Six on Saturday 31/10/20

I realised the other day that it’s over three years since I wrote my first Six on Saturday. I’ve missed a few weeks (though none this year – plenty of time on my hands) but writing my Six signals the start of the weekend, so let’s get the weekend started. It’s been a very damp week and I’ve spent very little time in the garden. Sadly, the weekend doesn’t look any better, especially today. At least it’s warm! If I can get out there I’ve still a ‘few’ bulbs to plant in the ground (the pots have all been done) but some ground needs clearing to plant the bulbs. That never-ending gardening conundrum. I’m sorry that the pictures aren’t great this week but it was wet and windy. That’s my excuse anyway.

• I grew Cobaea scandens for the first time this year and it’s been a great success. I’ll definitely grow it again next year. The plants have never been covered with flowers but there’s been a steady show. This plant has been up one post, across the top and is heading down the next post.

Cobaea scandens

There’s still a few flowers to come but it’s going to be colder next week, apparently, so I don’t know whether they will make it.

The flowers start pale and colour up over a couple of days. New buds above, spent flowers below

The foliage turned a lovely red several weeks ago

• I’ve recently planted a couple of new, named Hydrangeas but the one giving the best show at the moment is an un-named one that I was given several years ago as a houseplant! I immediately liberated it.

• I bought a large rhizome of Hedychium gardnerianum the year before last. I kept it in a pot last year and it grew well but didn’t flower. I overwintered it indoors and planted it out in May. It’s made a large plant and there are two flower spikes growing upwards. As with the Cobaea, I’m crossing my fingers that the frost holds off for a while. I think I’m going to leave it in the ground this year as it’s now got six large canes. I’m not sure I’ve got a big enough pot.

Hedychium gardneranium

• Clematis ‘Margot Koster’ flowered for several months this year, eventually bought to halt by a period of drought. After the last rainy period she put on lots of new growth and then lots of buds. They have started opening this week, despite the lack of sun. They are a paler colour but lovely to see at this time of year.

Clematis viticella ‘Margot Koster’

Lots more to come – if the snails don’t eat them first!

• There are so many beautiful Heucheras, I wish I had room for more of them. This is ‘Caramel’ and it has large, lobed leaves that are a lovely apricot/caramel colour on top and quite pink underneath. I bought it last winter for a winter pot display with a fern and another Heuchera and then planted it out under the Amelanchier in the spring where it has slowly grown throughout the year. There haven’t been any flowers but it hasn’t needed any.

Heuchera ‘Caramel’. The colour in this photo isn’t good

• On Thursday Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumn Spire’ looked glorious and I meant to take a picture of it. I forgot, of course, and the wind and rain overnight caused a lot of the leaves to fall. It still looked quite good on Friday. A Blackbird has eaten most of the berries.

Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumn Spire’

I think it’s going to be too wet for moving and dividing plants but I’ll spend some time preparing the glasshouse for the colder weather and then I’ll catch up with the other Sixers at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/