Storm Austen is very slowly blowing itself out. It dropped 40mm of rain and blew gusts of around 60mph which have had me pretty worried for our one big tree. It’s all looking very windswept but essentially intact out there. Not that I’ve been out there much, it’s 11°C and feels like much less. It looks like tomorrow will deliver even more rain and wind so maybe the water levels in the local reservoirs will start to go up sometime soon. Our nearest big one is at 31.6%, lower than last year but considerably higher than 2022. My planned water works are on hold as the tank supplier is fielding record orders, hardly a surprise.
Enough of the good news, Six on Saturday beckons and I’ve pulled together another mixed bag of goodies. Join us if you’re able, it’s very simple. Just post a picture or two of six things happening in or related to your garden this Saturday and put a link to your post in my comments below. Right, let’s get cracking.
One.
I’m not much of a shopper and as a consequence, visits to nurseries and garden centres and plant fairs and open gardens with plant sales and plant websites account for a significant share of my retail diet. This year the purchases haven’t seemed many but have slowly accumulated as growing conditions and other excuses have prevented me planting them. Look at this lot, not all of them by any means; I’m almost embarrassed.
Hedychium coccineum ‘Hungphong Stripe’
Panicum virgatum ‘Blue Fountain’
Zingiber mioga ‘White Feather’
Pseudopanax lessonii ‘Atropurpurea’
Eucomis ‘Purple Reign’
Pseudowintera colorata ‘Red Leopard’
Cordyline australis ‘Salsa’
Hosta ‘Queen Josephine’
Hosta ‘Rainbow’s End’
Fatsia polycarpa ‘Needham’s Lace’
Two.
Nor does that little lot include perhaps the greatest indulgences of all my 2026 purchases, which would have to include the three Nerines I have on order from Cotswold Garden Flowers and this Lapageria rosea, purchased from Treseder’s Nursery near here. He had a big batch of seed raised plants, all subtly different, and I was torn between going for the strongest looking plant or the flower that most pleased my eye. The latter won, probably a mistake.
Three.
Swansong time for the Dahlias and a picture taken on Wednesday in anticipation of today’s boisterous weather. Actually, they are sheltered from the worst of the wind and have held up tolerably well.
Four.
I planted a hanging basket with a few bits and bobs and hung it up to burn in the summer heat. Needing an extra plant I put one of the chlorophytums we had kicking about into the mix. There is now no sign there was ever anything else in the basket, other than its lopsidedness. Three Chlorophytums next year I’m thinking.
Five.
Camellia sasanqua is an autumn flowering Camellia species and ‘Navajo’ is a variety that Nuccio’s Nursery in Altadena, California, brought in from Japan but lost the name of. They named it ‘Navajo’ but the same variety is almost certainly being grown in Japan under its original name. My plant is in full sun at the front of the house, a position that has always served it well such that it has produced a great flower display every year for many years. It evidently got too dry this year and there are not many buds and the first flowers are smaller than usual. Oddly, the first buds to open are always the ones facing the wall of the house, that is the north facing ones. I took this one’s photo through the window and it is lit up by sunlight reflected from the glass.
Six.
In the conservatory/lean to greenhouse at the back of the house is a Nerine ‘Zeal Giant’, in flower. It’s enormous, 90cm tall with flower heads 20cm wide. Given its size I was wondering if it might be a hybrid with Amaryllis but apparently it is not. It was raised in Devon by Terry Jones using pollen from N. sarniensis ‘Hera’ on a good N. bowdenii form.
It’s looks like it’s going to rain all day on Saturday accompanied by more strong winds. Nice. I have things to do inside; I will do those things.
Wow, glorious colour for this time of year! Thanks for the list of photo 1, you know us too well. 😉
Here are my six: https://frogenddweller.wordpress.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-on-hold/
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Touché!
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I love the way you use words. “I planted a hanging basket with a few bits and bobs and hung it up to burn in the summer heat. “
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That’s a lovely camellia. And an interesting collection of new plants. Glad the dahlias survived the storm! I’ve never seen such a showy nerine, spectacular.
Here is my six. https://tanglycottage.wordpress.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-autumn-evening-light/
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I want to do my best by the Nerine, get the best out of it; which seems to mean doing almost nothing, no water from spring until autumn, little or no feeding, just enough water when in growth. Plants that ask so little of me are at risk of being forgotten entirely.
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Well, Jim, I think it is good you have a plant habit and not a kitten habit! I have confidence you will find places for all! The Lapageria is very pretty! I love the Dahlias as well – never tried them, seem sort of fussy, and as we know, I have embraced native gardening, because it anything they do too well without any help from me…is it even gardening if I do little more than take pictures? Hmmmm. Well, at least I put in some effort with the vegetables. Our current “indian summer” have me still harvesting ripe tomatoes. It is nearly November! Here are my six, all from Centennial his week.
https://wisconsingarden.wordpress.com/2026/10/24/october-24-2026-six-on-saturday/
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I still have a few tomatoes left but they all got blight in the last few weeks so I’ve removed most of them and de-leafed what’s left. Is it even gardening? is a question I’ve mused over a lot, as is the native/exotic debate. Seems to me that one of the great things about gardening is the infinite diversity of what it stands for. I don’t see doing nothing at all as gardening and I’ve little time for plant free gardens but that’s about it.
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I know that type of ‘non shopper’ I bet by that you mean clothes and also other ‘expensive landfill items’! So pleased the Nerine ‘Zeal Giant’ is out of the wind. Its a fabulous size as well as colour. I feel smug in comparison with your haul of yet to be planted plants in that this week I got all the loose still in their nursery pots plants, planted out. They are a lovely lot.
https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2026/10/six-on-saturday-24-october-2026.html
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I cant hide behind the ‘ground too dry’ excuse any longer, we’ve had 80mm in the last 48 hours. It could be a winter of more changes than for a good while though, so needs some careful and unrushed consideration. I have an attic full of ‘expensive landfill items’, unwanted but too good to throw away.
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I looked up the Pseudopanax lessonii ‘Atropurpurea’ and it’s one very desirable plant, I’m another one who has Chlorophytum in hanging baskets and also in a pot hanging down over the large water tank. I then overwinter the offsets in the glasshouse and start again the following spring. Hospital and a long recovery have curtailed my plant accumulating this year so presumably I get double allowance next year including the Pseudopanax. Just don’t tell the Non-Gardener.
https://thequiltinggardener.wordpress.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-24-10-2026/
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I like your plant buying logic, it makes perfect sense to me. For me this has been a difficult year, requiring comfort purchases, especially if there are memories attached.
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Hi Fred, your Chlorophytums look exceptionally healthy. Will they overwinter outside or will they shelter in the greenhouse?
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I’m going to pretend my name is Fred and say that I will bring them in when frost is forecast. They survive in the ground here but die down completely and come up again quite late. I want the hanging basket ones to get off to a flying start.
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Ha! that was a blond and senior moment, Jim 🙂
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Having recently experienced a similar storm, it is scary. I have 3 hanging baskets with chlorophytum. They do so well during the summer.
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It’s a bit sobering that growing conditions here are changing to the point of looking at Alabama as a guide to the way to go but Chlorophytum in a hanging basket has definitely been one of the few things to have done much better than expected this summer.
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The dahlias are blazing out. What a joy. There’s plenty to celebrate and the beginnings of the camelias are very welcome. Here’s my link https://n20gardener.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-all-change/
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I’m not much of a shopper either and this year I haven’t even indulged much in plants – my only vice. Which reminds me to go and look at my recent purchase to see if it’s still standing. The winds were unreal yesterday!
https://cornwallincolours.blog/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-green-is-a-colour/
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I thought the worst had passed early on but we were getting vicious gusts around the showers all day. I haven’t been out this morning to check for damage.
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gorgeous photos. No judgement from me on your purchases…I have a similar gathering on my deck awaiting my attention. The Dahlias look stunning all grouped together like that.
https://cathscamera.wordpress.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-24-10-26/
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https://pigletinportugal.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-taking-stock-in-the-vegetable-garden-and-scaling-down/
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That’s a very decent post for the hanging basket, Jim. I’ll be very tempted to copy you.
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I’m glad you and the garden came through Storm Austen OK. Hard to believe only a week ago I was sitting on the terrace of my hotel in Falmouth having lunch and it was almost too hot! How things have changed in a short period of time.
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The chlorophytum looks great in its hanging basket and I’d have gone for the flowering Lapageria rosea too. I now feel better about my accumulating plant purchases that are waiting to be planted! https://onemanandhisgardentrowel.wordpress.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-24-october-2026/
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I think you’ve made some great purchases! https://fredgardenerblog2.wordpress.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-24-10-26/
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I wondered how your garden was faring in Storm Austen, I’m pleased it survived without too much damage. I’m struggling to produce a six at the moment, must try harder! This week’s is here: https://mysanctuarygarden.wordpress.com/2026/10/24/six-on-saturday-24-10-26/
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Not much of a shopper? The evidence suggests otherwise. You got some good ones this week; but spider plant is a bully. Here are my six.
Six on Saturday: First Rain! Etcetera – Tony Tomeo
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