Hi and welcome to this weeks SOS
I start this weeks blog with good news. My furlough will end on Monday at long last and I can return to work and try and get back to some sort of normality. The past 12-13 weeks have been weird and dystopian to say the least. I have enjoyed the time off immensely as on average I drive 35 – 45,000 miles a year for the last 28 years.
My garden has been a life saver and I have spent so much time in it I nearly run out of things to do in it. But as we all know gardening never ends and I still have a fairly big project if building a large new border in my front drive. This is in addition to the small one I built in the last few weeks. I am planning on starting the new border the beginning of next year once work has settled down.
Luckily this week we seem to have escaped all the heavy rain that sine of you have had. I have seen lots of posts on Twitter that people have lost lots of flowers. Out weather has been wet but without the drama.
Here is my six this week.
1. Potting Bench tidied up
One of my little jobs this week was to tidy up my 2nd potting bench. I have moved it slightly so it get a more sun. After I tidied it up I spent the afternoon propagating more succulents and was pleased to get 15 more plants. One of the things I want to do in the future is set up a business to sell succulents at markets and events. However this will be sometime in the future as I still have a mortgage to pay and the economy is understandably not the most stable at the moment. I have spent this furlough period to work on practical ways to make this work and this has included what succulents are the easiest to propagate, to look after, look great even in a small pot and what size pots and soil mix to use.
2. Aeonium Goblin coming back from the dead.
I took the below photo in the winter when it’s bad been ravaged by the cold damp weather. It shouldn’t have been because I had it undercover. I cut off all the branches and re potted them and thankfully as you can see it has bounced back. I will make sure I plant in a more grittier soil fro winter.
3. Clematis Pink Champagne seed head.
This caught my eye this week when I walked past. It doesn’t show up well but it has a wonderful gold colour. This clematis has not produced that many flowers but the ones it did produce have been healthy and big. Hopefully next year it will produce more.
4. Alium Graceful Beauty
A new Allium I bought this year this one is smaller than I thought it was going to be. The flower heads though small are well formed and the petals are large if you understand what I mean. A pretty little plant but I think may have to move a few before they get swallowed up.
5. Eryngium Zabelli Big Blue
This plant as you can see is going to have loads of flowers this year which is going to keep the pollinator population happy in my garden for a couple of months. I have included it this year because of the shimmering effervescence of the foliage. If the sun catches it sometimes the colours sparkle like a glitter ball. At the moment the foliage has a wonderful silvery green colour and it should turn into a fantastic silver colour when the plant ages.
6. Knautia Arvensis (Field Scabious)
This plant grows well in my garden in fact to week as it gets it the way of the washing when it is on the line. I will probably move it next year when I give my main border a bit of a tidy up and split some of the perennials up. This is grade 1 nectar for the pollinators and as you can see the bumble bees love it especially. If you dead head it regularly this should have a long flowering period and last until the beginning of October.
That’s my SOS.
I am going to make sure I spend a few extra hours in the garden this weekend before I go back to work. The weather forecast looks favourable.
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 like the shiny seedheads of clematis. Often as pretty as the flower.
LikeLike
That alium certainly lives up to its name and a later flowering one too. Scabious are one of my favourites – once they start flowering they don’t seem to stop.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m seeing a potting bench that has to be cleared of plants to do any potting, a familiar story. I potted three Eryngium seedlings yesterday so both yours and Jon’s pictures of them have got me wanting to see them full size. Has it been a good year for Alliums or am I warming to their charms, you’ve another nice one there.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Of course I use the term potting bench loosely. I think it has been a good year for Alliums with the warm dry spring helping things.
LikeLike
That first picture will stop me complaining for weeks! Excellent pictures, especially the Scabious. Lovely Six-on-Saturday
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Granny. I was a little worried I hadn’t featured any succulents! I was walking around Morrisons this morning thinking have I featured any???
LikeLike
I hope you didn’t forget any of your shopping. No, as I said, plenty to keep me happy/quiet.
LikeLike
Very beautiful scabious (knautia)!
And about Goblin aeonium, it’s normal that it comes back from death … the goblins live about 20 or 30 years (in a “normal life” 😉😂 : I just watched the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings ( for the sixth time?!))
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m a fan of Knautia – they seem to enjoy getting tangled in amongst the other plants.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes they really are a great plant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your potting bench, with the Alliums and lilies and Clematis coming up behind it! And ‘Graceful Beauty’ – what a perfect little flower!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks I got the bench from Aldi not sure if you have Aldi’s in Canada
LikeLike
Glad things are moving back to normality for you. Even though the Allium is smaller it is a lovely delicate colour. The Knautia is just beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks I am like an over excited kid that is going back to school after their summer holidays
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another Knautia fan here! Yours is pretty. CONGRATS on returning to work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah looking forward to it. Just got a box of PPE from my work….actually pretty impressed with it…
LikeLike
Graceful Beauty allium has been following me for the past week! I guess I should give in and order some for fall delivery. The online sellers are having sales right now if you pre-pay.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It sounds it was meant to be! Do it do it!
LikeLike
I can see you as the succulent man at the local market. I’ve always liked the flower stalks on my eryngium but never noticed the colour play you describe. Shall immediately go out & check them for this. I’m finding clematis is wonderful in all its stages from bud to flower to dried petals to seed heads. That they cover walls is a plus. I shall also go look for gold in mine, now.
LikeLike
I know the answer now is “no” but are there (in normality) any small occasional markets or plant sale events at which you could set up a little stall (table) to test the market for selling succulents? Some gardening groups welcome people who are selling as “amateur/part time growers”, particularly if you’re a member of the group. I’ve often noticed first-year alliums having smaller flowers on shorter stems than in their second and later years. Give yours a year and see how it turns out next spring.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those little Graceful Beauty alliums are so sweet, the second time I have seen them feature today. Are they bigger than the normal chive plants then? I have some garlic chives that are about to flower and they have white flowers too. I’ll try and get a photo of them this year. And your potting bench made me smile – not much actual potting going on there! My son made me a bench to sit on last year, but I am using it for salad crates and herbs! I think your bench looks a bit more sturdy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it’s slightly bigger than a chive plant. Your right it does seem to be a potting by name and that is my second one. The other one is just as covered with pots.
LikeLike
Did you feature Eryngium X zabelii ‘Big Blue’ last year. It looks and sounds familiar. Do you also have a cultivar that resembles it, but with green foliage and bloom?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that’s right Tony. I impatiently moved the smaller variety a couple of weeks ago and it has gone into shock. It should recover.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The smaller variety blooms green?
LikeLike
No blue
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats on getting back to work. Snap for the Eryngium, it’s a beautiful variety. The Goblin has made a remarkable recovery. You said you cut off all of the branches so is the first picture the resprouted original plant or a regrown stem?
LikeLiked by 1 person