Calm, Sunny, Beautiful

Published on by Catherine

This final full week of September has been glorious. The sun has shone its heart out and the winds have been calm, barely there. Still, it has been cool enough for only a lightweight jacket in the mornings, and just warm enough to throw it aside in the afternoons. You might think that I have taken advantage of this week of joyful weather to work like a Trojan in the garden, but you would be wrong. I’ve done little more than check in on a few cuttings, pull a few weeds, and remove most of the Cosmos. I have though, been doing other things.

The Cosmos plants would have continued for a few more weeks, but they were starting to look a little scrappy, and I needed their space for spring bulbs that were delivered yesterday. They’ve been wonderful this year, but it was time to say goodbye.

The garden is winding down and it’s getting harder to find much of interest, but here is the selection for this week’s Six on Saturday.

Rosa Princess Anne. Just starting to unfurl her petals, this rose took me by surprise when I found her hiding below other planting.

Rosa ‘Princess Anne’

Rosa Bonica has to be the hardest working rose in the garden. It just goes on producing large clusters of flowers, month after month. The colours are paling and softening now, but the roses are still looking good.

Rosa ‘Bonica’

Helenium ‘Short ‘n’ Sassy’ bloomed early and is now looking a little tired, but still, the colour is welcome in the borders.

Helenium ‘Short ‘n’ Sassy’

Three Cosmos. While I don’t know the name of this dark magenta cosmos, I loved the drama it brought to the border. The second is ‘Psyche White’, which, despite its charm, disappointed in terms of volume and height. Lastly, there’s ‘Seashells Mixed’. Though I can see why many will adore its uniqueness, I found it hard to love, perhaps because I didn’t see any of the flowers fully opening.

  • Cosmos
  • Cosmos ‘Psyche White’
  • Cosmos ‘Seashells Mixed’

Japanese Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ & ‘September Charm’. ‘Honorine’ is a lovely anemone, but the weather got to the plant before the camera did and this photo doesn’t do it justice. ‘September Charm’ is one I’d recommend only to anyone who has a field-size plot where they can let it rampage. I’ve been digging it out for years, and every year it has come back again, travelling through the roots of everything else in the bed.

  • Honorine Jobert
  • September Charm

Finally, the Cosmos that I love the best. It has been on these posts before, but for this year, this is its last outing. This is Cosmos ‘Sweet Kisses’ and one I would happily grow again.

Cosmos ‘Sweet Kisses’

If you want to know more about Six on Saturday, pop over to Garden Ruminations where everyone congregates to show off their garden wonders.

Next week’s jobs are to remove the remaining annuals and plant some bulbs for spring. Today’s job will be a quick sprint through the rain (it’s heavy!) to the greenhouse to check on the cuttings – after more than three weeks I’m not seeing any signs of growth – but perhaps I’ll get a nice surprise! 😃

Have a lovely weekend!

Catherine x

23 thoughts on “Calm, Sunny, Beautiful”

  1. A beautiful selection. Cosmos ‘Sweet Kisses’ is particularly lovely. What a nice surprise to discover Rosa Princess Anne flowering. I’m still waiting for signs of growth on the cuttings I took weeks ago. On the plus side, most haven’t shriveled and turned brown yet!

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    1. The rose was new this year, so it’s still small and perennials have swamped it. It will make more an appearance next year. Good to know that your cuttings are taking their leisurely time too. Perhaps there’s still hope for mine. Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. I think I much prefer a more traditional approach to Cosmos, Fred, the tube shapes did nothing for me. But I’m sure that more varieties will appear on the market to tempt us to try them. 😁

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  5. Lovely roses. If I lived somewhere less exposed and wet I would have more roses. Until then I shall admire yours. I wonder if your deep magenta cosmos is Dazzler? It looks very much like mine (although mine were supposed to be Velouette – I later noticed in my order that they had been substituted, I wondered why the flowers were plain). I have grown Psyche before and loved her, but I agree that  Cosmos ‘Sweet Kisses’  is a beauty.

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    1. I don’t remember having Dazzler seeds this year, but you’re right, it does look like it. Psyche seeds didn’t germinate well and those that did were rather spindly. Perhaps that’s why they have failed to impress. 🤔

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      1. I cheated this year and bought seedlings from SR but I am annoyed the ones I ordered were substituted and I am not impressed with the Apricotta either – they have already gone over.

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        1. That would have been disappointing. I’ll probably be buying plugs and seedlings next year as I need to cut back on sowing seeds, but how can you avoid companies sending subs instead?

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  9. Wow, ‘Sweet Kisses’ is enchanting, for sure! My Cosmos are still blooming like crazy, but our weather has been very mild and we had plenty of rain through the summer. Your Anemones and Roses and other blooms are stunning, too. Enjoy the autumn beauty!

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    1. Thank you, Beth. It’s a pity the Cosmos had to go, they still had flowers, but the plants were not looking as good – and space was needed for bulbs. 😊

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  10. The cosmos Sweet Kisses really is pretty, and I will have to see if I can find it here. I am usually disappointed with my Cosmos and will probably return to the original one (‘Sensation Mix’?) that I grew first, all those years ago! My best one this year was an unnamed pink one in a mix. Good to hear you finally had some glorious weather. Hope it continues to stay mild and sunny while you are bulb planting. I am half way through my bulbs… last stretch today! Have a good gardening week Catherine!

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    1. Cosmos are odd when it comes to seed germination. One variety has great germination one year and a few to zero seeds make it above the soil the following. But this year, they have been great. The rain has arrived here and we have weather warnings in place from tomorrow evening. I fear no bulbs will be planted this week. Good to hear that you’ve been making such good progress with yours! 😁

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