Saturday 23 May 2020

Heat, Wind, Dead of Night

Six on Saturday is a weekly diary hosted by The Propagator & contributed to by gardeners all over the world.  For links to other SoSers, check out Mr P's comments & the Twitter hashtag, #SixOnSaturday.







It's been a week of high temperatures & rough winds, neither of which've done away with the need for nightly S&S patrols.

While I water & shade & rid the world of slimy things, the garden gets on with it.













1.  Wild chamomile.

Nigella self seeds around the place, so when a delicate foliage started up in the appletini pot, I didn't give it much notice at first.  Then its structure began to say, this ain't nigella.


Well my, my, my.


2.  Plants in cages.

I inherited these 2 cages, so haven't a clue what they originally oppressed.  They're just the right size for orange juice containers.  As the cages have no bottoms, the boxes are held in place with plastic chopsticks (the red bits underneath).


They're planted with thunbergia which hopefully will cover the juice boxes, although actually, I don't mind the coloured panels that much.


One grows up its little stick while the other's trying to get through the bars.


3.  Germination woes

It's been a rough year for getting some seeds to grow, I think because I'm still learning how to manage the intense heat in the garden.  Some plants stop after throwing out a root, or they send up a sliver of green leaf that dies if I turn my back for an instant.  Some do nothing at all. 

I've done 2nd, 3rd, 4th plantings & usually got something in the end, but the mimosa refused to play ball. 


This week, the third mimosa planting produced 2 little guys.  If they get to 2nd leaves, then they'll probably make it.


4.  Edible peas.

My sweet peas went bust this year.  The edible peas have a huge gap in their row & are only about 15" tall.


But my word, they're covered in flowers.


5.  Scabiosa cousin.

When I inherited cephalaria gigantea in a garden several years ago, I hadn't a clue what it was called.  It became known as the scabiosa cousin, even after we were properly introduced. 


My current one is in bud.


6.  Cirsium seeds.

The cirsium's been blooming for nearly 2 months now, so well worth its spot in the garden.


But the seed head is especially beautiful.  I quite like this plant.




With the temps falling out of the 20s today, it's time to pick up the dog clippers & take on the 2 woolly mammoths who've moved in during lock down.  There shall be many treats & great escapes in my day's work.

Thank for dropping by.  Hope to see you again soon.

16 comments:

  1. Nice cages, especially as they are only keeping a plant captive. Love cephalaria, wonderful plant. And circium too. Keep battling on, I know you will get there.

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    1. If the mimosa survive, my gardening summer will be made.

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  2. The best of all the six is the last one...enjoy.

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    1. Our patio umbrellas broke, so we've been improvising, but indeed, a wonderful spot in the garden.

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  3. He looks good, lying in the hammock in the shade! A very nice place, I bet ...
    Come back with the cephalaria flower open now. I already know scabious but not that plant.

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    1. Every garden needs a water feature & a hammock, in my mind. The cephalaris is actually called giant scabious & the flower looks very much like it. The plant itself can grow over 6' tall, so would look good in your garden, I imagine. I'll get a photo up in time.

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  4. I've had a few germination woes but it's the stalling at tiny stage that seems to be afflicting a lot of my seedlings this year. Most odd. Those cages are very intriguing. Jealous of the hammock!

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    1. Yes, that's happened to me as well. Especially painful when the seed packet says easy to grow. Every garden deserves a hammock!

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  5. Your wild chamomile is much different from what we call wild chamomile! Ours is pineappleweed and the flowers are just little buttons, no petals at all. Yours is much prettier!

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    1. My identification could be wrong. It's been known to happen.

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  6. The cages are a terrific find. I hope you post photos of the thunbergias when they grow. That hammock is in a lovely corner of the garden and a relaxing place to rest. (I hope you get a turn too!)

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    1. I do plant to post photos of the cages, if the vines grow properly. The hammock is officially mine, but I let the others use it once in a while. Mizzy BunnyButt (our cat) especially loves it.

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  7. I've planted a cephalaria and I'm hoping it will flower for the first time this year. They are stunning plants. It took me a while to track one down since, as you say, it looks like a scabious but has a different name. Well done with the peas. I had to do a second sowing, so they are nowhere near flowering.

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    1. I put mine in last year, I think as an autumn planting & it's in bud this year, if that helps. I do love them, but they need a bit of space. Peas've been sporadic this year, flourishing for some & failing for others. Some years are like that.

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  8. The Cistrum Seeds do look pretty. That hammock does look comfy but I could never get in or out of it. Don’t talk to me about winds! It’s a wonder I still have a garden. Thank god it’s the end of spring and everything is bendy and supple.

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    1. The trick to getting into a hammock is either go butt first & swivel in or straddle it, then lay back. A skill well worth learning for a gardener. Glad your garden survived the winds. I hope that's the last of them.

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