Pinch pinch it’s the start of the month. September already! How did that happen! After a fairly wet August compared to the rest of the summer the garden has taken on a vibrant feel. A couple of perennials I bought for no reason apart from to feed my addiction. Are starting to flower and some talk Sedums (Hypotelphiums) are starting to flower although a couple of them are taking a long time to open.

I have not spent a lot of time in the garden this week because of distance travelled for work. I did mange a couple of hours in the garden on Thursday just doing some tidying up and this weekend I will be gardening in the morning and attending the local food and beer festival in the afternoon to sample some local wares.

Here is my SOS.

1. Giant Knapweed (Centaurea Macrocephala)

I saw this when I was at Kalizie Gardens in July and it was pretty rampant. I thought what a weird plant and I must get it for the garden next year. It turns I already had it!. I bought it a t Morrison’s for £1.50 I believe and it has been lurking at the back of the border. It is health though and I will move it somewhere more prominent next year. The flower reminds me of a 80’s or 90’s haircut, died blonde with shaved sides. Has anyone else got this plant? Does it take over the garden?

2. Verbena Bonariensis

The star of the garden this year. This plant has just produced flower head after flowerhead. The large white butterflies love it and so do the bees. Another bargain plant from Morrison’s it has been a dazzled. I might move it further to the back of the border next year. I understand that they can pre pretty prolific self seeders so will have to be on the lookout next year. The stems are pretty different as the are squarish and you don’t see many square stems.

3. Gaillardia African Sunse

not 100% sure of the species but I think it is Summer Fire. Really bright Vibrant colours for this time of the year. A new plant this year it is as the say north of the border “a Bonny wee thing”.

4. New midsize shrubs

I bought 4 new shrubs from Dobbies this week. They are selling them 2 for £8. I have bought Caenthus Blue Mound, Christa Ternata, a Santolina (cotton lavender) and Weigla Kosteriana Variegata. I have bought these plants to add a bit of structure and prescience to the border, to feed them pollinators and hopefully they should be a little more resistant to the dreaded earwig. Also they will be pretty easy to look after compared to some plants.

5. Sempervivum Blue Boy

After the rain over the last couple of weeks my Semps have taken on a new lease of life. Some of them are even starting to produce a few more flowers and chicks. This one is a particular favourite of mine. Sempervivum Blue Boy. It performs tight clusters with a grey Blu-ray shine and red tips. I am growing a few chicks on this year and have bought some old small pottery bowls from a reclamation yard and will plant these up next spring purely as an experiment. In the distant future I want to leave work and work for myself. I have a few ideas and Semp Bowls is one of them but it is no use running into this full on as it could be my livelihood one day and I have got to get it right.

6. Rose Tottering by Nicely

I bought this David Austen Rose in the summer. I haven’t got very many roses and indeed I do not want to swamp the garden with them. However this on caught my eye. It is a good grower and the pollinators seem to love it. Can’t wait till next summer to see how it performs.

That is my SOS. It was a bit of a struggle this week as my camera on my work phone is broken and the one on my personal phone is not the best.

I am off to spend a few hours in the garden then spend the afternoon sampling a few beers.
As always to find out how six on Saturday works please follow the following link The Propagator. The don of six in Saturday

Enjoy your weekend!