Six on Saturday 13/06/20

Rain glorious rain! The wet stuff finally arrived on Thursday. No huge amount of it but enough to make a difference. The plants have certainly enjoyed it and everything looks so much fresher. The borders are filling out, annual climbers are ascending at an amazing rate and flowers are starting to appear on the Cosmos, Hostas, Aster and even Dahlias. Exciting times! I’m sure they will all appear in future Sixes but in the meantime here are this weeks choices from my garden.
1. I’ve mentioned the Rose Capsid Bugs in a couple of posts this year. I found dozens and dozens of larvae in the compost bins and I’ve seen a few of the bugs on flowers, they loved the late Tulips. The other day I saw this and realised that there is a bit of an infestation. The shrub is Sorbaria sorbifolia and as I got near it to pick the bugs off I thought that a small animal must have died nearby due to the awful smell. Then I realised that it’s the Sorbaria flowers! It’s near the back of the border and I’ve obviously not been near it before whilst it was flowering. I picked off 14 on this visit and have removed over a dozen on subsequent visits.

It’s a very popular plant though – I don’t know what the little green one is.

2. Most Aquilegias have long gone but this one just keeps going

3. The Heucheras have suffered with the lack of rain but H. ‘Lime Marmalade’ is flowering well.

4. Several of my hardy Geraniums didn’t make it through the wet winter. G. psilostemon did survive, although reduced in size.

The leaves of this and G. Roseanne are being eaten but I can’t see by what. Some of them look like lace curtains.

5. Clematis viticella ‘Justa’ is a small variety that I grow up a post. It’s rather understated for a Clematis, but very pretty.

6. I grow some Roses on ropes and posts in the front garden and they’ve been flowering for weeks now. There are also a couple of Clematis that are supposed to gently climb through them. C. Viticella ‘Betty Corning’ is rather exuberant. There’s a rose in there somewhere.

Can we call this one 6a? Whilst taking the last picture I noticed this little caterpillar on one of the rose petals (he had several friends as well). Google tells me it will grow up to be a Vapourer Moth.

I’ve written this with the new editor and I’m now exhausted! The rain seems to have moved on (we could do with some more) so it’s a weekend in the garden for me. There’s a mountain of pots to wash for a start. How was there ever time for work.
Catch up with all of the Sixers at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/