Hello and welcome to this weeks six on Saturday.
Something strange happened on the garden this week. We actually had some rain. On both occasions it just lasted 15 mins but I can confirm actual precipitation fell from the sky. The garden did look sparkly after the rain and was very much welcome. The rest of the week has again been sunny.
It was good to see Boris back at work – even though I would not vote for him – but after his press conference on Thursday it looks like J will be off for at least another 4 to 5 weeks and quite possibly double that so that means even more time in the garden. One project I have got on the back burner is I am going to buy 2 large terracotta pots for a tenner from Morrison’s and plant 2 new Acers in them but I am in a bit of a quandary do I buy the Acers now during a dry spell or do I wait until the Autumn and buy them then. I think the sensible thing would be to buy and plant them in the Autumn.
Here is my six.
1. First rule of Tulip club….label them.
As regular readers of the blog will know I have got myself in a bit of a muddle with my Tulips this year. I have been waiting all spring for my T. Groenland to open and I though they had opened last week but it turned out they were T. Angelique. I am pleased to say that the Groenland have now opens and they look great. The flower is different looking from what a I am used to with Tulips. The pink petals with green streaks look great and surprising make a great combination. I have now written labels and will not let it leave the side of the bulbs when I put them in storage. The Angelique tulips are still going strong and look fantastic. It seems to have been a good year for Tulips.
2. Tulip Salmon Dynasty
I have never grown frilly tulips and I am now asking myself why? These tulips look like they haven’t been grown but just painted. They are exquisite and one of the most stunning Tulips I have grown. I am growing another variety of frilly Tulips called Carnival de Nice which I will feature next week.
3. Heuchera Melting Fire
I seem to have unconsciously got a Heuchera bed at the back of the garden. I have now moved all my Heucheras to the North facing bed at the back of the garden. All of them are catching they eye but this one was growing in my dry border last year and it struggled. I moved this to the North facing border 3 weeks ago and it is now looking fantastic. I cut all my Heuchera’s back to the ground last Autumn as most were suffering from rust. I was apprehensive if I had did the right thing and I was delighted to see all Heucheras growing with gusto this week.
4. Saxifraga Silver Cushioning
This encrusted Saxifraga is really putting on a show this year. The flowers start of pink and after a while fade to white which gives you the impression it produces 2 totally coloured flowers at the same time. This is planted in one of the smallish concrete troughs and if in full sun.
5.Sempervivum EJafjalla
Especially for Granny this Sempervivum is one of my most interesting ones I have got a at the moment. Named after the Icelandic Volcano that erupted in 2011 this variety comes from breeder Erwin Geiger from Germany. The rosette is big and robust and as you can see has several shades of purple on the leaves with an olive green end on the tips. I have ordered more Semps from a breeder in Germany as a special treat but I have not received them yet and they have been with DHL for over 3 weeks. The breeder is chasing this up with DHL as we speak but if I don’t get a resolution soon I will have to ask PayPal to intervene.
6. Sedum Sieboldii Mediovariegatum
I have bought this place last year and planted it in a plant pot. In forth self due to rev wet weather we had last summer the plant was decimated by slugs and snails. As a rule sedums don’t get eaten by slugs and snails because of their thick and robust leaves. But this is not classified as a sedum any more this is a Hylotelphium and the leaves for this species are more delicate. In my eyes however it is still a Sedum and always will be. If you think about it in the wild Sedums (Stonecrop) do not grow in wet conditions. They grow in areas with poor gritty soil for example hillsides and walls and usually have small route systems. The plants are always being dried out by wind and sun. I have moved the pot onto a table. It will continue to grow chains of these subtle green and clean leaves. Around October it will produce cluster of pink flowers that are star shaped.
That is my six.
My main task in the garden this week is to enter it into the BBC one show me RHS Chelsea gardening competition. Here’s hoping the judges actually read my entry.
If you want to write a SOS blog it is not that difficult. As always to find out how six on Saturday works please follow the following link The Propagator. The don of Six on Saturday
Until next week goodbye.
Sedums, Dahlias and Hayfever 
I was holding my breath until I reached your Number 5. You couldn’t have 2 weeks with hardly any serums! Thank you. That “painted” tulip is stunning. Lovely Six-on-Saturday again.
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Sorry, SEDUMS.
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I wasnāt going to let you down two weeks in a row granny.
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Fortunately, the full name of the volcano was not given to this sempervivum!
Otherwise happy to see the ‘Groenland’ tulip now and this tulip ‘Salmon Dynasty’ is very interesting! I love it a lot
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Glad you have got your tulips sorted now, I ran into problems this year because I used wooden labels and they all rotted below ground so when you pull them out they just say Tulip on them. That’s my excuse anyway! Love the crazy tulip and the fiery sempervivum. š
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Yes I have stopped using wooden labels for exact the same reason..
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LOVE those tulips — thanks to all these Sixes I’m slowly becoming a convert to weird looking tulips. Never thought much of them before. Your two here are fabulous!
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Thanks Chris. Welcome abroad.
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I go back and forth with whether I think the frilly tulips are beautiful or a mess. Yours is looking good currently.
I’m interested to see how the Chelsea competition plays out whether normal sized gardens get a look in or whether they’ll all be people with acres and acres.
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Ha after a bit of wind this morning a few look a mess!
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They’ll aways be sedums to me too! That Salmon Dynasty tulip is beautiful and I really like that Saxifraga. I bought another pot from Morrisons today!
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I might go up about 6 and buy a couple…..oh scrap that I have had couple of beers.
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Wow I love that saxifraga! Glad we got some rain at last although not that much for you by the sound of it.
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Snap – I have the tulip Groenland/Greenland in my Six this week. First time I’ve grown it and it’s quite unusual with its green flash. I love Carnival de Nice too.
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Love the frilly tulip!
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Itās great isnāt it. Since itās opened itās more of a parrot tulip instead of a frilly tulip. According to the description on the webpage it is supposed to be a triumph!
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It seems to me that Morrisons is THE place to go for plants and garden stuff, maybe I should pop into mine! I’m not a huge fan of the frilly or parrot tulips. I like the cup shaped Triumphs and the lily-flowered ones best, simple and elegant.
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I still havenāt made my mind up about frilly tulips. The leaves are big and go everywhere. Iāll get back to you.
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Update I am thinking it is more like a parrot Tulip. On the website it says it is supposed to be a triumph tulip!
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I’ve always dismissed tulips as boring… bu the more I study the tulip photographs on gardening blogs the more I realise how beautiful they can be. I was obviously growing the wrong type of tulips.
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I know what you mean about Tulips. Before I started growing them all I can remember about them is the same colour ones my granny used to grow in the 70ās and 80ās. Turns out there are loads of new Cultivars that have been released. So much so I really want to go to Holland one day to see the bulb fields. I have changed whereās my clogs.
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Today, I will be working with a few seedlings that were grown in pots with labels. However, crows took all the labels! Fortunately, most of the seedlings are distinctive, as they are different species, rather than just different varieties of the same thing.
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Autumn is probably the most sensible plan for the acers – but if you’re as impatient as me you’ll probably just go for them now, it’s still quite early! Tulips are gorgeous and so is the sempervivum..
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Yes, why haven’t you grown frilly tulips before? Are these the same as parrot tulips? I didn’t realise there were various types of tulips until SoS, so now I’m amazed. Love your sempervivum. Really lovely, the various tones. My saxifraga must be the same as yours, starting off pink & fading to white, but this year, it’s been mostly white. I’ve had the same plants for years, so perhaps they’re old & grey.
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Yes I believe they are parrot tulips. The Sempervivum is great.
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this is year is the first time i’ve had frilly tulips, having been a bit sniffy about them in the past. i can say i won’t be getting them again! they just look scruffy to me, like they just got out of bed. i have been making substantial labels out of big bits of wood. they will eventually rot but they seem to last a good few years.
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The frilly tulip is an amazing colour! I really like the sempervivum. Itās colour is wow. For the first time my favourite online nursery is offering Sempervivums…..guess I will be shopping!
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