Two Friday the thirteenths in succession. Good thing I’m not superstitious. The gardening season continues to pick up slowly and in the case of this week it perhaps went back a bit. I’m up at Rosemoor tomorrow (Saturday) for their Spring Flower Showcase, including the RHS Early Camellia Competition. We’ve had a couple of days of windy weather with a few hail showers thrown in, challenging stuff for competitors trying to produce perfect blooms for showtime. It will be stunning, it always is.
My immediate challenge is to come up with six things for six on Saturday and I have to admit it was harder this week than last. More things have gone over than have stepped up to replace them. You are as ever, invited to join us in laying out a weekend snapshot of your garden. Years ago, the creator of this meme, not me, wrote a participants guide, which I modified slightly; and it’s here.
OK, onwards.
One.
A week ago I put up a short run of willow panels up which I intend to grow a clematis which has for years sprawled over Magnolia ‘Anne’ but can no longer, she having been cut off at about knee height. While its construction was not a feature of this Saturday, the fact it is still standing certainly is. The clematis is at the right hand end. At the opposite end I have planted Bomarea caldasii, which I’m hoping can be protected from the ravages of slugs. I bought three pots of sweet peas to fill in between and provide flower in the earlier half of the summer.
Two.
Camellia reticulata ‘Mystique’ is tucked in between a glasshouse and the neighbour’s fence so the best angle to see it from is an upstairs window. Last year when it had finished flowering I thinned it out by a considerable amount but the flower display is not much diminished. I seem to recall that it was looking pretty similar when the BBC came to film Camellias in my garden last year, and if you are in the UK you will be able to see it next Friday on Gardener’s World.
Three.
It’s the time of year when Skimmia japonica ‘Bowles Dwarf Female’ is flowering, with most of last season’s berries still in good condition on the bush. Not just two strings to its bow, but at the same time. In 2020 many of the persistent fruits sprouted viviparous seedlings, some of which I potted up. One of those seedlings is now flowering and is also female, so hopefully I will have another of this top performer on the other side of the garden.
Four.
In theory, Epimedium perraldianum colchicum would get its attractive glossy evergreen foliage chopped off just before the emerging flower spikes get in the way. As usual, that didn’t happen, so the bright yellow flowers are either nicely displayed against a background of dark green foliage or, in most cases, hidden beneath it. Ho hum.
Five.
Acer ‘Orange Dream’ is breaking bud, an event that somehow seems more significant than the Weigela that did so a couple of weeks back or the hydrangeas that hardly seem to rest at all. I’d be very grateful for the absence of a cold northerly for the next few weeks, just to give the delicate new leaves a chance to firm up a little. Fat chance.
Six.
It’s quite a few years since I was first given some small corms of Cyclamen repandum and they have been very slow to flower freely enough to make much of an impact. They have seeded about remarkably freely from the relatively small number of flowers they have produced, so it may attain nuisance proportions given enough time. The concept of exponential growth would no doubt apply. Bring it on I say, that’s a nuisance I can live with.
That’s it for another week. I’d better nip out and check for slugs around my Bomarea. The life of a killer.
garden ruminations 
Beautiful as always! I took the week off from Six because A, I have nothing new to show and B. I was finishing my final course – School is out and I will graduate from my Master’s program in May. A six year endeavor because I am too cheap to pay for any of it myself and my employer will pay for 2 classes per year (I think that may change, given that funding is linked to government, say no more. It was fun, but I am glad to have time back, just in time for spring gardening season. Of course, we are having a thunderstorm right now that is meant to morph into maybe 10″ of snow. I took Monday off, mostly because I really need to do a thorough spring cleaning, but there may be serious shoveling too.
The Skimma attracts with the frothy flowers and bright red berries! Of course I love the cyclamen as well. Only color here is green of evergreens, daffodils and tulips. Everything else knows it is not yet time here.
Hope that the coming week is a good one!
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I do love the clematis, Jim I am hoping mine will survive in a large pot.
I am surprised the birds have not eaten the berries on the Skimmia japonica
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Another really interesting post, Jim, thank you. Bizarrely, I found myself a little disappointed to find GW was starting last night, as I have enjoyed having a television-free Friday evening for the last few months! Your willow panel structure looks very fetching and will be even more so when clothed with clematis, sweet peas etc. Is it a zig zag formation? I wasn’t sure from the picture. Thanks for hosting https://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/2026/03/14/six-on-saturday-the-inevitable-oohs-and-aahs/
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I have a six to share this week https://lifeonalondonplot.com/2026/03/14/six-on-saturday-14-03-2026/ I’m in awe of the amount of colour in your garden Jim. The shot of the acer leaves just unfurling is stunning. How many plants are coming back with you from RHS Rosemoor?
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A fabulous camellia and I love the effect of berries and flowers on your skimmia. Epimediums already? No sign of mine yet. I didn’t realise that GW is still going on but I will make a point of looking out for it next week.
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I’ll be sure to watch out for you on Gardeners World next week Jim. ‘Mystique’ is certainly a fabulous camelia and looking at its very best.
https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2026/03/six-on-saturday-14-march.html
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GW eh? I didn’t know I knew a TV star. That is a lovely epimedium, I managed to cut my leaves off this week though some new leaves and flowers were already appearing. And why don’t the birds eat the berries on the skimmia? My two females also have berries and flowers.
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Oh wow, that Skimmia looks photoshopped with both berries and flowers at the same time. Love that so much. My not so colorful but at least alive (heh) garden below…
https://littleblueandwhitehouse.com/2026/03/14/six-on-saturday-14th-march-2026/
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The Acer is coming along beautifully and is a week or more ahead of ours, Jim. I hope ours wait a few more days at least to break bud, although they do seem very cold tolerant early in the season. I hope yours remain protected from March’s weather. Your Cyclamen are particularly lovely. You’ve done well to get them to increase so quickly. Congratulations on your Camellia spot on Gardener’s World. I wish we could watch it here in the US. It is certainly exciting once the shows and gardening activities start up once again. Thank you again for hosting the Six each week.
Here are my six for the week, after a bit of snow: https://woodlandgnome.com/2026/03/14/six-on-saturday-resilience/
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I love epimediums and your camellia is stunning. Hope you are having a good time at Rose moor, what a fabulous day for it. I’m on my travels too! http://offtheedgegardening.com/2026/03/14/six-on-saturday-on-tour-the-wrong-day/
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Cyclamen repandum looks particularly cheery! Good luck getting nuisance proportions on this one. The best I have this week is some spring wildflowers.
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How exciting about Gardener’s World! We have gotten into the habit of watching it lately, so will definitely tune in. The cyclamen is very pretty!
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I like your trellis. It should produce a fine display area. Congratulations on the cyclamen and the camellia.https://cornergardenvestavia.blog/2026/03/13/petals-at-the-corner/
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I wish my Cyclamen repandum would seed about like yours, mine isn’t even flowering yet! Love the photo of your Camellia, looking forward to seeing it next week on Gardeners World.
My six are here…….https://www.leadupthegardenpath.com
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I would say you have quite a bit of excitement going on over there. That Skimmia is delightful, with the berries and the blooms on full display. Eventually, we’ll probably be able to see your Gardener’s World episode over here–I’ll have to check out the schedule. I’d love to see the Camellias featured from your garden. Thanks, again, for hosting!
https://plantpostings.blogspot.com/2026/03/sprouts-and-blooms-in-sunroom.html
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I’m not looking forward to the GW piece much, I’d far rather stay behind the camera but TV people are so fixated on “personalities”. It’s the plants I want to see.
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GW is in the diary. Looking forward to that one. I would love to have the nuisance of cyclamen repandum, they look wonderful. The skimmia is amazing and I shall be on the look out for my epimedium flowers in the next week or two. Lots of lovely things emerging now. Here’s my link https://n20gardener.com/2026/03/14/six-on-saturday-delightful-daffodils/ the miniature daffs star this week with some supporting cast members.
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Lovely cyclamen, and exciting to hear about Gardener’s World. I haven’t watched it since I lived at home with my parents – maybe it’s time to embrace another aspect of fully transforming into my father!
My garden too is very quiet this week. My acer is just behind yours, so hopefully will be picture worthy next week. https://potsandplots.blog/2026/03/14/sixonsaturday-14-3-2026/
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Don’t tell anyone but I haven’t watched GW since MD took over presenting it. When I lived at home with my parents would take me back to Percy Thrower I should think but the turning into my father is uncomfortably familiar.
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Love your camelia and look forward to saying ‘as seen on TV’ from next week. How exciting – must have been much fun keeping that quiet 🙂
Garden highlights from Frome this week include spring flowers from the cutting bed, spring bulb ‘lasagne’ planters and a round tuit, a birthday selfie with a posy from the cutting bed, frosted foliage, wild garlic and hellebore under the twisted hazel in the horsey border.
https://doingtheplan.com/2026/03/14/birthday-blooms-frost-tulips-lupins-and-more-light-six-on-sat/
Jen x
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No request to keep quiet was issued but it was made clear that it might never see the light of day, in which case my trumpet fanfare would have been rather embarrassing.
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I like the new screen for the Clematis. The Skimmia is a beauty with her flowers and berries.
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Pressed return too soon! https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2026/03/14/six-on-saturday-14-march-2026/
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I saw the same Skimmia at Rosemoor today, quite a bit bigger than mine but in relatively poor condition. I’ll take that!
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I’m going to check my epimedium flowers because it’s true that the foliage is mostly covering them. Gorgeous camellia!
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I also missed cutting back leaves on two big patches of E sulphureum. I wonder if I can cut them back after the flowers are done and will they leaf out again if I do it that late? I think so because I potted some for my plant sale last April and cut them back when they looked really tatty.
I have to go out for awhile today so will read all the sixes when I get home again! Only have time for a few before departing.
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Skimmia japonica is popular with those who grow rhododendrons. We never grew it in production, though. The only male on the farm passed away, leaving a single female. I suppose I should replace it.
I dig your Cyclamen repandum.
Here are my six.
https://tonytomeo.com/2026/03/14/six-on-saturday-more/
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The female presumably doesn’t fruit much, if at all. I don’t regard mine as an especially classy plant but there’s no denying the value for money it provides.
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