I chose yesterday to get the sheet on my tunnel. The weather forecast was for warm sunny weather with very little wind and so it turned out. It all went reasonably well, though as with all these sorts of things you’re learning as you go along and would do it differently and probably rather better given a second chance. You don’t get a second chance with sheeting a tunnel, it’s the one part of the build where you can’t undo it, move it a bit and do it up again. So, no, it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good and will do fine. Just the doors to go on and it’s finished.
At which point I’d better jump in and point out that my tunnel is the first of my six on Saturday items, a meme started by The Propagator some years back and now hosted by me. It’s just a matter of finding six things happening in your garden (or allotment, or a garden – horticulturally themed) and posting them on a blog or one of those other new fangled social media thingies, then put a link in my comments below. there’s a participant’s guide here. Right, back to the tunnel.
One.
The tunnel and its environs. I spent two hours pulling polythene for all I was worth while my assistant nailed on the battens. I rewarded my efforts in the customary way.
Two.
Salvia ‘Pink Amistad’ was always going to struggle to match up to the purple original. It’s good but by comparison just a little ordinary?
Three.
Eurybia herveyi ‘Twilight’ does pretty much what you want and expect an aster to do, and doesn’t get mildew or overly mauled by the slimy assassins. It’s spread a fair bit since it first went in but is hemmed in by paths so not a problem.
Four.
The lovely Jill Heavens sent me seed of Cleome ‘Violet Queen’ and I’m very pleased to report that one of them has finally made it to flowering. All my Cleomes have had a terrible time this year, ravaged by slugs and generally pretty miserable because of lack of sun. ‘Violet Queen’ joins a pink one that Fred sent me seed of a few years back and a white that my friend Becky gave me. Hopefully they will all yield seed for next year. Jill will be wanting to know how the other things she sent me fared but is going to have to wait until next week to find out.
Five.
Fuchsia ‘Marlies de Keijzer’ is an encliandra type fuchsia with silvery leaves and tiny magenta flowers. We’ve never tried it in the ground before, thinking it not to be hardy enough to survive the winter, but since we keep planting out varieties to which the same thing should apply and they survive anyway, it’s gone out. We took cuttings and have young plants as back up, if we lose it we almost certainly wouldn’t be able to replace it.
Six.
Colocasia gaoligongensis is supposedly one of the hardiest Colocasias and this is now into its fourth or fifth year growing unprotected in the garden. It really wants much wetter conditions than we have but I have a feeling that a really happy Colocasia could be a scary thing; I’ve seen the way they throw out stolons when growing in a pot and I suspect they could cover a lot of ground very quickly given half a chance.
As so often happens at this time of year I have too many pictures and have had to leave things out. I’ve sneaked one in as the header though. Does it count if I don’t give its name?
garden ruminations 
You did a great job of the tunnel, and earned your reward! 🌸 I love your Aster, for some reason I can’t grow them here. I must plant one in a large pot, my go to for much wasted plants.
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You did a very good job of your tunnel, I bet you are excited to fill it with edibles! That Aster is very pretty, I can’t really grow them in my garden for some reason. I might have a go at growing them in a large pot instead, my go to answer for much wanted plants. 🌸
My Six are here –
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I’m also slightly underwhelmed with the pink ‘Amistad’ but yours seems to have more flower heads than my potted one. It’ll be hard to resist taking some cuttings though. Polytunnel envy here as well.
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Oh well done with the polytunnel, Jim – the size of the tunnel and the amount of polythene involved must makeit quite a daunting task, and certainly not one to be done when there is any wind! I see what you mean about the Pink Amistad – but is it any hardier than the standard one, I wonder, which never overwinters for me? I like the look of the eurybia, even though it will still always be an aster in most of our minds! Thanks for hosting https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2024/08/31/six-on-saturday-bloomers-and-busyness/
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Lovely Garden Photographs. Here is my choice for today’s Six on Saturday. Thank you for hosting.
Photographs – Swampy Six on Saturday – MINDING MY P’S WITH Q (threepsandq.com)
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Good work on the hoop house, that deserves a beer! It looks charming with the light on inside. The aster is lovely and so full of blooms.
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Colocasia is very scary in wet places here! I like the salvia and more wonderful fuchsia! Your tunnel looks great, cheers to its completion. Mad bromeliad flowers from me today. Thanks for hosting. https://theshrubqueen.com/2024/08/31/six-on-saturday-seasonal-hints/
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What a great splash of blue that aster makes: lovely! Here are my six: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2024/08/six-on-saturday-end-of-august-2024.html
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Polytunnels or hoop houses have become too common within the horticultural industries. We had several. The first few were actually intended to be greenhouses. The later few were slapped together PVC pipe. I miss old fashioned greenhouses. ‘Marlies de Keijzer’ Fuchsia is certainly interesting. I would not have guessed it to be a Fuchsia. ‘Pink Amistad’ Salvia is interesting also, because it is so different from ordinary. Colocasias became a fad here years ago, and I suspect that many were sold as something that they are not, depending on what was trendiest at the time. Consequently, it is now hard to know what is what. We have a few here, but I do not want them to become ‘common’ in our landscapes. Besides, they look odd within the redwood forests. Anyway, these are my six.
https://tonytomeo.com/2024/08/31/six-on-saturday-too-much-or-not-enough/
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We used to have a polytunnel in the garden but it was an ugly brute. Now we only have greenhouses, though they’re not old fashioned, if by that you mean wooden. Polytunnels are just a cheap way of covering a big area of ground, which I’d have thought might be less called for in your climate than ours, except maybe covered in shade mesh.
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The few polytunnels or hoop houses are the prop houses because they are used for propagation. They maintain humidity within the arid climates, and through winter, they retain a bit of warmth. I have no used for them in my home garden, although I might use a silly little contraption that I got a picture of for Wednesday to protect a few late tissue culture plugs of banana from chill this winter. I just plugged some hibiscus cuttings that I should probably cover, but have not gotten around to it yet. Small backyard greenhouses are popular with a certain crowd that likes to show off, but they are rarely useful for much that would not be happier outside.
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Your “hoophouse” looks great. I found out years ago that those metal “c” clips really help when doing it all alone..
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Good work on the tunnel. Completing a new building task is slow work. I always proceed cautiously to avoid mistakes realizing that it is unlikely that I will perform this task again.
No post for me today. The weather has been brutally hot and dry and my garden is beaten down..
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The tunnel instructions were very good and each section had a QR code that took me to a Youtube video of how to do it. Things have moved on some since the bad old days of terrible instructions with flat pack furniture.
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Lovely! Jealous of the polytunnel! My asters are getting on as well. About to run out of battery on my coputer, so here are my six (or so). Have a great weekend!
https://wisconsingarden.wordpress.com/2024/08/31/august-31-2024-six-on-saturday/
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Getting that sheeting on looks like hard work! A very good job well done and deservedly of the beer. You definitely had the best day of the week for that job. I was shocked at how still it was yesterday morning after the windy week. I’m taking a break from garden posts in September so mine is a last look at the garden this month.
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I certainly picked the right day for the tunnel, it was quite breezy again on Saturday.
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Well done with the poly tunnel. I like the colour of your Aster too.
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Plaudits are justifiably plentiful for the polytunnel. And a fine beer it is too. I also enjoyed the pink salvia, it would mix well with the purple one – or is it much shorter I wonder. I’ve just spotted a purple one here that has survived from last year. I might get flowers for October! Here’s my link https://n20gardener.com/2024/08/31/six-on-saturday-cutting-back/
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It seems to be about the same height as the purple, the plants in the picture were taken as cuttings in the spring so haven’t put on as much growth as autumn cuttings would have.
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The German owner of an off licence in Sheffield many years ago described Paulaner to me as the best beer in the world. I haven’t tried all the others yet but I don’t think I’ve tasted better yet.
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Hiya, it’s feeling a tad autumnal here in Somerset, and we’re also enjoying the asters. https://doingtheplan.com/2024/08/31/oak-olive-blythe-spirit-water-wildlife-asters-six-on-sat-31-aug/
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You have been busy and very successful by the looks of things, you certainly earned your beer! Your little aster is stunning and I rather like the pink Amistad !
My six are here………….https://www.leadupthegardenpath.com
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I don’t see a new career beckoning in putting up tunnels, I’m too old for such antics.
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Well done for the polytunnel. Is it you who planned to fix these wooden slats at the bottom? Or was it originally planned ? In any case it’s a good idea to stretch everything well. Nice, cleome! I didn’t sow any this year : I must still have some seeds for next year…. Fortunately. I had left one of my colocasia ( Jack Giant ) in the ground all winter, the stolons only spread 30 cm so it’s reasonable https://fredgardenerblog2.wordpress.com/2024/08/31/six-on-saturday-31-08-24/
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The base rail was the tensioning method on this particular tunnel. I attached the polythene sheet then pushed the rail down 6m all round to tension it. It seemed to me an easier way to do it than burying the sheet in a trench and I’m hoping it will allow me to collect water off it as well, but more of that later.
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The polytunnel’s looking good, you definitely earned that beer! I’ve never heard of encliandra type fuchsias before so I’ll definitely be researching those, your ‘Marlies de Keijzer’ looks lovely.
My six this week is here: https://mysanctuarygarden.wordpress.com/2024/08/31/six-on-saturday-31-08-24/
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The encliandra section Fuchsias all have tiny flowers and leaves. F. microphylla is the most widely available and is very hardy for a Fuchsia, it will often go through an entire winter here without losing many leaves and without stopping flowering. F. x baccillaris is a hybrid between F. microphylla and F. thymifolia, another member of the section, and is pretty much identical.
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Well done on completing the polytunnel – sounded quite a job. I’ll have to make a note of the Aster. Mine has vanished this summer and I find I miss it. Six on Saturday (31 August 2024) – One Man And His Garden Trowel (wordpress.com)
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I finished the tunnel today, putting doors on and a few finishing touches. I’m feeling my age I can tell you.
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Oh, well done in getting the sheet on your new polytunnel. Long may your plants thrive in it! I rather like that little ‘Twilight’ aster. I could do with an aster like that right now, anything in fact to brighten up my soaking wet garden. I’ll be visiting a garden centre on Monday – there’s a thought! Here’s my effort for this week:
240% – Notes From My Garden
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Your link went to my post; I’ve changed it.
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Ooops…I have no excuses! I’m glad you spotted it – thanks! 😁
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What a fine polytunnel, the beer was well deserved, I hope you assistant was similarly rewarded. I’ve seen the pink amistad and been tempted, I’m not sure I will bother now. My colocasia is in a pot and dreadful, not wet enough I suspect although it does get extra watering and we are in South Wales! My cleome is only just flowering, glad to see yours hasn’t let me down. Good luck with your fuchsia, it is a little darling. Here are mine, have a good week https://offtheedgegardening.com/2024/08/31/six-on-saturday-antipodes/
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