Our overnight temperatures dropped to 3C & 4C during the past few nights, and tonight is forecast to be a very cold 1C (33.8F). Brrr… I hope the dahlias can cope with this, it’s still September and I’d like to have them flowering in the garden for a few more weeks yet. I checked on D. ‘Chat Noir’ on Thursday evening when I went out to close up the greenhouse and I was so excited to see it covered in masses of buds – some ready to open. Just imagine what a display that would be if they were to open together…I can dream, can’t I?
This week, we have been treated to loads of gloriously sunny days and, in sheltered spots, it’s been warm too. I paid the nursery another visit (more below), sowed some Ammi visnaga seeds, and husband and I have been busy digging holes for plunge pots in the border revamp. More about that another time.
Heuchera ‘Marmalade’
The garden is home to a number of heucheras plus one heucherella. At this time of the year, some will begin to look a tiny bit tired, but my much loved H. ‘Marmalade’ is currently looking absolutely fabulous. I never tire of gazing at the lovely range of colours on this plant, though in time it will succumb to the weather that the next few months will most likely throw at it. I would like to have this in a pot as well as in the ground, but I don’t want to divide it as it still has a bit of growing to do. Instead, I might get a new plant and put this one in a pot – just on its own.
What colour of pot would you choose for H. ‘Marmalade’ – terracotta, cream, black perhaps…? All ideas welcome!
Wisteria sinensis ‘Prematura’ Tree
The standard Wisteria is blooming for a second time this year, and the perfume is heavenly. It doesn’t have long flowers only little purple floral balls. I don’t mind that they’re not long racemes – I’m perfectly happy to have these surprise flowers in late September alongside a few fat buds so that I can enjoy the fabulous, overwhelming fragrance. I’ve had this tree for around 4 years and this is the first time it’s given me a second flush of flowers.
Heuchera ‘Silver Scrolls’ and Forget-me-nots.
The forget-me-nots have grown where the seeds have fallen, and the three small heucheras were planted about six, maybe seven or eight weeks ago. I’ve lost track of time this year. The forget-me-nots will overwhelm the small heucheras, so I’ll transfer some of them to a different border.
The underside of the pretty heuchera leaves are deep burgundy, and the tops, as with all heucheras, vary in colour, with the older leaves taking on a green-grey tone while the younger leaves have a distinct magenta touch. I expect this will change in summer and as the plants mature – whatever way they go, they’re very attractive edge of border plants.
Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ is partially shown in the background.
Rosa Valentine Heart
The roses are loving this good spell of weather, and although their leaves are starting to look messy, buds are opening to some lovely blooms.
Astrantia Buckland
It’s not only the roses and the wisteria that are enjoying the sunshine, this astrantia has also produced a great second flush of flowers. The flowers look just as good as they did earlier in the year, the only tell-tale sign of autumn is the yellow in the leaves.
Nursery Visit No. 2
I left the house yesterday just after 9am and around 30 minutes later I was at the nursery. It was a lovely countryside drive, on a beautiful calm, sunny morning with hardly any traffic on the road. I got home just after 12 noon, with a little haul that will fill a few gaps at various times next year.
Here’s what I brought home:
Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’
Aquilegia ‘Ruby Port’
Helleborus ‘Double Ellen Red’ and ‘Double Ellen Pink’
Fuchsia ‘Alice Hoffman’
Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’
Salvia × sylvestris ‘Mainacht’ x 2
Astrantia – which should have been ‘Venice’, but I took home ‘Sunningdale Variegated’. I hunted through the stock to find one with some nice fresh growth and probably picked the only wrong plant in the section – I should learn to check labels – I’ve made the same mistake in the past.
Almost forgot – one Heritage Pot Mint Green 41cm. Also in the September sale. 😊
It looks as though we’re going to have a sunny day here today with a maximum temperature of 13C (55.4F), and a cold northerly wind. It’s time for me to don multiple cosy layers before setting foot in the garden. Have a happy gardening weekend everyone, take care and stay safe.
ABOUT SIX ON SATURDAY
To join with other garden enthusiasts from around the world, and see how they garden, 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 
You have added a wonderful selection to the garden, something we haven’t managed to do at all this year – except by online ordering of bulbs etc. The heuchera look splendid and make a beautiful groundcover plant.
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Thank you Paddy. I’ve been online plant shopping right through lockdown – but there’s nothing to beat being in a large plant nursery and picking your own. I felt quite comfortable about going to this place as it’s all outdoors and although there might be a lot of customers present they’re seldom seen – or seen in the distance.
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Maybe a black pot for the Heuchera marmalade? You want to show off the beautiful colours.
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Black would work well – I’m taking notes. 😁
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That was a a very productive nursery trip! Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ is very pretty. As for pot colour I don’t know. Terracotta? Dark brown? Pale blue? I have a dahlia that has yet to flower but buds are forming. Fingers are crossed that the ‘Chat Noir’ flowers before the frosts arrive. I keep putting off moving all of the forget-me-not seedlings.
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I was an enjoyable trip Graeme, and I’ve been in the garden all day planting up my purchases from this and last week. I had a bulb order delivered this morning and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed! This good spell of dry sunny weather is to give way to rain next week. Less panting time.
I’ve been putting off the removal of the forget-me-nots too, but when they’re still so small it’s easy just to slide a trowel (I use my compost scoop) under them and drop the lot into the new bed. I must, must, must do it before they get too big!
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I’ll go shopping with you next time. That’s my kind of plant list.
If your Wisteria is in sunshine, what about putting the Marmalade in a purple pot?
That Heuchera is going directly to my wish list… You know the one.
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Good thinking! Marmalade’s current home is below the Wisteria. 😁 Yes, I have a wish list like yours too, it just grows and grows.
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They’re the best lists! Nothing worse than a static list. 🤔
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1°C! It’s really very cold for the end of September. Here, the lowest was 8 ° and I find that already very low…
I also grow the heuchera Marmalade and this colour is quite seasonal ( with that of the leaves that are going to fall)
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Temperatures will rise again next week, but with it cometh the rain. I’d rather have the cold dry days, than warmer wet days.
The leaves in my garden are already tumbling Fred. One tree, the Norway maple ‘Crimson King’ is almost bare already.
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What a great hunting trip Catherine. If you don’t already have Sunningdale, you won’t be disappointed. I would go with a blue pot or a black pot for your heuchera which looks magnificent.
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I don’t have Sunningdale, Noelle – but if you’re saying that it will be a lovely plant, then I’ll have to find a nice spot for it. But I’ll still be on the lookout for Astrantia Venice. 😁
Thanks for your input about the pot – black seems to be popular.
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The heuchera looks stunning, and only partly due to your great photography. Black would certainly show up those warm colours, but terracotta or cream might be easier to place in the garden. I’m sure it would look lovely whichever you choose.
The rose and astrantia both look good still, even this late in the season.
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I have terracotta and cream pots, but not black. Black seems to be a popular choice, and I am planning to paint the fence black – whenever paint comes back onto the market. Decisions!
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What a wonderful haul from the garden centre. I didn’t find much I liked when I visited my local one. I’d like to get some Astrantia, but may wait until spring now. I have Marmalade Heucheras in the garden and one in a pot. My pot is a teal blue and looks lovely. You can see it on this post
https://cornwallincolours.wordpress.com/2019/10/26/six-on-saturday-end-of-bst
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That’s a really unusual and lovely pot, Jude. I would imagine a pot like that is difficult to come across, how nice to be gifted one. I do like the teal colour.
I didn’t get much from our nearest garden centre when I went a couple of weeks ago, but the one I visited this week and last is (I think) one of the largest nurseries in Scotland. I liked that everything was outdoors, or only had canopies overhead – it felt covid-safe, so I was comfortable spending time there, just searching.
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There are several nurseries near me, but I haven’t been out that much. Hopefully next year, if they have survived.
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I’ve only recently started going to a few places, but our covid numbers are growing too fast for comfort and I think I’ll be retreating back indoors again. I too hope that nurseries and garden centres will survive.
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That astrantia is very pretty. I think cream for the pot. I haven’t looked at Hey Jude’s post yet to see the effect of blue.
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I have a nice cream pot that will be available soon, though I probably won’t lift the heuchera until it starts back into new growth in spring. Thanks for your thought on this. 😊
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A second flush of flowers on that pretty astrantia! So beautiful
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I was surprised at the volume of the second flush of flower stems – and that they looked as good as they did earlier in the year. The others at the back of the garden haven’t given much of a second flush.
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I’d pick cream or black for the pot of Heuchera! I have been a very good girl and not visited the garden center one time this year! How in the world did I mange that? Your haul looks good and your garden as beautiful as ever!
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Lockdown kept me indoors for around 6 months, so getting out to the nursery has been a real treat (but I was ordering online plants during that time). No, I don’t know how you coped! Perhaps it’s time for you to get some plant treats for yourself now. 😊
Cream or black seems to be the way to go. Thanks!
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Yes I am eyeing MUMS!
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Happy shopping!
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I am partial to bright blue, but could you use the new green one? I thought forest green before I saw you bought a green pot. Not cream, it wouldn’t set off the pretty colors of the leaves much. I don’t think terra-cotta would either. I usually just use what I have!
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Normally I use the first that becomes available, Lisa – but some plants need a pot to call their own. I already have ideas for the green pot (it’s very pale green) so it’s taken. 😁 I agree about terracotta – I already have an autumn coloured heuchera in a terra pot – plant and pot are too similar.
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I’d go with black, then you can put it wherever you want and only have to match the foliage colour. I succumbed to one Heuchera early this year, it’s done well and there will probably be more; I shall look out for ‘Marmalade’, and the silver one is nice too.
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Black appears to be in the lead! Thank you, Jim. I’m rather taken with ‘Silver Scrolls’ though there’s another that I might consider at a later date – Heuchera ‘Silver Gumdrop’ – sometimes a border needs a little bit of calming colour.
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good haul! i too am playing the dahlia waiting game. i have a few that have not yet flowered that I hope beat jack frost to the mark.
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So many people seem to be having problems with non-flowering dahlias this year. I only have one that hasn’t flowered, and that’s the one I wanted most of all – D. ‘Café au Lait’. I don’t think there’s much hope for it now, the good spell of weather appears to be over, but I hope you manage to get some flowers before the frosts arrive.
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What a lovely selection of new plants you have there! Heucheras are great favourites of mine and I have 4 different varieties. Mine grow better in pots, but that means I can place them in strategic positions in the garden to add well needed colour! The Marmalade is gorgeous! Good news is that I have bought an Astrantia! Not much choice online, but the one I have is A. major. It arrived looking a bit shaken, but is doing very well in its new pot. The rose is a gorgeous colour!
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I missed your comment coming in, sorry. 😐 I’m glad you managed to get an astrantia – I have A. major too, it was the first one I bought and is still going strong after many years in the same spot. There’s now a good few divisions of it elsewhere in the garden – I hope it grows well for you.
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