And then it was September. Where did August go, surely it had only just arrived. Not a lot of gardening has been done because not a lot has been possible. Summer is gone, there has been plentiful rain, my water storage is full and parts of the garden are slowly mouldering back into the ground. The gardener knows a losing battle when he sees one and is not trying to fight it. I took some pictures earlier and I’m hoping I can salvage half a dozen snippets from among them for this week’s six on Saturday. If you’re sitting on the sidelines and like a challenge, now is a great time of year to join in the Six on Saturday meme, it gets pretty tricky to come up with six garden happenings in the depths of winter and brings contributors imagination and creativity to the fore. The participants guide tells you all about how to do it when the living is easy, not so much for the rest of the year.
One.
On Wednesday the Cornwall Hardy Plant Society resumed its lecture program, having had a summer of garden visits instead. A regular feature is the three stems competition, where members bring along three stems of things from their garden and have them judged by the evening’s speaker. There are two members who very often get first and second but not this month. They had to settle for second and third. My vase of Indigofera pendula, Eucomis ‘Pink Gin’ and Fuchsia regia serrae clinched the big prize. The speaker: Anne Swithinbank.
Two.
While I had my black background set up and the camera on its tripod I thought I’d take a picture of Begonia carolineifolia as it is probably due to be replaced with a more easily accommodated younger version, now that I’ve cracked propagating it. It didn’t work so well as the three stems. The background is 34 inches high.
Three.
In my allotment tunnel I have a few odds and ends besides tomatoes and salad leaves, among them eight or nine Camellias of various sorts, theoretically destined for the Mt Edgcumbe National collection when they’re big enough. A few of these are seedlings from obscure varieties that have likely not been used as parents elsewhere and have the potential to produce something new and interesting. Two have flower buds for the first time; one from ‘Peter Betteley’, sown 27/9/2018, a month short of seven years ago; the other from ‘Laura Schafer’, sown 17/10/2019, nearly six years ago. If, as is likely, they turn out to be nothing special, I shall shred them, which seems harsh but there are far too many mediocre varieties out there already. The reason I was looking at the plants closely was that I’d taken my eye off the ball and allowed scale insect to run rampant. The worst of them looked like this, but it’s all superficial and cleans off with a damp rag and a bit of time.
Four.
The sun is getting lower in the sky, which usually makes for better photo opportunities and with many plants well past their generally recognised best it can create chances to get a less obvious image. Hydrangea macrophylla ‘You and Me Together’ is a double flowered modern hybrid that holds its flowers very well and is perfectly placed to be well lit between 9 and 10 in the morning at this time of year.
Five.
I dug out Molinia caerulea ‘Transparent’ a couple of seasons back because it was wide spreading and blocked the adjacent paths. I repalced it in a different place in the same bed with Molinia caerulea ‘Karl Foerster’, which is wide spreading and blocks the adjacent path. It’s lovely though, but then so was ‘Transparent’. I hadn’t noticed the red hanging leaves on the Miscanthus behind until I uploaded the photo.
Six.
There are so many lovely plants in our garden that have been given to us by other gardeners, not least among them several from the Six on Saturday fraternity. The latest addition, much admired in a nearby friend’s garden for several years, is Clematis ‘My Angel’. I couldn’t be happier, I just need to find somewhere to plant it.
That’s yer lot again. Until next Saturday, happy gardening.
garden ruminations 
Congratulations on the win! No SoS from me this week as we were supposed to be away, but in fact had to cut the holiday short, but I was so tired from the drive ( 8 hours) I only went into the garden to dead head the cosmos! I bought a couple of new grasses home with me and I have you to thank for my ordering that clematis! I am hoping it will do well in the place where I removed the oriental bittersweet vine. Fingers crossed!
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I really like the form of that Karl Foerster grass. I’ve been on the hunt for a native U. S. grass to add to my native border and looking at several options.
And it’s getting down to the wire, but it’s still Saturday here, so here’s my six: https://minhus.blogspot.com/2025/09/six-on-saturday-early-september.html
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Hydrangeas are such beautiful shrubs and ‘You and Me Together’ is certainly one of them.
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Congrats on clinching the three stems prize! That Indigofera pendula is a lovely thing.
Yes, August disappeared almost before I realised it had arrived, but we have been so dry here near Cambridge … until last Friday at least.
Here are my six: https://wp.me/pM8Y1-9wl
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Wow, that Hydrangea is a stunner with all of its color range! I don’t think I’ve seen that one before, or at least not with the bright pinks all the way into the medium blues. Lovely. Clematis ‘My Angel’ is really nifty, too. Sounds like a fun competition with the hardy plant society. Your choices are nicely balanced. How do they pick winners: based on creativity, or unique plants, or simply overall effect? It would be fun to see everyone’s selections. 🙂
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It is left to the speaker on the night to pick their top three, on any basis that they choose. The entries are usually so diverse that they are really not comparing like with like, so there’s a large element of subjectivity. I think everyone accepts that and doesn’t take it too seriously. As much as it being a competition, it’s an opportunity for everyone to show off what is looking really good in their garden at the time. It’s also used as an opportunity to get unknown plants identified; there’s usually someone who will know what something is.
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That sounds reasonable, and very fun!
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You received the big prize! Congratulations! That is marvelous!
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Your three sprays are lovely, Jim. A deserving win. Also love that shot of the web between the hydrangeas. Autumnal magic.
https://tishfarrell.com/2025/09/06/late-bloomers-six-on-saturday/
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Nice! Fantastic Begonia again! I am propagating some B.odorata for winter. I am always happy when August is over. Thank you for hosting. https://theshrubqueen.com/2025/09/06/six-on-saturday-return-to-6/
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Good speaker at your meeting, and she was spot on in choosing yours. Well done Jim. Nice clematis with the yellow inside and the russet on the outside. Here is my contribution. https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2025/09/from-garden-six-on-saturday-6-september.html
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Congratulations on your three stems, Ann knows a good flower when she sees it! Really like your clematis.
My six are here…………………..https://www.leadupthegardenpath.com
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Congrats on the Three Stems win! I bet it was the Fuchsia that clinched it…I also love the Clematis; it looks so refined and delicate when compared to most other Clematis, with perfect colour for this time of year.
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The 3 stems win is a real triumph, congratulations! And judged by Anne Swithinbank, no less! I really like the picture of the begonia, too, although the clematis is stunning, I can see why you’re so pleased with it.
My six this week is here: https://mysanctuarygarden.wordpress.com/2025/09/06/six-on-saturday-06-09-2025/
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There’s always a good turnout for the HPS meetings and a good entry for the competition, so a win does make you feel good. It was the Indigofera wot won it, she fell for it at first sight.
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Congratulations on your three stems win! The begonia is beautiful, just a pity the background wasn’t large enough to take in the full plant as it has a lovely shape. I like the way your background is supported on the wooden stand – does it have a strut support at the back? I usually gather up books to place at the back of mine, but it’s fiddly and not reliable. The hydrangea has an impressive range of flower colours.
Here’s mine for this week:
https://notesfrommygarden.co.uk/2025/09/06/september-the-ninth-month/
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My black background is an 86 x 90 cm sheet of plywood with the middle cut out and a black cotton sheet stretched over it. I had it leaning against a table and shoved a bit of 2 x 3 under it to lift it a bit. I need to make a new and bigger one, this one’s faded to dark grey.
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stopping by early today as it’s another busy family day. I’ll be back scrounging round for six for next week though. The three stems look fabulous against the black background. Congratulations on changing the norm!
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Well done coming first in the three stems competition. That newly acquired Clematis is a beauty. https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2025/09/06/six-on-saturday-6-september-2025/
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So much of winning things like the three stems is correctly anticipating the tastes of the person judging and while I might be quite good at growing plants, I’m a terrible judge of peoples tastes.
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Here are my Six:
https://tonytomeo.com/2025/09/06/six-on-saturday-impressive-roses/
Indigofera is pretty. We grew it on the farm, but like a few of our commodities, we sold them before they were mature and blooming. I did not see much of it consequently. Unfortunately, it was discontinued because, again like a few of our commodities, not many people here know what it is or buy it. That begonia looks like Virginia creeper.
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I think the Indigofera is only marginally hardy here, which would explain why so few people grow it but it’s such a good plant, flowers for months and easily restricted in size. It’s a good thing Virginia creeper doesn’t have stems as thick as the begonia, it would collapse whole buildings.
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Virginia creeper is rare in home gardens here, although it and Boston ivy are somewhat common on freeway sound-walls. They discourage graffiti and muffle traffic noise, . . . and the freeway sound-walls can support their weight.
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Great idea to add the background photo of the begonia on a black background 😅. And congratulations on the vase prize. Lovely Clematis ‘My Angel’. I’m sure you’ll quickly find a nice spot.
My six: https://fredgardenerblog2.wordpress.com/2025/09/06/six-on-saturday-06-09-25/
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That is a very pretty Clematis, I don’t think I’ve seen that one before.
Here’s my six
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