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Six on Saturday: New to me

As it does, late the other night, one twitter/blog link lead to another. The discovery of a new blogging meme caught my eye. Six topics/plants, supporting photo/photos with a caption/brief piece of descriptive text sounded a fresh idea for this garden blogger. Mmmm.. but as many readers here might guess that was maybe a bit optimistic for me 😉

To find out more, should you fancy joining in today, or any future Saturday head over to today’s post at The Propogator and take a look at the Six on Saturday – a participant guide. As you will read there, although the host blogger is running it as a current weekly meme, any Saturday contribution is welcome. Memes like this, where you leave a comment on the hosting blog’s post for others to browse yours and you to view other participants, are a great way to discover new blogs. Happy browsing 🙂

So, all current as per the brief, here are my quite different six…

1. PLANTING & PROPAGATING PLANS

This should be confession time given my last blog post stated that this gardener could walk away from a plant clearance sales table. I omitted to reveal that this selection stayed in my basket on the previous week’s visit to this garden centre. I guess with the plants tucked almost out of sight I was able to forget my lapse. Truth be told, I didn’t have the heart to leave Rozanne on her own and the sempervivums so desperately needed rescued.

Quite appropriately for this first contribution to a blog meme with blog titled The Propagator I have propagation in mind for the perennial geranium ‘Rozanne’ which will be a first. I have this plant in the garden already (having successfully moved it too) so I am optimistic.

The ‘worse-for-wear’ sempervivums are heading to the greenhouse for some division and a creative display there! The pretty cyclamen, well that’s a different story having bought them before deciding where they will go. Ooops, I’m still undecided!

2. A CASE OF HEUCHERA RUST?

This would be the question I asked on Twitter late last night. Thanks go to Vicky & Richard Fox at Plantagogo who sadly confirmed my suspicion of rust on heuchera ‘Marmalade’ above. After many, many years of growing heucheras in my garden borders, all my lighter coloured ones have various levels of rust. There are a lot too as I have divided and replanted as the years have gone by 🙁

2017 hasn’t seen a dramatic change in weather conditions here, so I’m guessing the more dense planting in borders has not allowed enough air flow through (keeping the ground damp perhaps) and been at the root of the problem. So the plants will be pruned and moved and with this the new opportunity of finding more suitable ground cover plants for the affected areas. I’m ok with that part 🙂

3. PETER SPARKES IS LOOKING GRAND

That would be the heather Calluna vulgaris ‘Peter Sparkes’ that was bought as a plant for wildlife. Attracting Bullfinches to his seeds after flowering, during winter months, was the plan after seeing a feature on BBC Autumnwatch with Martin Hughes-Games on a Scottish moorland (sorry, failed to find a link).

Although no heather feeding Bullfinches have been spotted yet, this gardener is happy that Peter has kept himself neat and well behaved in the border and his beautiful deep pink flowers are great to see from the gardenwatch window. If you plant it they will come and I’ve been patient for a few winters now 🙂

4. INTRODUCING THE SHY MRS WOOD

That would be the Fuchsia ‘Mrs W.P. Wood’. It should be said, that this gardener is no more a fushia fan than a heather fan but many plants do make their way to her garden for sentimental reasons and Mrs Wood ticks two boxes there.

For those that don’t know the habits of this gardener, she likes to move plants around. Mrs Wood appears to be a tad shy in her new pondside location, maybe when she gets to know her new neighbours she’ll come out of her shell.

5. A GARDENWATCH DISASTER

That would be a break in transmittion in terms of evening gardenwatching sadly. Regular blog visitors will know that this garden has a basic IR camera inside a hedgehog feeding station. Many images have been shared over the years. We apologise for the break in autumn service.

Note to self and all other gardeners, perhaps pruning in the dark with long handled pruners on a rainy, windy night with a torch in the other hand isn’t such a good plan.

Long stems of ivy had made its way into the feeding station. The gardener should have dealt with it in daylight! This isn’t an easy fix either, involving wire going through house walls, but hopefully the resident garden technician will be able to deal with the problem soon.

6. WEDDING MOMENTS WILL LIVE ON

That would be at the front of the house, where hanging baskets were planted up with a bit of a wedding colour theme for the gardener’s daughter’s late summer wedding. Hanging baskets were a new feature for 2017. As can be seen above, they are winding down now but a full container planting of the trailing Dichondra Silver Falls is absolutely on the cards for 2018 🙂

That would be my daughter’s wedding dress and the day she picked it. A refreshment stop at a garden centre after, an impulse buy by the gardener to mark the special occasion and another plant not usually picked by the gardener makes its way in. Sited in a partially shaded garden, this compact (height 75cm) Hydrangea paniculata ‘Magical Himalaya’ should grow happy ever after 🙂

That would in the sweet peas that were grown in the garden for decorating the gardener’s daughter’s wedding ceremony arch. The variety chosen was ‘Albutt Blue’ and it worked a treat. There were a few planted in containers that are past their best now, but these garden border grown ones above will hopefully set good enough seed to sow for flowers again next year.

Once again, not a plant this gardener usually grows but with their scent and other sentimental connections it was a very good choice indeed 🙂 It’s good for the gardener to look further than the usual plant suspects, it’s good for the blogger to look further than the usual blog memes too. This one has been fun, although it’s grown a bit in length from the set brief suggestions and her initial plan. Ah well, it’s good to try something new and to spread the links to other bloggers brave enough to host a blogging meme.

Happy Saturday everyone taking part with The Progatator today and Happy Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day to all regular blog visitors joining Carol at May Dreams Gardens tomorrow too 🙂

This post was published by Shirley for shirls gardenwatch in October 2017.

9 thoughts on “Six on Saturday: New to me

  1. You may be able to eradicate or at least control the rust. Carefully (so as not to open the pistules) remove ALL leaves from the affected plant but be careful not to remove the growing points. New foliage should grow in the spring and, with luck, will be rust free. Spray with Roseclear as soon as the new foliage starts appearing. It's always a good idea to remove old leaves every year. Not only does this limit the development of the fungus but it also allows the newer foliage to shine.

    Don't add infected leaves to the compost heap, nor dispose with green waste. Burn or consign them to general rubbish.

  2. Hello and welcome, John. thanks for stopping by with a comment and advice on the heuchera rust – much appreciated. What I really don’t understand is that after such a long period in the garden why so many plants (in slightly different situations) have been affected this year. Our weather hasn’t been too much different to blame that. I guessed I should avoid the compost bin with infected leaves but great to add that here in a comment. I’ve always been good at removing old leaves as a matter of general border maintenance but never really been one to use sprays so I’ll look into that given this is going to potentially wipe out so many border plantings in a small garden – thanks again.

  3. The 6 meme is interesting. I love the basket with the Dichondra silver falls. I put and extra one in the ground out front last summer. It worked as a ground cover. Lo and behold it came back this spring. It was late to come out but when it did it really romped across the area where I have it planted. I will be interested to see if it comes back next spring. We had such a mild winter last year. Hard telling what will happen this year. We haven't even had a light frost yet. I know how difficult it is to pass up plants that need a home. 😉

  4. Hi again. I don't seem to be able to add another comment to the original thread so I'm starting a new one, sorry. I'm not a new visitor – been dipping my toe in and out for a while (and I've got you listed at gardenblogs.online too). But I always try to comment on Six on Saturday posts.

    Most plant pest and diseases that suddenly appear these days have been imported in some way. Think back to Dutch Elm Disease; now we have ash trees being killed off. I lost my berberis hedges last year when berberis sawfly finally reached south Wales from the south east of England where they first appeared some years ago.

    The fungus that causes heuchera rust was first noticed around 2004-5 I think and has since spread thanks to the airborne spores. Clearly somehow spores have now blown into your garden from somewhere (have a look in neighbours' gardens if you get the chance but they could have come from further away). But at least the fungus seems only to affect Heucheras (not Tiarellas, for example) though this may change in future. If you're unhappy using Roseclear, which is also an insecticide, try Fungus Fighter which only kills fungus. You only need to spray Heucheras.

    If totally opposed to chemicals, I've had some success with other diseases (including damping off in seedlings) using Camomile Tea. Four teabags to a pint of boiling water, leave to steep until cold, fill a sprayer and fire away. Keeps for a week or two. Make sure it's 100% Camomile without any other addins. Though Camomile is likely to kill anything that Pyrethrum will so it will clobber insects.

  5. Yes, the "Six on Saturday" meme does seem to serve as a confessional for gardeners' sins. 🙂 The rust on the heuchera is pretty in its own way, but quite unpretty when it's happening in your own garden, I'm sure. Pruning in the dark? Seriously? Even for an avid gardener, that's pretty extreme!

  6. Hello everyone, thanks for visiting and leaving your comments 🙂

    Lisa, It was! I don’t suspect I’ll have the time to take part on a weekly basis (but you never know) but liking the idea I wanted to pass it on. Yes, I commented on your post about your surprise Silver falls ground cover. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to add this plant to this post. I’ll be interested to hear if it comes back to you in 2018 but I suspect it has no chance here. However, as a plant hardiness experiment, I could pot a few up and put some in my greenhouse and some in my potting shed to see what happens. We can compare notes next year. Yes, I guess a mild winter gave your plant a chance. Not thinking we’ve had frost yet either. Ha-ha… I would guess you would understand about my plant purchases 🙂

    Sue, your sister – not you then, Sue? Not at all regarding the cyclamens, I would love to have them naturalise in an area in my garden but space is at a premium. I know you have grown yours in your greenhouse – perhaps I could put a couple there myself 🙂

    John, sorry I forgot you’ve ;eft comments previously. Thanks for including me in your garden blog list. Sorry also, that I don’t have thread commenting set-up (I’ve gone hot and cold on that many times over the years and always ended up removing it). I’m thinking perhaps it’s time (if I get the time) to do a blog design/layout revamp so depending on how that fits in threaded comments could come in. Thanks again, for further info on plant pests and diseases. Regarding heuchera rust coming from neighbours gardens its very unlikely due to plants grown there and our perimeter hedging and fences. It’s a pretty enclosed a private garden. You are correct in guessing I might not use many chemicals given birds and hedgehogs forage through the borders perhaps your camomile tea suggestion would be the way for me to go but if it clobbers insects then maybe not. I’ll begin by pruning and moving them and see how it goes. Thanks again, all useful info for anyone else with this rust problem.

    Painting Gardener, ha-ha, I was just having fun mixing the six topics up. Yes, in light cases as my image showed. the leaves can look slightly pretty with spots – that’s initially why I didn’t suspect rust. Others are much more extreme in infection. Ha-ha again to pruning in the dark, yes I did have long handed secateurs out with serious pruning in mind but there was a reason that I did it in the dark. I’m really not an extreme gardener, most of the time at least. I’m just a gardener that is very enthusiastic about hedgehogs visiting the garden and enjoy watching them live on my PC monitor from the camera inside the feeding station (as I am doing as I type this). However, as my camera set-up had been disconnected indoors for a bit, the ivy growing nearby had made its way inside the feeding station and was obstructing the view. After putting food and fresh water out and eager to see possible hedgehogs that night, I decided I would prune the ivy there and then. Only a few stems that’s all it was until I came upon the cable! Today I discovered the very good news is that it was a disconnected cable that I cut! I’ve been able to reach in and remove all the ivy and get the lens a clean so tonight we have gardenwatch hedgehog transmission live once more! Fantastic, I wonder if any hogs will be in dining tonight 🙂

  7. Oh I enjoyed this post Shirl 🙂 I can quite understand why you had to rescue 'Rozanne' and friends but night time gardening in the rain and wind is completely beyond me 🙂 I trust that you are tucked safely indoors tonight. Thanks for bringing a new to me meme to my attention.

  8. Hello again Anna, thanks for visiting and leaving your comment 🙂 I’m delighted you enjoyed this. It ended up being way more time consuming and chatty than I first envisaged but I enjoyed having a go and thought others might be interested too. Ha-ha… living in Scotland, gardening in the rain is not that unusual for me. Night-time also, if I want to finish what I’ve started and the area is within reach of outside lighting. Yes, Arbour relocated and I was safe indoors. I hope you didn’t have any damage to house/garden (or yourselves of course too).

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