PotsandPlots

A busy week in the garden, and it’s starting to move towards looking its best.

Last weekend, we had our annual trip to the local garden centre to pick up bedding plants for this year’s pots. Two observations on that. First, there seemed to be less variety available than usual and second, the cost of this trip increases by a sizeable percentage each year.

I’ve done a lot of work in the garden this year, adding lots of new plants on top of my usual summer pots. I had better not stop to add up how much it all costs because I might have a heart attack.

SixOnSaturday is curated by Jim at Garden Ruminations, and you can find the participation guidelines here.

1. I mentioned a few weeks ago that a picture taken from this point would soon become the best place in the garden to stand. And now it is so. This is my happy place. If I’d recorded a video, you’d be able to hear the bees humming in the weigelia, too. Bliss!

Usually, there are some purple irises here, but I split and replanted them last year, and while I have had a lot of stems reshoot, only one of them looks like it is going to flower. Hopefully, they’ll gain strength this year and return to full glory in 2027.

2. I lost two potted azaleas in the early spring, and I wasn’t going to replace them, as it felt like it was time to call it quits. When taking the second one out of its pot, I discovered it was very soggy, so I think I’d been overwatering it.

On our garden centre trip, my oldest son was keen to replace them (they’re his favorite), so I relented. Handily, this month’s RHS magazine had a feature on azaleas and tips on how to look after them, including in pots. Unfortunately, I found that article the day after I potted mine up, but I had done most of the things they suggested, so fingers crossed, I don’t kill another one next year.

3. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’d planted some camassia bulbs to go next to some honesty I’d also added. The honesty had spent the last few weeks looking purple, but now, against its new friends, it suddenly looks very pink. The camassia aren’t as tall as I was expecting; perhaps they’re not in a favourable position. Hopefully, they’ll return next year, as they’re a lovely final bulb swansong.

4. This week, after the great garden centre visit, I have been sorting out the conservatory and moving plants that have been sheltering in there over winter, as well as moving a set of garden shelves we have in there. This means I can elevate our bonsai and start to showcase some succulents. (The bonsai stays out all year round)

We’re lucky enough to live quite close to Heron’s Bonsai (suppliers to the Wisley bonsai walk.) I don’t know much about bonsai to be honest, but we bought one for my brother-in-law as a housewarming present, and while we were there, picked up this starter metasequoia. We’ve had it for a couple of years and, so far, all is good!

5. I have quite a few hardy geraniums in the garden. This one, nestling just out of sight in the first photo above, is probably one of my favourites (after Ann Folkard). I love anything with unusual coloured foliage. I’m not sure where it came from and at one point, there was only tiny amount of it remaining, but I have nurtured it back to a reasonable size. Hopefully it will be robust enough next year for me to divide it and start another patch somewhere else in the garden.

6. Takes us back to the start and a couple of alternate angles of the bed.

See you next week and thanks for taking the time to look at my #SixonSaturday