Hello and welcome to this weeks Six on Saturday.
I start his weeks blog with good news and bad news. We had some actual proper rain during Thursday night/Friday morning for the first time since what must be beginning of March as an Atlantic front crossed the country. The bad news that when an Atlantic front does move across the country it usually brings gales. As I write this blog on Friday I am looking out my window and can see that every plant is getting a right Spring battering. I have had a couple of walks around the garden and thankfully no plants have been damaged as most are supple with new growth.
As I mentioned last week I was going to sit back and enjoy the garden for a few days this week which I have done and it was nice just to sit back and take the peace and tranquillity of the garden and wildlife especially the fledgling birds of which there are many.
Here is my six.
1. Veronica\Speedwell
Can you spot the rogue Sempervivum? If you look closely there is a Sempervivum hiding in what you could call a horticultural Where’s Wally. This is planted in one of the dry borders beside a Sempervivum Tectorum and as you can see they make a good match. I don’t know what variety is but it is a small compact plant with beatific lilac and white flowers.
2. Intact Hostas
I have managed to grow Hostas that are still intact!!!! I have had this Hosta in the garden for years and every year it has acted as an all you can eat buffet for the Slugs and Snails but end of last year I planted them on a couple of pots and grew them on on top of an empty cold frame in a dry corner of the garden then I have moved them to an even more drier part of the garden. They are on full sun but seem to be doing well. As we have had some rain I might check these tonight for any invaders.
3. Clematis Pink Champagne
This is my new Clematis for this year. The flowers are large and vibrant. I hadn’t realised until I have studied the photo how many colours of pink it had and how prominent the definition of the veins were. In fact I am going to go out at this very minute and have a look at it again…..I am back….blimey they look good.
4. Solomon’s Seal
I forgot I had planted this! As always I sometimes get very forgetful at what I plant. This popped out of no where in between my Brunerra Jack Frost and Actae Simplex. It is getting a little bit congested in this area so this will be top of my list to thin out in Autumn. I have removed a Pyracantha from this north facing border this week because it was in totally the wrong place and that has gone to the great waste disposal centre in the sky so I have now got some space.
5. Chelsea Chop
I spent a great couple of hours chopping the top off some of my Sedums on Tuesday morning and potting them on. Above are cuttings from Frosty Morning, Marina, Red Cauliflower and Karfunklestein. Some people call these Hylotelphium but I think you will find these people are wrong.
6. Alium Mount Everest
These are one of my first Aliums to open. I grew these last year and for some reason they seem to be taller this year. The white flowers make a nice change from the more common purple flowers. Hopefully these should start to attract pollinators soon. I have a couple of new varieties that should open soon and one of the Alium Ostara looks like they are going to be spectacular. More to follow.
That is it for this week. Oh wait I haven’t really included any pictures of Sedums for Granny so as a special one off her is a photo Sedum Cuspadiatum. A fleshy leaf Sedum from Mexico. I am sure you will enjoy the sherbet yellow colour flowers.
That’s it definitely for this week. I am off to empty some of the tulips from their pots and label them up.
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 
You’re quite right, they will always be sedums! That Veronica is very pretty. It took me a while to spot Wally! Well done on your pristine Hostas.
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Thanks as I have just said to Fred the Hostas are getting a bit of a bashing from the wind.
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A happy Granny here! Thank you. Lovely colours and textures this week…..and that’s just the sedum! 😉You are right, the more you study a flower, the more variations you notice in the colours and shapes of the petals. Interesting Six-on-Saturday.
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Thanks granny. I didn’t want to let you down 2 weeks in a row so have you a bit of a bonus. Don’t tell the prop!
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Hostas intact : not a slug hole! Well done ! ( like one on mine 😄😉 )
Gorgeous veronica flowers. I don’t have them
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They were intact but are actually getting slightly damaged by the wind.
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ouch … gusts that you mentioned …hope all will be well
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Glad you managed a little relaxation this week. Love the veronica, and no I didn’t spot Willy until you pointed it out! Hostas looking great, long may they last. Have a good week. 🙂
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Thanks I will. I must admit I do like the Veronica. Small bit packs a punch.
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Your Solomons Seal is HUGE! Great post as always!
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Thanks I hadn’t realised.
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Veronica is beautiful! I have one which is more of a creeping plant with dark blue flowers, but although it is supposed to like shade it is not flowering very well. Sigh… I really wish plants would behave like they are supposed to do!
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I hadn’t heard of Mount Everest allium before. You’re right, more than purple are needed! I have bulbs ordered for fall delivery that include pink and yellow.
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Your plants are looking good despite the right spring battering! I had to look quite closely for the semperviven to show itself. I have alliums that are a similar colour to yours, and perhaps you’ve identified them for me as they were given to me and I have no idea what they are.
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I did like your Where’s Wally reference to the Sempervivum! The Hosta is looking lovely – well done on keeping the S&S at bay! The Clematis is really beautiful.
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S&S kept at bay so far but unfortunately the wind has given them a bit of a bartering.
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What a pity about the wind.
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Untouched hostas? I wonder? Last year, mine got shredded from the word go. I got so fed up that I dug them all up. Then relented and have planted four or five new ones this year. All young and small and delicate and attractive to those little things with around 20,000 teeth each. They’ve been accompanied by a small dose of organic slug pellets and watered with a solution made from garlic (you’ll find plenty of “recipes” online). I haven’t bothered with nematodes this year. So far, so good.
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Good to see you back. The Hostas aren’t untouched anymore they got a bit battered by the wind and has a few holes. I am planning on getting more Hostas next year and putting in pots and will use the Garlic solution.
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Veronica applies to a few different unrelated plans with those distinctive conical Inflorescences. It is even applied to hebes. It is not easy to keep them all straight.
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Yes we do get other types across her although I am not sure we include Hebes across here. This one is a small form one so flower stalks don’t really get bent.
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It’s interesting what you say about the sedum name, I think they’re sedums, but there are sites saying they’ve had a name change to hylotelphium – no idea what that is all about. Good luck with all those cuttings – new plants for free! The clematis is gorgeous and I’m amazed at your unmolested hostas!
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The cuttings seem to doing well. The Hostas aren’t unmolested anymore they have been batters a bit by the wind.
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Such a beautiful Clematis. One advantage of the overall lack of rain is (relatively) untouched Hostas. Hope your garden still standing after the very windy weekend
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Hostas doing well this year. The initial cold given them a chance to establish. Lovely clematis. Our gales have died down now. Hope it’s calmer where you are.
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Yes much calmer thank you. Your right about the cold period. Kept the slugs and snails in check
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Returning with avengeance now, but at least gave a number of plants a chance to get going.
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