From Sweaters to Sunscreen

Published on by Catherine

I messaged my daughter in the US to say how hot it’s been this week at 28C. She sympathised and said it was 37C where she is.

I messaged my youngest in Australia and told her the same. She laughed and said, “Mum, it’s just going into spring here, and it’s 26C”. OK, I know how hot it gets over there, but I suppose it’s what you’re used to and here on the west coast of Scotland, 28C is hot! I’ve put my new autumn sweaters back in the wardrobe and dug out my summer blouses. And the sunscreen.

I’m sure Saturday Sixers up and down the country will be commenting about the heat we’ve had this week. It’s come as a surprise but I have to confess, I’ve enjoyed the warmth and sunshine, an unexpected treat for September.

My garden though, has been baking. I mentioned last week that my Cosmos were fading. I wanted to persuade them to last a little longer, but I made the decision this week not to use water on them and let them die off. I’ve made the same decision with other annuals and as a result, much of the garden is looking sad right now. But let’s take a look at this week’s selection for Six on Saturday.

Dahlia ‘Carolina Moon’ is a pretty waterlily type, with pink-lilac tipped petals. I haven’t had nearly as many flowers from the tuber this year – most of my dahlias have been troublesome.

Dahlia ‘Carolina Moon’

Dahlia ‘Chat Noir’ gets some afternoon shade and I don’t think it’s too happy about that. I’ve noticed from previous photos that it also photographs better with some sunshine on it – which goes against my thinking for almost all flowers & plants. I’ll find it a better location next year. Chat Noir is another Dahlia that hasn’t produced many flowers this year.

Dahlia ‘Chat Noir’

Hydrangea No Name. I grew this hydrangea from a cutting a good number of years ago. Last year I moved it to a different spot and put it in a new, larger container. So far it seems to have coped with the move, though it’s not as floriferous as it’s been in previous years.

Hydrangea

Dahlia ‘April Heather’ is a lovely Collarette type that has grown rather tall this year. I’m guessing that it’s about 5’ at the moment, and because it’s in a container, it’s taller than I am – and that makes it difficult to photograph without climbing onto a stool or ladder.

It’s the only dahlia that has performed well this year, producing masses of blooms on slender, but strong stems.

Dahlia ‘April Heather’

Tomatoes. I usually grow cordon tomatoes, but this year, because our holiday was at an awkward time, I decided to grow bush tomatoes instead. I felt they’d be easier to deal with as they didn’t have to be pinched out.

The plants were grown from seed, and the one below is Veranda Red F1 Hybrid. The other was F1 Tumbling Bella and both produced masses of cherry tomatoes that we’ve been eating all summer, from two plants of each variety. Sometimes was difficult to tell which I was picking from, as the plants grew larger than I expected and spread into each other.

They were deliciously sweet and with fine skins. I’ll go back to my favourite next year, Tomato ‘Sungold’, though I suspect I’ll grow a ‘Veranda Red’ as well.

Tomato ‘Red Veranda’

This is Rosa ‘Bonica’ and here we are, back to where I started with this week’s Six. I found this little cluster of blooms growing under the bush, no doubt surviving with the help of the light filtering in from the back of the plant. It’s a fabulous rose, producing masses of thick clusters of flowers on each stem. The only downside is that deadheading takes a lot of time in order to keep the bush looking good – but it’s worth it.

Rosa ‘Bonica’

We might have some rain here on Sunday and then it looks as though we’re returning to a mix of sunshine and showers, with lower temperatures – but still good for September. My garden will appreciate the change but I think I might be able to leave my autumn sweaters in the wardrobe for a wee while yet.

Enjoy your weekend…and happy gardening!

Don’t forget to pop over to our Six on Saturday host, Jim at Garden Ruminations.

31 thoughts on “From Sweaters to Sunscreen”

    1. So many others are commenting on the lack of flowers this year, Rosie. Even Monty on Gardeners’ World made a comment about a lack of flowers and linked it to the weather.
      Talking of weather, I spent two hours watering (and sneaking in a few photos as I went around the garden!) this afternoon and now the rain has arrived – and it’s thundering down. It’ll be good for the plants though.

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  2. It’s true that the temperatures are very high for us for September in Europe but you are right in the US it’s very hot at the moment and especially very wet in New York. Nice selection of dahlias and for me ‘Chat noir’ is my favourite. The tomatoes look delicious and not too big. So it’s ideal for snacking

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    1. It’s been overcast here today though still warm and very welcome – just like the rain that arrived a few minutes ago. The tomatoes were definitely great for snacking. I picked 1.2kg today and used them to make a pot of tomato soup.

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    1. What’s your secret?! No S&S? That must be wonderful.
      Oddly I didn’t have any aphid problems this year – until last week when they must have appeared overnight in hoards. The main attraction is the new rose growth and buds. Perhaps another weather-related issue.

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    1. Thanks, Pauline.
      You could be right about the hydrangea’s roots. Being in a container it possibly hasn’t been getting enough moisture either, although the leaves look ok.

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  6. I like the sound of those find skinned tumblers. I used to find the skins of Tumbling Tom a bit tough and grew Sungold and another cordon cherry variety this year. You have a lovely selection of Dahlias, especially Dahlia ‘April Heather’ – I must remain strong though and resist their allure!

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    1. I don’t think you can go wrong with Sungold – it’s an all-round good tomato with a really lovely taste.
      April Heather looks good nearer the back of the border. Just in case you’re looking for a filler next summer. 😁

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  8. Sorry to hear about your heat. Everything is relative, in summer if it has been 40 degrees and we get 28 degrees the next day, that is a cool change for us! 🌞 Love your hydrangea and your sweet little Bonica. She is a good performer for us too and I even have some double grafted Bonica/Iceberg standard tree roses. ⚘

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    1. Your Bonica & Iceberg standard tree roses must look fabulous in summer! It has cooled down for us now, and we’re back to sunshine & showers. Life is returning to normal 😁
      I couldn’t cope with your temperatures! 🥵

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  10. Dahlia ‘Carolina Moon’ is a lovely shape and colour as is Rosa ‘Bonica’. I have dug my two shrub roses up and yet to decide whether to find another location for them or simply take them down to my daughter’s house. I love the flowers, but hate the blackspot.

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    1. Thanks, Jude. I’m going to have to remove my rosa ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ as it’s covered in blackspot, with barely a leaf left on it and it’s been getting worse each year. Other roses have it too, but not as bad as this one. So off to the bin it will go. I hope you’ve been able to decide what to do with yours.

      I visited your blog on Saturday, but I could only ‘like’ and once again I couldn’t comment. It’s not showing the ‘reply window’. I’ve tried different browsers and different devices but just get the same result. Odd that I got in the previous week and that others manage to post replies – I’ve no idea what the issue is.

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      1. WP even makes me login on my own posts to reply to comments, and I never log out. I have no idea why you don’t even see the comment box though. I must admit I use the Reader a lot to comment now.

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        1. Like you, I stay logged in. I’m having to log in to post on some, but not all, blogs. I also have to log in to answer comments here on this blog, even though I am logged in. It’s puzzling and quite annoying. I’ll have a look at using Reader.

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  11. Interesting that your dahlias have been a bit mixed. Mine seemed to be doing better than last year due to the rain but some varieties have definitely been poor performers with small flowers. Bonica is one of my favourites too.

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    1. I think as Monty said on Gardener’s World last Friday, the weather’s been the problem this year. Perhaps we’ll all have superb dahlias next year and lovely specimens to show. Let’s hope! 😊

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  12. Your dahlias are beautiful! If this year is meager one for flowers, I look forward to seeing what a normal year will be. This is my cutting garden’s first year so I haven’t had anything to compare to yet and therefore have been happy with what’s managed to survive.

    Funny to hear about comparing temperatures to what your daughters are seeing — I would also be breaking out the fans and ice packs at 28, but now I don’t mention it to my family back in the States because they would just laugh.

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    1. Thank you, Angela. I expect they’re still time for the dahlias to prove themselves, but to be honest, they’re losing the battle of the slugs and snails. It’s mostly snails we have and I pick them off the uppermost leaves of plants during the day – they don’t even bother trying to hide any more. That includes those in pots! 🐌

      Good luck with your cutting garden as it progresses through the coming years – I’m sure you’ll find it a delight.

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  14. You are right; 28 degs in Scotland is undoubtedly very hot. While housesitting over in Scotland, we thought 18 was relatively warm in early summer. Lovely garden images and beautiful flowers rarely do well in extreme weather, so there are pluses for milder weather. We are supposed to have a sweltering summer here in NZ.

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    1. Thank you Suzanne. I hope your NZ summer isn’t going to be too hot, it saps energy from people and plants alike. I’m hoping for a crisp, colourful autumn, with not too much wind or rain. What chance do I have, I wonder! 😁

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