There is only one question in my mind this week – WILL IT EVER STOP RAINING? The garden has been beaten down by the wind and the rain and is looking very, very sad at the moment. The ground is saturated so it’s not been possible to work out there this week. This is the path by the cold frame
There’s bulbs to plant, Sweet Williams and Wallflowers to plant out and plants to move but I don’t think any of that will be happening in the near future. I’ve really missed being outside, the garden is definitely my ‘happy place’. It’s good for the mind and the soul and I’ve got withdrawal symptoms. At least I’ve got quilting!
Here’s this weeks Soggy Six on Saturday.
1. Very few of the plants are looking their best for photos. Most look like this
2. However, despite the rain some plants are still looking good and showing what’s to come next year.
3. I’ve grown some named varieties of Solenostemon this year and, overall, they’ve done really well, especially the ones in pots.
I took cuttings last month and they rooted very quickly. They’re growing on in the glasshouse.
However, the ones in the ground have been SnS fodder recently.
4. I’ve tried to grow Nerines a few times but without much success. I thought I’d try some in pots this year but they haven’t grown very well. However, N. bowdenii ‘Stefani’ is at least flowering.
5. I’ve got quite a few grasses in the garden. Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’ is quite late flowering this year. It’s one of those grasses that you just have to touch as you pass it. I think I’ll move it to a more open place next year as I don’t think it gets quite enough sun.
6. Amelanchier lamarckii ‘Ballerina’ is late to leaf and very early to drop. The spring flowers are beautiful and the birds love the berries. Descriptions of it always say about the glorious autumn colour but I find that if you blink you miss it. The wind has certainly speeded up the leaf drop!
That’s a bad photo but if I leave it until next week there won’t be any leaves left.
Work today but that’s okay as yet more rain is forecast. I’m planning a glasshouse day tomorrow. The peppers and tomatoes need to come out and I’m going to plant some of the bulbs in pots. Have a good weekend and I hope you get some garden time.
Don’t forget to see what’s going on in other Sixers gardens courtesy of our host at
My flowers drooping much the same, though the foliage plants look lush. I’ve grown two mixes of Solenostemon. I’ve got a few growing on inside and taken a few cuttings but need to do some more.
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I’m bored of this wet weather too. There are lots of things to do in the garden but there’s been no opportunity to do any of them. Missing my gardening ‘fix’. Love the Hameln.
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It was raining last night and it’s still raining this morning. I’m going to hide in the glasshouse with tea and BBC Sounds and plant bulbs in pots.
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A little autumn sunshine would be welcome…your Nerine is a delightful colour and hurrah that it has ignored the rain. My Amalanchiers are turning too…and may be completely leafless by next weekend. I love the form of the branches and in December string white lights on it.
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That’s a good idea. Food for thought
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Your Solenostomon look fabulous, and I think they’d be enjoying all that rain as long as the SnS don’t get them! I’ve found Nerines a bit of a bother…so susceptible to the aforementioned SnS and then by the time they’re ready to flower, the frost turns them to mush.
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I might admit defeat with Nerines. I’ve a couple of different varieties in pots still to flower but they’re not very strong looking
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All looks fab actually. Jealous of your coleus, mine died young, unwatered.
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The ones in pots were connected to the watering system. They’ve done much better than ones in the ground
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Your verbena and Sedums look lovely! I feel they are both good value plants. The coleus are interesting. My grandmother used to grow them from seed in her lean-to greenhouse when she couldn’t get out in the garden. Beautiful colours.
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The colours in the named varieties are amazing. Some of the leaf shapes are rather different. Definitely plants for next year but maybe just in pots
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Beautiful colors of Solenostemon leaves.
Still not tried here but in a wish list for a shady corner (which I don’t have much ….)
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The ones in the pots are west facing and in sun for a large part of the day. They’re connected to the watering system and I think the regular watering helps them cope with the sun
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So , it’s a good news! Thank you
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I quite agree with everything you say at the beginning of this post. I so miss my daily potter around the garden! I envy you the coleus – I tried these last year but the S&S loved them too much. Perhaps I could grow them as ‘houseplants’ in the conservatory.
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I think they’d make great houseplants
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Those poor asters! They look as sad as a wet cat, altho probably aren’t all that sad. Your grasses definitely look good in the rain.
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