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.
For your edification, 6 things in the garden that were new or unexpected.
1. Bee update.
Last week, I posted a video of a bee excavating one of my pots. When I later planted the pot's seedling, 2 leaf cylinders dropped out.
These, I very gently buried in the loose dirt next to the seedling, in hopes that I haven't killed the bees inside.
2. Hebe.
Several weeks ago, I moved a hebe from a pot into the ground. I hadn't thought transplant shock was a worry when taking plants from a pot, but before long, the hebe looked truly dead.
Just in case it was playing 'possum, I left it there & set some small pots around it to hide the ugly.
Now, new growth.
3. Smoke Bush.
I featured this some weeks ago because it'd produced buds for the first time, & man, there were a lot of them.
While the bush itself looks healthy, the buds subsequently shrivelled up.
The reading I've done indicates smoke bush don't like to be too well fed, so here may be the problem. Hopefully I'll remember that next year. Still a beauty, but I'd love it to flower.
4. Chocolate Daisy.
These were grown from seed last year in hopes of adding a new scent to the garden. Although they were supposed to be 18" tall, they only reached about 6" The flowers being so close to the ground made it difficult for me to get a good sense of their smell.
This year, the same plants are about 12" tall & a bit bushier . . .
. . . with more of these fascinating flowers on them.
Now I detect a subtle chocolate scent, overridden by a strong honey smell, which makes a really nice combination. It'll be interesting to see how they perform next year.
5. Columbine Different Drummer.
The yellow & white columbine've been blooming for weeks, the flowers about 3"x4" in size. Then this lone fella appeared on one of them, a cuckoo in the nest.
When this odd ball flowering happened to one of my peles, the nursery said that sometimes a single flower will revert back to the plant's forebearer. I didn't ask why this happens, so'm not sure if it's passed to the seed. I've marked this bloom just in case, though I'm not convinced I like it.
6. Sanguisorba.
Only planted last autumn, so first time seeing it bloom. Here's the bud just getting some colour to it . . .
. . . and here's a flower about halfway opened. Quirkly looking little thing.
That's it for this week. Thanks for stopping by.
I like the rogue Columbine flower! It's interesting to see the leaf cylinders - nature is fascinating. My wife and I made a chocolate and honey cake once which is proving useful in helping me to imagine the fragrance of the pretty Chocolate Daisy. It has also made me wonder why we've not made that cake again in years.
ReplyDeleteSounds like my kinda cake! Make it at once.
DeleteSuch an interesting read Lora. I've never seen those bee cyclinders before - aren't they incredible!? Keeping my fingers crossed for your smokebush next year. Mine is about to flower and I can say it is in a thoroughly neglected corner of the garden and never ever fed so maybe you are onto something there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the smoke bush. If it's not that, it's something w/the root system, so obviously I'd rather that I'd overfed it. I think these cylinders are the same principal as what bees do w/those bee boxes we put up - a nest for next year's bees.
DeleteI've not heard of bee-cylinders before either. Some most unusual plants this week.
ReplyDeleteI like old favourites but it's nice to have a few odd balls as well.
DeleteAn interesting selection this week. Seeing the leaf cylinder constructed by the bee was amazing. Not sure if we have similar bees here, but if we do I hope to meet one! I like the colour combination of the Aquilegia, and am quite taken with the last one. Very pretty indeed!
ReplyDeleteThe bee cylinder is so delicate. I hope I've not exposed it to predation but there's another pot w/bee excavation & the seedlings failed, so I plan to leave it alone until next year.
DeletePhew! So glad I can comment on your posts again. Have been rejected for weeks!! :)
ReplyDeleteBlogspot is unpredictable at the best of times. Glad you were able to comment.
DeleteIt's good to have tried that for the bees, I hope it has worked! Very nice Sanguisorba flower , and it's not often seen
ReplyDeleteDo you mean the sanguisorba doesn't often flower or it's not in many gardens? I usually get my plant ideas from SoSers, altho sometimes I see something when searching for another plant, so not sure where I learned about it.
DeleteNo, I don't think we often see sanguisorba flowers in the gardens
DeletePleased that you have new growth on the hebe. I’ve been too hasty in the past in assuming something to be deceased and removing it quickly to the compost bin. But I’m learning and recently have been lifting and potting up until the case is proven one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteThe chocolate daisy is interesting and with quite an unusual flower. If I had it in my garden sadly it would be sending me into the kitchen for chocolate that I’m way too fond of.
I like your rogue aquilegia, perhaps if it was in a spot of its own you would have different feelings about it.
I tend in the other direction, leaving things until they fall apart. The hebe, tho, was a safe bet as it went from vibrant to dead very quickly. Glad it came back. The odd aquilegia bloom is on a plant where all the other flowers are yellow & white, so not a separate plant that can be moved. If it's a throwback as the pele nursery said, hard to imagine the white bits coming from that original colour.
DeleteInteresting to see those bee cylinders. That hebe does look sad....
ReplyDeleteNot as sad as a week or so ago. I really thought it was dead.
DeleteI love daisies and I love chocolate (far too much) so I have decided that I need chocolate daisies. Do they survive the winter then? Or are the new plants from seeds of last years?
ReplyDeleteThey survived the winter & are bigger this year than last, so must take a few years to reach their max growth. The S&S love them when they're young, so currently my new seedlings get covered at night. They also aren't fond of getting too dry, so are one of the plants I check when we don't have rain for several days.
DeleteLora, looks like you've had some rain, too. I grew salad burnet sanguisorba for a few years, then it died out. I enjoyed the cucumberish flavor in salads and cocktails. MMmm The yellow and peach aquilegia looks like ones that are native in some states.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise I could eat the sanguisorba - that's a plus! So the aquilegia natives have the same colouring, which I'd thought was odd. That supports the idea that a singular differently coloured flower is reverting back to its ancestors. Thanks for that info!
DeleteThat Hebe was lucky that you are so patient. I would have assumed it was dead and binned it. The bee cylinders are amazing - how on earth do they manage to make them..
ReplyDeleteNature's amazing, be it resurrecting plants or bee cylinders. While I witnessed the bee digging in my pot & I've seen others attend our bee box, I've never seen them carrying the leaves used to make the cylinders. That would be the feat that would amaze. I assume once the leaf bit is in place, they simply line the hole that's already there & use some substance they produce to seal it. Better'n a 9 mo pregnancy.
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