Another busy lockdown week has passed, and most of the garden is now planted up. I’m still waiting for a few online order plants to be delivered, and they’re running late. I can’t complain, it’s been great to have that online resource during the lockdown.
In the garden there are many plants I would like to move to different spots, and although we actually moved a couple this week, by necessity rather than choice, the rest will have to wait until autumn. It was the wrong time I know, but they seem to have recovered.
I think I’ve over-planted…I do it every year. I don’t seem to be able to fully appreciate just how much a tiny plant is going to grow during the coming weeks and I’ll probably end up having to thin out.
But here’s my choice of six plants for this Saturday from a currently very wet and windy little garden in Scotland.
Rosa Bonica
To put it simply, Bonica is a beautiful little rose. It’s just starting to bloom, and shortly the three plants that sit outside the greenhouse will be covered in clusters of pink loveliness. It also benefits from red hips in winter if it isn’t deadheaded, but I like it to be neat and tidy, and the price to pay for that is no hips in winter. What would you choose?
Allium amplectens ‘Graceful Beauty’
This pretty little allium grows to around 12 inches, and I have two clusters of bulbs in the patio planter and another in one of the borders. This is a plant whose name is a perfect fit.
Forgotten Plants
Campanula portenschlagiana and Erigeron karvinskianus were grown from seed in 2019 and two little 9cm pots were left behind in the planting process, languishing behind the greenhouse throughout the worst of our very wet winter.
They were rescued in early spring, planted into larger pots, and then into the pots you see them in now. I didn’t have a specific home for them so popped them together at the side of the summerhouse, where – you guessed it – they were forgotten again until last week.
Tough little plants? They must be, and I think they’re wonderful!
Astrantia
I’m a fan of astrantia and most of the plants are placed close to roses. In my eyes, they make a perfect couple. I think these are Astrantia major, divided from the first astrantia that I bought for the garden.
Peony ‘Shirley Temple’
What a difference a few days make in the life of a plant, the first photograph was taken on Tuesday and the second and third were shot on Friday.
Argyranthemum & Artemisia
I ordered this ‘Forever Flowering Pot Collection’ online some months ago, and after growing the 10 rooted cuttings on in the greenhouse the plants are now outdoors and starting to look good together. I’m hoping that the artemisia also grows upwards between the Argyranthemum.
The collection was made up of five Argyranthemum frutescens ‘Grandaisy Pink Halo’ and five Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Nana Attraction’. I’ve grown Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Nana Attraction’ in the garden in previous years, but it doesn’t survive winters here. I think I’ll lift the plants and try overwintering them in the greenhouse this year.
You can’t pass this plant without stopping to touch its silky smooth little leaves and for that reason alone, it’s worth having at least one little plant somewhere in the garden.
Happy gardening this weekend everyone – stay safe, and stay home as much as possible.
Here’s where you can find out more about joining in with other SoS garden enthusiasts from around the world:
ABOUT SIX ON SATURDAY
Six on Saturday is like a weekly journal. Take six photographs and post them to Twitter and/or your blog. You can get all the details from The Propagator who kindly set it all up. If you want to join in and see what everyone else is doing in the garden, just follow the link!
All photographs copyright of Catherine Wood unless otherwise stated.
Notes From My Garden 
Gorgeous pictures of gorgeous flowers.
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Thank you. 😊
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Seeing bonica was like greeting an old friend. I had three standard bonicas in my front garden in London and absolutely loved them when in full flower. Thanks for sharing – what a top rose!
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I think it’s often overlooked in favour of the big-name varieties, Katharine, and I agree with you that it’s a top rose. 😊
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That’s such a pretty pink rose. Your peonies are quite a bit later than mine although they are clearly a different variety with the dark, long stems. Loved colours, as always.
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Peony ‘Shirley Temple’ is a bit later flowering than many peonies, though I still have one plant left to open its buds, and have no idea what it’s going to be!
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I see that you too have campanula p. on your terrace… I was overtaken by the seeds that fell between the wooden planks.., now young plants are growing through but it remains very pretty.
Pretty unusual ( and unknown) alliums for me. As for the peonies, I’m still waiting for mine … sigh
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That’s interesting Fred. I didn’t think about seeds falling through the decking boards. I might be welcoming a whole new idea in deck floral display next year, or I’ll be down on my knees trying to pick out some self-seeded plants.
I still have one peony left to flower, hope is not lost yet.
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That Allium certainly lives up to its name – very pretty indeed. The only rose hips I end up with are from flowers that escaped my notice in the autumn, otherwise they’re usually dead headed. I never get plant spacing right! I’m eyeing the poppies with a view to pulling most of them up when they’ve finished so that I have space for plants.
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I have hips on the red climber that I featured last week since most of it is far too high to reach. Your poppies are lovely Graeme, but I can appreciate needing space for other plants. I pulled out my wallflowers yesterday and replaced them with dahlias. 😁
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With the exception of the campanula you have a lovely delicate theme going on this week all pink and white and delicate. Love the Astrantia. And as for the lovely rose why not leave some heads to form hips? I like seeing hips in the winter months.
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I hadn’t really paid any attention to a colour theme, Jude. Well spotted – I’ll probably be watching out for that in the weeks ahead.
During the summer the back of the plant is hidden by other planting, but in winter it’s visible, especially from the house. At that point I should be able to see the berries, so maybe the idea will be to deadhead only the front. I wonder if the birds would be interested in this type of rose hip. There’s a thought…
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The Artemisia is so pretty and petite! If you can’t overwinter it, I guess the online info that it’s hardy down to zone 3 must be wrong! Or you get well below -30! That Graceful Beauty allium is my favorite today. Nicer than so many of the huge ones. Graceful!
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No, we don’t get temperatures as low as that, Lisa. Brrr… We’re on the coast so even in the depths of a severe winter we’re usually a few degrees higher than elsewhere. The RHS gives a rating of -15 to -10 for ‘Nana’ but even so, it’s still rare for us to go to -10C.
I’ve always put winter problems down to our wet climate and the heavy clay that we have in the garden. Many plants don’t cope too well with it, but often there are surprises such as the lavender plants that have fared well over a number of years. Perhaps being in compost in the planter would be enough to bring her through the winter…
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I think this may be my first time visitingI await those glorious peony blooms, hopeful that a few days of sunshine will show results like yours! You mentioning dividing your astrantia has prompted me to do so this fall.
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First visit indeed, and welcome!
The wait for peonies to bloom is always a worthwhile wait, but I hope they don’t keep you waiting too long.
I don’t think you can have enough Astrantias in the garden, but I do need to introduce a few more varieties – and learn to remember to keep their labels with them! Happy gardening!
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I dead head my Bonica – it’s a bit of a fiddly job though. Beautiful photos once again, and I love the ‘forgotten plants’. I have plenty of those myself.
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I’ve had to deadhead most of my roses this week, including Bonica – very heavy rain has left the plants in a bit of a mess! Ahh well…it’s summer!
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i am an inveterate ignorer of recommended planting distances. inevitably things get too crowded, but they look so small, and there is so much space! easily done. regardless, all looking very lovely in your garden, thanks for sharing.
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Oh good – it’s nice to know I’m not alone in the art of overcrowding. 😁
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