A small island close to where I live attracts many home-grown tourists and those from further afield. The favourite activity for visitors is to hire bikes from one of the cycle hire shops and cycle around the island. This can be achieved in about an hour, though most folk take longer as they stop to admire the scenery and enjoy some ice cream or cake from a local cafe. A few days ago official figures were released for the rainfall during August (keep in mind that we still had a few days of August left) and those figures showed that rainfall for August was 240% higher than average. I can’t argue with that, the rain this month has been relentless.
One of our teenage grandsons was visiting recently and it was a challenge to find enough indoor places of interest to take him to. He thoughtfully said he was happy to be in a cooler climate since his home town in the US was having a very hot and humid summer. He hasn’t been discouraged though, as he plans to come back next year, probably in the hope that it will be a rain and wind-free visit!
My garden, however, is showing the strain. A few of the plants, some that I thought would have quickly succumbed to the bad weather, turned out to be more resilient than I gave them credit for. Rosa ‘Tottering-by-Gently’, a single rose with delicate yellow blooms, flowered on, oblivious to the dreadful conditions it was being subjected to, while all the other roses were utterly miserable-looking. The strawflowers have amazed me – they apparently need ‘well-drained soil and plenty of sun’ to thrive in the UK. Well, that hasn’t happened, but here they are, leading this week’s Six on Saturday.
Helichrysum bracteatum (Strawflower). I had five of my grandchildren check these out. I asked each one if they were real or if they were fake. After feeling them, each one said fake. They couldn’t figure out how real flowers could grow to feel like crackly paper. I haven’t really figured it out myself, but each one went back several times just to touch them again. I grew White, Salmon Rose, and Silvery Rose. Each variety, except white, produced a range of colours.
Rosa ‘Tottering-by-Gently’ – tougher than she looks.
Rudbeckias. Several pots of rudbeckias have been lined up along one of the paths for a few weeks, waiting to be planted. I wasn’t venturing out with a spade in that rain. I expect there will be more photos of these rudbeckias to come in future weeks.
Achillea ‘Cerise Queen’ with Euphorbia ‘Miners Merlot’. The achillea flopped onto the top of the euphoria; I liked the two of them together and left them alone. The bulk of the achillea had to be propped up, another casualty of the weather, but the flowers are still looking good.
Hydrangea ‘Blackberry Pie’. This hydrangea has been slow to flower as it’s in a shady spot, but it has enjoyed an abundance of water.
Coreopsis lanceolata ‘Mango Punch’. I bought 3 x 9cm pots of this plant. The one below has flowered reasonably well, though I suspect it would have been more floriferous if it had received more sunshine. Another is struggling and I’m planning to dig it up and pot it on. As for the third – it has vanished without a trace.
Initially, I was really disappointed when it started to bloom because the flowers are very small and it was only after I took the photo below that I started to appreciate the fabulous range of colours in the flowers and the tiny buds. Definitely a table-top plant!
That was my Six on Saturday contribution, but if you want to see more photos from other gardens across the world, visit our host, Jim’s, site at Garden Ruminations. That’s the place to go to discover more about Six on Saturday.
The really good news that I’ll leave you with today is that here we are forecast to have a fair number of sunny, calm and warm days ahead, while the top temperature for today is going to be a toasty 21C. Guess where I’ll be, with pruners in hand… 😁
Wherever you are, have a lovely weekend and I hope the sun shines for you!
Catherine 😊
Notes From My Garden 
The weather really is all over the place, isn’t it? Fingers crossed that the weather forecast is accurate.
Straw flowers really are amazing, aren’t they? I can understand why your grandchildren all thought they were fake!
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Today has been beautiful, Helen. I spent a lot of time in the garden deadheading. There’s not much colour left – but plenty of buds – more flowers yet to come!
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Ah, now I understand the intriguing title! We’ve had the opposite issue in this part of Somerset. Despite all that rain you still have lots of wonderful flowers though. Snap with the Strawflowers! I feel tempted to try Rudbeckias again after seeing yours. A choice of ice cream or cake – that would be a tough decision to have to make for me.
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I would happily have been outdoors with the watering can and hose if I could have swapped for your dry spell! I think the Rudbeckias earn their keep as autumn progresses. I love their autumnal colours.
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You can have both, but which one first?
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Probably the cake.
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Strawflowers are truly amazing flowers! You can be mistaken between the real and the fake. Very nice photo of the mix Achillea ‘Cerise Queen’ and Euphorbia ‘Miners Merlot’. Love both of them
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This is the first year I’ve grown strawflowers and I’d be happy to grow them again. I should be cutting some and drying them for the house.
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they are an amazing colour, Catherine…
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I found the third plant while I was deadheading today. I had planted it in a different border. 🙄 It has no flowers, so perhaps it will get lifted and potted up too.
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Good plan, Catherine. Shame not to have them together…
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That’s a lot of rain. I do like strawflowers too. Very touchy-feely plants.
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Far too much rain, Rosie. Today has been gorgeous though. It’s been warm and I’ve made the most of it!
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Lovely contrast of the little buds with the Coreopsis flowers, they go so well together. Also like your Achillea and Rudbeckia, a paler yellow than the norm which is rather nice.
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The yellow rudbeckia is called ‘Enchanted Glow’, Pauline. I bought the plants some weeks ago, but haven’t managed to get the into the ground yet.
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My neighbour on the allotment, the owner of the tunnel above mine, grows flowers to support her wedding flowers business and has lots of strawflowers on her plot. I was very impressed by how well they’ve done and no less impressed by how tall they are, hers are about four feet high. I’m very tempted to grow some in the garden next year.
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That’s tall. I have some growing in the soil right at the back of the garden that are probably about 3ft, but the rest that are (mostly) in pots are only about 2ft high. I wonder if I should be feeding those in pots?
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Will your Coreopsis stay in the garden overwinter? I’ve not had much luck, even when the label says it’s hardy. Hasn’t stopped me from trying another one though 😂
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I have two different varieties of Coreopsis that were left in the border last year and they managed to successfully make it through the winter. The RHS says that ‘Mango Punch’ is hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5) but I think I’ll lift and overwinter at least one of the plants the cold frame.
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What lovely strawflowers, I am sure you will be making some lovely arrangement with those Catherine.
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The idea was to cut and dry the strawflowers, Noelle, but after this dreadful summer, I’ve concluded that the garden needs them more than the house! Perhaps next time round. 😁
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Lovely observations and sweet stories regarding the grandchildren. We had a rainy start to our summer, but lately we’re a little behind “normal.” Rain, however, has been sufficient. All your observations are beautiful, but I absolutely adore Rosa ‘Tottering-by-Gently.’
Beth @ PlantPostings.com
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It is a lovely rose, Beth and also has large Rose Hips through winter – if I remember not to deadhead all the spent flowers! 😁
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Oh, I do hope you are getting some sunshine at last Catherine! Inthink most of the UK has had a rather cool and damp summer, but your rainfall tops it all! Such a lovely selection of plants this week. I love strawflowers as they do well here, once past the stage where slugs nibble them, that is! Your photos really do them justice. And that Coreopsis is absolutely gorgeous! Glad your grandson wasn’t deterred by the weather. Next summer can certainly only be better!
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The slugs don’t seem to have bothered with the strawflowers, Cathy. I think they’ve had plenty of nourishment from all the other delicacies around the garden! Hateful things!
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I’m sorry to hear about your oh so wet weather Catherine – mind you the north west of England seems to have been dealt a poor hand this summer too 🥲 Still there are some glorious warming splashes of colour in your garden. I like the look of those rudbeckias and the coreopsis too. I’m sure that your grandson is happy just to spend time with you regardless of the weather.
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The weather has currently taken a turn for the better, Anna, now that the schools have started back. The children all look forward to their school holidays and hope for lots of days on the beach or in parks but they didn’t get much sun or warmth this year. Everyone is hoping for better next year!
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