Hello and welcome to this weeks SOS.

This week has been a pretty mixd bag weather wise. Sun and wind at the start of the week and then thankfully at the end of the week the wind has dissapeared and the sun has shone warmly.

I have booked a long weekend this weekend so yesterday morning I spent re potting my stock succulents and new cuttings in a more sandy compost mix ready for winter. I have also got the cold frame out the shed and have insulated it with some polystyrhene pads that I have recycled from work and have placed some of my tender succulents in there.

Last Sunday I potted up my first tulip pots and realised I had a load of big pots left so I have bought some more Tulips to plant up a couple of more so next Spring the garden should be over flowing with Tulips. I will plant the new ones this weekend along with the 4 new varieties ao Alliums I have bought.

Here is my SOS.

1. Echerveria Duchess of Nuremberg.

A fairly hardy Echerveria this one survived tbe Beast from the East with out issue. It has only produced one offset but as you can see it is nice and compact. The plant adds to the Autumn palette of colour. The flower behind it is Sedum Warburtons Pizzaz a smaller version of some of the larger Hypotelphiums like Autumn Joy or Carl. I have noticed it starts sprouting a little bit later than normal Sedums in the eary summer but it soon catches up.

2. Heuchera Peach Flambe

Another Autumn coloured plant this one adds colour to a largely green border. I have bought 4 new Heucheras this year and I have planted them in a row in one of my front garden borders. Some Heuchera’s particulary the neo green and purple ones can be garish but others can add valuable colour to the garden especialy through winter. I have to admit however I have got a garish neo green one but that is to contrasr from a red one…honest!

3. New succelents for next year

As some of you may ha e realised I am addicted to succulents. I had said a couple of months ago that I would not buy any more succulents this year but I had a relapse and bought 8 new ones from Surreal Succulents. As always the plants are top class and very vibrant. I can’t wait till next Spring so I can put the on the patio and let them grow. Roll on March.

4. Succulent babies.

Planted tbese cuttings into a more sandy soil yesterday. It’s my first year of taking cuttings on this scale and it will be interesting to see how they turnout over the winter. If you read some of the websites they do say that the best time to take succulent cuttings in the spring. I have also got about 40 succulent leaves lying on a window sill and it will be interesting to see if any of them sprout roots. I am not holding up much hope TBH but you never know I might strike it lucky.

5 Echerveria Worfield Wonder

These 2 pictures show how growimg succulents in different types compost affects the size, shape and colour of a plant. Both plants were taken off the same parent plant. The top one is grown in an ordinairy multi purpose compost with no drainage in a plastic pot and the below one is planted in the dry trough with has equal patts compost and horticultural grit. As you can see the top one has fsr more fleshy broad leaves with a bluey grey hue. However the bottom plant is more compact and the leaves are tighter and have red and orange tips, also the plant looks a little more “crisper” but still healthy but a little stressed like me sometimes.

6. Erysimum Golden Jubilee

This alpine grows like it is on steroids. I have already cut it back 4 times this year but it just bounces back with more vigour. It produces a plethora of golden yellow flowers in late spring and looks spectacular. Definitely a star of the front garden.

Well that is my SOS for this week. I hope you have enjoyed it. I am off to enjoy what looks like another sunny day and will be plantkmg more tulips.

Enjoy your weekend.

As always to find out how six on Saturday works please follow the following link The Propagator. The don of six in Saturday.