

27°C here today for the second day in a row, not as hot as “up country” but pretty extraordinary for September, at least by historical standards. The upshot is that the garden is looking good with lots of colour and the autumn wind-down seemingly on hold. We went down to the Tremenheere plant fair last weekend and to be honest were a little underwhelmed; rather got the impression that the nurseries present had sold much of their best stuff and had come along with what they had left. We didn’t get away scot free, but the damage to my wallet was not great. The garden there was a different matter, just wow!

Wednesday evening was HPS meeting night and the speakers had brought along some plants, more of which later. Then Thursday saw us attending the NGS end of season tea party. A relatively heavily horticulturally themed week all in all.

And so to the horticultural main event, six on Saturday. The ‘rules’ are here, but basically you photograph six things in your garden on a Saturday, post the pics somewhere on the web and bring the world’s attention to them with a comment below or a #sixonsaturday if that is your preference.

Here are mine.

One.
Maurandya barclayana. Last year we bought an unlabelled, red flowered climbing plant from a small local nursery, planted it in a big planter and gave it a 1m metal obelisk to climb up. It turned out that 3m would have been more suitable and it flowered most of the summer. It would have been awkward to overwinter it under cover so it was left out to take its chances, with the thought in mind that we would simply buy another this year if it died. It died. A minimal amount of protection would probably have kept it alive, the roots seemed sound but the ground level buds had been killed. Buying another didn’t pan out either, the nursery didn’t do it this year because it hadn’t sold last year. The wholesale plug supplier from whom she’d obtained her stock are no longer listing it either; last year they had it listed as Lophospermum ‘Red Wine’. Depending on where you look, Maurandya and Lophospermum are pretty closely related if not the same and Plant World Seeds were listing Maurandya barclayana and M. erubescens ‘Magic Dragon’, so I ordered seed of both. They were sown 15th May and Maurandya barclayana is just starting to flower, suggesting that treating it as an annual wouldn’t really work. I need to carry the plants I have over to next year and hopefully they’ll flower through next summer.

Two.
On an earlier trip down to the far west we had visited a small nursery and picked up a Salvia, on the strength of its name alone, which was ‘Carine’s Amazing Blue’. It is now flowering and I’m sorry to say that it appears identical to Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Bloom’. I’m not at all sure how that differs from Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, if at all. Suffice it to say that it is a fine plant, similar in all respects to ‘Amistad’ except for colour, and in fact the colour stands out rather better than ‘Amistad’, especially in the fading light of early evening. ‘Carine’s Amazing Blue’ (on the left) and ‘Black and Bloom’, may look a little different in these pictures but in the flesh are indistinguishable.

Three.
Cosmos sulphureus. A lot of what is offered under this name are short, around 30cm, whereas what I have is three times that. I don’t know what variety I have as I pinched the seeds from a display down the road. I just love them, they have that same intensity of colour as Californian poppies. I’d like to mix them in with the blue and purple Salvias but there’d need to be some pink rehousing first.

Four.
The plant I purchased at the HPS meeting was Amorphophallus konjac. Let’s just gloss over the meaning of its botanical name and the fact that if and when it flowers it will stink to high heaven. It will be perfect in my planned big foliage section next year and if it’s flowering when we’re open it will provide a talking point if nothing else. It was in a three litre pot, easily 60 cm tall and he wanted £7.50 for it. I gave him £8 and told him to keep the change.

Five.
A shout out to Fred for the fabulous Abutilons I grew from seed he sent me last year. I still haven’t tried to take cuttings of them, which I must do. The plan was to grow young plants and leave the big ones out to see how hardy they prove to be. I should at least be able to get plenty of seed. I have five plants, all quite distinct.

Six.
Tis the season of the garden spider, Araneus diadmatus. Do I make it number six or do I go with Colocasia gaoligongensis, which is flowering, and stick the spider as a header. Nasty shock for any arachnophobes but there surely aren’t arachnophobes amongst gardeners.

And that’s about it. I’m still doing night-time forays after slugs and vine weevils but there are far fewer about now. I had my phone with me the other day and took a couple of pictures of newts, which seem to like to climb up into the plants at night, presumably hunting insects. So far I’ve avoided mistaking any for slugs. My excuse for including it is that it was taken on Tuesday, putting it outwith the restriction of a thing happening on a saturday. There’s at least one frog out there does the same thing. It’s the wild west out there of a night time.

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Published by Jim Stephens

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

49 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – 9/9/2023”

    1. I bought a packet of ‘Bright Lights’ and sowed them in spring, along with seed I’d saved from my own in 2022. I very likely have a mix of both now growing and they’re all of a similar height, so my original stolen seed may have been from ‘Bright Lights’ but I wasn’t going to go and ask. By any name it’s a cracking plant.

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  3. Like Hortus I am not overly fond of spiders, especially those big black ones that come inside at this time of year, I don’t object to the garden ones as long as I don’t get hit by one in the face (then I might let out a squeal). I do like those yellow Cosmos, I might have to give them a try next year in what will be my new annual bed. Nothing from my garden this week as it is undergoing a revamp – not such good timing on my part given how ludicrously hot it has been! So we are having a peek at what is going on in another garden:

    Six on Saturday | Scarecrows

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  4. Six treasures as always Jim! Love the newt pic and that salvia is lovely. Jealous of your cosmos sulphureus success, try as I might I can never raise them from seed successfully (maybe seed needs to be fresh?) I grow tithonia instead, but I think the cosmos has the more pleasing form.

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  5. What pretty abutilons! I’ve got a packet of them somewhere but didn’t manage to get them out in time this year. Will have to make sure they make it out next spring! Love the little newt, and am also impressed you snapped a picture before he ran away. I can never get my camera on fast enough to photograph the fleeing amphibians in the mornings.

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  7. Pingback: Six on Saturday | 9th September 2023 – Little Blue and White House

  8. What is the attraction of the Amorphophallus – more than just a plant to surprise visitors with, I guess? Those abutilons are such pretty colours – and easy to grow from seed? I was interested to read your NGS area holds an end of season tea party – do you have anything early in the year, when you pick up your posters? My weedy six are here: https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2023/09/09/six-on-saturday-my-least-favourite-weeds/

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  9. Pingback: Six on Saturday: My Least Favourite Weeds | Rambling in the Garden
  12. Pingback: Six on Saturday: 9 September 2023 – My Tiny Welsh Garden

  13. Wow! Amazing colors! I love the blue salvia and the bright orange cosmos, the vine with the purplish flowers is also great-my hummingbirds would love it, but I bet no amount of covering would protect it from our winters. The little newt is adorable. As things wind down, I focused on insects and a particular bird that I love very much to see. None of these pictures were taken today, too difficult to predict if there will be anything of interest out there, but I absolutely must get some asters and maybe goldenrod for next year to extend the flowering season. Have a great week!

    September 9, 2023 Six on Saturday

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  14. Pingback: September 9, 2023 Six on Saturday – Gardening in the Prairie

  15. I love the abutilon – I’m going to try them next year. They grow well in our local botanic gardens so I think they’ll be ok here in east Devon. Also love the newt. So cute. A cute newt. Glad you chose not to post the spider – arachnophobe here. September finds me entering every room in the house in wild-eyed trepidation. I have a post from the garden, but as ever, it’s not 6 on Saturday, but I’ll sneak it in here. https://junegirvin.substack.com/p/summer-has-not-yet-left-the-building

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  16. Last week I forgot to post my link and comments! Here’s the link https://n20gardener.com/2023/09/09/six-on-saturday-scorchio/ – it’s been around 30+degrees here.

    Your cosmos are stunning. The abutilons look wonderful, the newt is a great find, and I love the care you have had for sourcing the replacement Maurandya. I wish it well. The spider, well, they are not my faves but as you say, being a gardener, you have get on with them!

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  17. Pingback: Six On Saturday: Scorchio! | n20gardener

    1. I wasn’t keen on the idea of an NGS tea party because it seemed bad form to be spending money raised for charity but it had all been covered by their sponsor. That and the fact that I’m as far removed from being a tea party type as you’d find anywhere.

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  20. Strangely foggy here this morning though though it’s 20 degrees already. I grew Maurandya from seed a few years ago (it has a reddish flower but I can’t remember variety off the top of my head) and found that they form small tubers. I treat these like Dahlias (overwintered in the loft) and they grow back early each year and have been flowering for about six weeks now.

    Six on Saturday 09/09/2023

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    1. That’s what I need to do with my Maurandya, though since I leave Dahlias out, it’s what I was planning to try with some of the Maurandyas I have, with a heap of leaves on top of them when it’s frosty.

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  22. Hi Jim, the cosmos sulphureus are really very bright and I regret not having sown some this summer. I take note to sow a few for next year. Congratulations again for the Abutilon flowers which are varied. You give me an idea: mine produced so many seeds this summer that I’m going to resow and then leave a batch outside as a test. So , here is my Six this week. https://fredgardenerblog2.wordpress.com/2023/09/09/six-on-saturday-09-09-23/

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  23. You had many fine words throughout this post, but my eyes danced when they read about spiders. You stated that gardeners are not afraid of spiders. I’m so glad you wrote that. I loathe them, so now I have a real reason to claim that I’ll never be a true gardener. Thankfully, it doesn’t diminish my pleasure in your blog.

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    1. I understand that arachnophobia, like other phobias, is a very real thing for the people who have it, but I was a lot more careful when I was catching and putting a hornet out a few days back. I don’t pick up big spiders like I used to, mainly because they get faster and I get slower, and I don’t want to harm them, I just don’t want them in the house.

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      1. I don’t have the phobia, but I avoid spiders whenever I can. Unfortunately, I’m the only one who will kill a spider in the house. I cannot tolerate them inside. Unlike you, I won’t pick one up.

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  24. The Cosmos sulphureus certainly catch the eye – they’re impressive. The fiery colour at this time of the year is perfect. You sent me to google ‘Amorphophallus konjac’, and I’m sure it’s going to be a spectacular addition to your garden. Definitely a bargain. Love the pretty Abuitlons.

    Here is my effort for this week:

    From Sweaters to Sunscreen

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    1. When our garden visitors remark on the floriferousness of our garden I tell them that the key is to have a good few things that have a long flowering period, like Penstemons, many annuals, Fuchsias, Salvias, Alstroemerias and so on.

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    1. I thought my Salvia ‘Amistad’s had succumbed to winter cold when they were slow to show, then realised they were being browsed by slugs as fast as they were coming above ground. Once they were up a few inches they never looked back.

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  29. I’m a full on card carrying arachnophobe but for some reason (I think their legs are different and they don’t grow huge) those garden spiders don’t trigger me. I’ve not seen any in the greenhouse this year which I could do with as there is some white fly I’d like them to tackle! Love the Newt pic too. Super Abutilons from Fred’s seeds and some interesting rare plants too.
    Here’s my Six for this week with apologies for my recent absence due to non existent internet access.
    https://www.hortusbaileyana.co.uk/2023/09/post-holiday-blues.html

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  30. We’ve woken up to thick mist here this morning, but the heat has been something and I expect it to return later. Very tropical out there this morning! Love that salvia, whatever its name might be. I grew Black and Blue at Cliffe and it was very sturdy. I really like the idea of a foliage garden. Collect lots of seed from that cosmos! Love the newt photo. Here are mine https://offtheedgegardening.com/2023/09/09/six-on-saturday-pale-but-interesting/

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  31. Pingback: Six on Saturday | Scarecrows – Cornwall in Colours

  32. Goodness, is that not a remarkably inexpensive price for Amorphophallus konjac? (I translated it to dollars.) I have never wanted to grow it, but I do distinctly remember that it was normally quite expensive. Cosmos sulphureus has become so rare that I sometimes doubt its existence. I thought I saw it a few years ago, but it was some sort of Coreopsis. I suppose that I could grow it from see, like the more common Cosmon.
    Anyway, these are my six:

    Six on Saturday: Frosty Forecast

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    1. The first nursery list I looked at online had Amorphophallus at the same price, £7.50, for a 9cm pot. Mine was in a 3L pot with several pups around it that would have fitted a 9cm. Cosmos sulphureus would be native to your area I believe? I’ve come to it late in life and wish I’d known about it years ago.

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      1. So, it was a good deal! Cosmos sulphureus is naturalized in Riverside County, about four hundred miles south of here, but I have never seen it growing wild. Only Cosmos parviflorus is native to North America, but east of the Colorado River. Cosmos bipinnatus is naturalized in Southern California and elsewhere, but that is nothing new.

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    1. Not sure I’d describe the newt’s perch as climbing, it was less than a foot off the ground. We haven’t had a pond for a good few years and always seem to have a few newts, and frogs too. There was a frog two feet from the ground in Euonymus ‘Emerald Gaiety’.

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  34. The Abutilons and yellow cosmos are making a great late summer statement aren’t they? Are you going to be saving seed of any of these and sharing? I fancy a try at both in due course if you are. Do you have a pond in your garden or do the Newts just live around the place? Night time activity in the garden is great, thanks for getting that picture of the Newt and passing on your observations. Here are my six: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2023/09/six-on-saturday-6-september-2023.html

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    1. I’m hoping for good seed set on the Cosmos but during the wet spell it mostly went mouldy. I’ll be collecting seed from the Abutilon too. I was getting seed from Impatiens stenantha, Cleome and Watsonia today, which reminds me, the Watsonia is still outside. I’ll do a list at some point.

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