Saturday 28 March 2020

Good Mow-ntal Health

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


First off, we're all healthy.

We went into self-isolation before the lock down (a friend got sick), so're old pros at this stage.  The streets are quiet, pets are delighted, & our spirits are mostly good.

Yesterday, though, that one sad story too many came up in my Twitter feed.

Get thee behind me, Social Media, & out the door I went to find the lawn had been mowed by some kind family member.  They even circumvented the crocus foliage.

Better'n Valium.


1.  Birthday rose.

Before our self-isolation, I had yet another birthday.  I've had so many already, but can't give them up as I do love cake.  So came the rose in a tiny zebra planter - 2 blooms, 1 bud.  (Unmown grass apparent in background.)


This week, it got a bigger pot.


Both flowers've gone & the bud's starting to open.  (And lawn nicely mowed.)


2.  Great expectations.

This dead stick cost £1.79, but I've got high hopes for it.


Two years ago, there I was, an old blow-in who'd never heard of a Tamarix tree.  Then this beautiful pink thing started flirting with me over the fence & ye SoSers willingly provided the requisite introduction.  Just goes to show, you're never too old for love.  Or perhaps obsession.


3.  Lavender. 

I got a couple of other things in the Tamarix sale, so the nursery offered me a choice of begonia or lavender as a free gift.  Begonias are coming out of my ears, so . . .


. . . what the hell am I going to do with 8 lavender plants?


4.  O my mahonia.

Last autumn, I found 2 mahonia seedlings when I cleaned up the pumpkin patch.  After getting potted up, one took off like a barn on fire.  The other looked like this.  Ok, it's dead, but I didn't want to pull it up & officially murder it.


So I brought it inside, sowed nicotina seeds in the pot (seen above).  If you look very closely, you'll also see . . .


. . . there's new growth coming up from the mahonia's middle stem.


5.  Volunteer clematis.

This clematis self seeded in one of my tree pots a couple of years ago.  Last year, it graduated to its own pot & had 2-3 flowers on it.  I was ridiculously excited about it.


This year, a lot more buds.  I am giddy for the show.


6.  Anemone coronaria The Bride.

I stole Sarah Raven's suggested planting of a. coronaria The Bride with a. blanda White Splendour . . .


. . . but added grape hyacinth to the mix.  Unfortunately, only about half The Brides came up, none of White Splendour.  The grape hyacinth are knocking it out of the park, though.


So, please imagine, if you will, all those empty spaces filled with large & small white anemone blooms.




Anemone coronaria Bordeaux, puckering up for a smooch.


That's it for this week.  I hope all of you stay well & haven't had to kill off any housemates as yet.  May they do nice things for you in the garden instead.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you again soon.

18 comments:

  1. 8 lavenders aren't too much. You can plant them side by side to make a beautiful border but also renew the plants when you lose some if the soil is too wet....
    ( I smiled while reading "This dead stick cost £1.79".. 😂)

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    1. The question is where to put them, as my garden's slightly smaller'n yours. There is a rose border at the front of the garden, so perhaps be traditional & put them there. I'm so hoping my ugly duckling dead stick becomes the beautiful swan Tamarix.

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  2. You are right Tamarisks are a wonderful shrub. Where I used to live there was a wonderful old specimen which had been beautifully pruned over the years. Its arching stems pointed to a careful gardener. My only regret is that I never knocked on her door to say how much it was admired by passers by.

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    1. I didn't realise the flirty Tamarix had been pruned, as it was such an upward burst of pink. I'll have to research this, but do you have any tips as to how the one you knew was tended.

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  3. I can't keep clematis alive yet you have them self seeding! Bit envious! Lavenders on the other hand self seed like fun here. I like that zebra pot with rose. A belated happy birthday.

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  4. Isn't it the way of gardens, that what grows for you won't even live to walk through my garden gate. This particular volunteer clematis (I actually got 2 volunteers) came from a neighbour's that had been planted in the 70s, so perhaps they were more naturally fertile then. Same w/lavender for me, that the ones which self seed are from older gardens, never from new plants recently purchased. Gotta find a place for the zebra now.

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  5. Lovely funny post as always Lora, one day we will meet and I will say "no you don't talk like that". All lovely. x

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    1. The accent would probably startle you. At least it does w/me when I hear recordings on here, which I do so love, but most are so shy about it!

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  6. What couldn't you do with eight lavender plants! Depending on the type, planters. Or a row along a path? What great freebies!

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    1. I suspect some lawn will have to go in order to accommodate them. I do so love lavender.

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  7. Happy belated Birthday Lora. I got a patio rose for Mother's Day years and years ago and it still flowers each year - and it is still in a pot, though slightly larger than the one it arrived in. So good luck with yours! How long will it take for your Tamarisk to flower? They grow wild here in Cornwall in some places, very tolerant of wind and salt. I love them, but no room in my garden to grow one. Sad face...

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    1. I'm clueless about the Tamarix, so shall learn as I go. I hope the rose survives, as it's such a lovely one. Thanks for the good wishes.

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  8. Happy belated birthday from Australia too!
    It will be very interesting to watch the progress of your Tamarisk from down under.

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    1. Thanks for the well wishes! I can't wait until it shows signs of life. You all'll get tired of hearing about it.

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  9. That should so be our motto in this hideous new world order "Gardening - better 'n Valium!

    Just reading about your Lazurus mahonia has cheered me up no end.

    Best wishes to you and your family.

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    1. Lazarus, indeed. Since Saturday, he's now got 2 leaves w/a 2nd level already in bud.

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  10. I have imagined the white anemones among the grape hyacinth and it looks great. I'm also having to imagine the crocus accompanying the daffodils in the grass in my garden as they never showed up either. We garden in hope though don't we.

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    1. I'm certain there's something about intermittent gratification, making us Pavlov's dog to our gardens that keep us loving it.

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