It has just occurred to me that this is the fifth week that a rose has been the featured image on Six on Saturday. But I couldn’t let the season pass without giving a major mention to (another favourite) Rosa ‘Mortimer Sackler’.
So, what do I love about Mortimer Sackler? It has tall, slender and very elegant reddish stems and lovely little pointed red buds that sit out from flowers that are already in bloom. At a quick glance, the buds give the shrubs a polka-dot appearance as they’re so distinctive from the soft pink of the open flowers.
I love that it’s thornless, I can happily get in there amongst the three Mortimers and prune without being ripped to shreds. Mortimer flowers well over a long period of time, with the pink flowers turning white before falling to the ground (if I’m not fast enough in deadheading them). And did I mention that it has a beautiful perfume – the icing on the cake.
Talking of cake – today is special. I’m having a lunchtime garden picnic for my son, his partner and our two adorable grandchildren, plus the children’s other much-loved gran. It will all be well within our newly relaxed lockdown rules.
The bunting is up and I need to go now and organise the tables that are being placed at various spots in the garden so that we can sit in or out of the sun – and needless to say, I’m hoping that the sun continues to shine! We have a few family games lined up, and the water table will be out to let the children have some messy fun before they go home, probably soaking wet.
So, I’ll leave you for now, and hope that you like my choices for today’s Six.
Rosa Mortimer Sackler
Achillea ‘Lilac Beauty’
I added three Achillea ‘Lilac Beauty’ to the border a few months ago, as the plant information stated that they look best planted in drifts. Three might prove to be a bit too much for the border when the plants grow, but for the moment they will be fine where they are.
Rosa ‘Queen of Sweden’
The colour of Queen of Sweden begins as an apricot-pink then matures to a soft pink. It also has a lovely perfume.
Dahlia ‘Mr Frans’
My dahlias are quite late in flowering, the first to appear is Mr Frans and has been grown from a tuber that I stored last year. Dahlia ‘Mr Frans’ is a Waterlily type and the most lovely peach colour.
Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’
This is the first time that I’ve grown Cerinthe from seed and was surprised that all the seeds germinated and even more surprised that they quickly matured to plants large enough to go into the garden. I thought I’d have enough to put a few in a container with other plants, but I had enough to go in several pots, plus the borders and even had a few left to pass on to family and friends.
Lavender
I think this is Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ but I can’t be sure. They’re just a small collection of four or five plants that border a path.
Stay safe, stay healthy, wherever you are – and have a happy weekend!
ABOUT SIX ON SATURDAY
To join with other garden enthusiasts from around the world, just take six photographs and post them to Twitter and/or your blog each Saturday. You can get all the details from The Propagator who kindly set it all up.
All photographs copyright of Catherine Wood unless otherwise stated.
Notes From My Garden 
I love your Queen of Sweden. It’s just the kind of pink I like in everything – that one with a little touch of yellow tones through it. It’s a warm pink. I wish I had the space to grow roses…
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Roses – my no.1 garden love – I always have to find spaces for roses. 😁
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You can never have too many roses!
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I agree with you completely!
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Drat, where am I going to fit another rose? Rosa ‘Mortimer Sackler’ is lovely and the idea of a thornless fragrant rose is very appealing. Lots of beautiful flowers this week and that dahlia is stunning. Enjoy your lunch garden picnic with your family.
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Mortimer is a very slim rose, and easy to maintain whatever height you decide you want it to be.
It was fairly cold yesterday for lunch, I ended up with my jacket on. Have to keep reminding myself that this is July. But lovely have our family with us.
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Beautiful photographs! Have a wonderful party, the weather is just perfect, I am sure there will be lots of admiring comments about your garden.
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Thank you, it always helps if you have willing subjects for the camera. It was only 14C with a cold wind, but the sun shone all day for us. Our littlest grandson was more interested in collecting strawberries – no matter what colour they were – white, green or red, than anything else. For me – it was the cuddles that made the day. 😊
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So pretty roses again, and that dahlia is gorgeous with raindrops…
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Thank you – don’t know how I’ll cope when the roses are past their best! 😄
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One of my all time favourite camellias is ‘Annette Carol’, which is strikingly similar to ‘Mortimer Sackler’ in both colour and form. It appeals to me much more than ‘Queen of Sweden’, though I’m not sure I could say why.
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Perhaps it’s the informality of the rose that appeals to you, Jim? I like the sense of freeness that the Mortimer Sackler flower has.
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A lovely six. I like Rosa ‘Mortimer Sackler’ too. It’s an airy plant. How tall do you keep yours?
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I prune it quite hard, Sue – it grows to around 5ft. They were a gift from one of my daughters many years ago, and at that time they were sold either as a shrub or a climber. These were bought as a shrub, though now I’ve noticed that David Austin’s site sell it as a climber and others say ‘can be grown as a shrub or short climber’.
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It’s all in the pruning!
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Your choices this week are just to my taste! I’ve a space marked out for Mortimer Sackler once I’ve put in something for it to grow up. I chose it based on the catalogue description so is so good to have a first hand glowing review of it too.
I wanted some Achillea Lilac Beauty, but for reasons for economy went for a seed mix which claims to be lilac shades I think. I’m still waiting for them to flower. I hope I get at least some that colour.
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I grow mine as shrubs, so they don’t need any support, though I wouldn’t object to having one as a climber either. 🙂
I’m very pleased with Achillea ‘Lilac Beauty’. I also have Cerise Queen but much prefer the lilac, as it produces a good range of colour shades and tints, all of which I find really pleasant. It also has slightly looser flower heads than the other. I hope your seeds produce the flowers that you’re happy with.
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The roses are stunning this year. Your dahlias are way ahead of mind but my Cerinthe major is a distant memory, although, much to my relief, there are several seedlings showing.
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I’m sure your dahlias will catch up, Granny. I see from my window this morning that another two have opened, but others don’t appear to be doing much at all. That’s good to hear that the Cerinthe are self-seeding. Perhaps some of mine will be successful in seedling this year.
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Cerinthe is amazing. I had to look it up, and it makes sense it can get so big from seed since it’s related to borage! Too bad it’s an annual. Although, I may still try it out next year, it’s so unusual.
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I didn’t know that it was borage-related, Lisa. Interesting. It does self-seed, though I have less success with plants self-seeding. Only those I don’t want to reappear seem to pop back up. Lol
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Mr. Frans doesn’t seem late to me! Dahlias here are about to begin and will continue to November. That peach is lovely and I’m a big waterlily fan. I would also appreciate the thornless Mortimer, as I’m getting stuck by thorns far too often. 🙂 Have a great week in your garden.
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Ah, we seem to have a month of a difference. My Dahlias are usually in flower at the start of July, but the frost ends them in October. Hope we get to see your dahlias soon! I’ll pop over to your site later today. 😊
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My roses aren’t so beautiful so I enjoy looking at yours and I love your pretty pastel theme this week. I’ve grown Cerinthe from seed for the first time too. Several direct into a border and then I sowed the rest in a container, not expecting them all to germinate and also not get eaten! Just about to start flowering now. I hope they do not self-seed like the borage. I am constantly pulling out borage seedlings.
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Thanks for the comment about the roses – that’s kind of you, though they don’t remain beautiful all the time, the weather takes its toll, just like in every other garden.
I sowed my Cerinthe seeds in a seed tray, potted on, hardened out and then planted out. Perhaps taking the long route to get the same results as you wasn’t necessary. 😂
I had borage last year that must have seeded from somewhere, carried by the wind or birds because I definitely didn’t plant it. It hasn’t come back, and last time I had Cerinthe in the garden it didn’t come back – but I’d be happy if some of them did self-seed. Maybe not too many, but probably I don’t have the option of being selective!
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Mortimer roses thornless, that’s really a wow factor and love it as it’s pink. Dahlia peachy colour is gorgeous. Love lavender, got hidcote, liking its deep purple buds. Always love your roses tho, looking gorgeous and healthy.
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The official info fo this rose states ‘ almost thornless’ but I haven’t come across one yet, and I have three Mortimers in the ground. Maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon.
I love lavender too, and also have l. ‘Vera’ but it’s not in bloom yet. Thanks for your comments. 😊
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love both your roses, and having been lightly mauled by a rose at the weekend, i too am liking the idea of a thornless rose!
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‘Almost thornless’ is the official description, but I have three plants and haven’t come across a thorn yet.
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Oh ‘Mortimer Sackler’ sounds like a gem Catherine – no thorns and scent too! What’s not to like? I grow cerinthe at the allotment where it is most obliging and self seeds. I do hope that you enjoyed your family get together at the weekend.
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Anything with that combination has to be good. 😁 Perhaps my Cerinthe will self-seed too – I’ll have to be patient! We did have a lovely time together at the weekend – thank you. 😊
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Once again your roses appear stunning. Love them both. That is a great idea to plant the Achillea in a drift for effect. I do like it. The lavender is beautiful. I invested in 4 young plants a week or so ago, and hope they will do well in pots. The few I put in the ground have not done well at all. Must be the clay soil. The family picnic sounds lovely.
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I have my lavender in clay soil too – and I’ve lost so many of them over the years. Recently I’ve been putting a good amount of grit into the planting hole, and it seems to have made a difference – they’ve all come through the dreadfully wet season that last winter produced.
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Thank you for that tip! I might try that when I plant my new four out! Much appreciated.
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The Dahlia Mr Franz is stunning! I love the colour and the shape. It’s a great time of the year in any garden that has dahlias & they’ll gladly stretch on until late autumn.
Your family gathering sounds lovely. I hope you all had a super get-together.
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That Dahlia is definitely a favourite – I’ve been trying to get more photos this week, as new flowers have opened, but it’s been too wet on the days I had free.
We had a lovely time together – thank you. 😊
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