Six on Saturday 11/09/21

It’s been a very mixed week weather-wise and some very welcome rain finally arrived on Thursday calling an end to the (very) temporary heatwave. The borders are beginning to thin out a bit as I cut down some of the summer perennials that have finished flowering. There’s still a lot going on though and the Michaelmas Daisies are finally beginning to get going. The Morning Glories have still to show some colour though. I’ve a mix of pests, disease and beautiful flowers this week.

• Let’s start with a disease that I’ve not found in the garden before – Heuchera Rust. I first found this a couple of weeks ago on a couple of Heuchera planted near the Amelanchier. I cut all of the leaves off and the regrowth is clean so far. However, this week I have found it on a Heuchera on the patio. According to the RHS website this disease is a problem in wet, humid summers which certainly describes this year. I’ve quite a few Heucheras as they add such colour to the front of the borders so this could be quite a problem in the future.

These marks on the leaves seemed to appear almost overnight.

The rust is clearly visible underneath

I planted this tub up last autumn and planned to put the Heucheras and Fern in the borders in the spring. Obviously, I never got around to it. I’ve cut the affected plant back and the Heuchera on the left seems unaffected so far 🤞.

H. ‘Little Cuties Coco’ on the left with ‘Little Cuties Blondie’

• Moving on to a ‘pest’ next. While sat drinking my tea I looked down at Fuchsia ‘Lechlade Gordon’ and was worried about the size of the vine weevils that were eating it!

A closer inspection revealed the actual culprit.

Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillars.

• I don’t think that this is a pest, just an oddity. When cutting the grass I noticed these flies (?) on just one flowering stalk of Molinia cerulea ‘Dauerstrahl’. There were none anywhere else on the plant.

• It was very still after the rain and the grasses in particular were full of raindrops.

Before the rain this grass was standing bolt upright. So far, it hasn’t resumed this position.

• The Roses are having a second flush, although looking a little rain battered.

Crown Princess ‘Margareta’. It’s more apricot than this in real life

‘Graham Thomas’

‘Snow Goose’

• The Michaelmas Daisies give lots of flower power at this time of year. ‘Monch’ is always the first to flower here and by now the others are usually following suit. The lack of sunshine has slowed them down but good things can only be held back for so long.

Aster amellus ‘King George’

Symphyotrichon novi-belgii ‘Flamingo’

The main job for today is dead-heading. It’s a job I really enjoy as it gives a chance to spend time looking at the plants close up. Thanks for reading and have a good weekend, whatever you are doing. There’s loads of inspiration at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/