Six on Saturday – 9th April 2022

One of the nicest things about WordPress – and something I didn’t anticipate at all – is that it is a sort of community, and one may connect with other gardeners all over the world (and have a good nose round their gardens, too). Via Rosie Amber (http://rosieamber.wordpress.com) I have come across Six on Saturday, started by The Propagator (http://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com), both well worth a follow (I hope I’m putting these links in correctly, I’m still a complete Luddite when it comes to finding my way around WordPress!) Anyway, here are my Six on Saturday. Blogging on a Saturday is tricky for me usually due to a convergence of many hours in the garden and sundown beers, but I’ve been uncharacteristically on the alcohol-free beer tonight, so I’m able to participate in Six on Saturday, albeit at the 11th hour!

Tulip Abu Hassan. I’m thrilled with these, the photo doesn’t do it justice, the colours really glow like jewels. I’ll be planting lots more of these. As a bonus, they’re said to perennialise, too.

Cerinthe. I love this crazy plant. To me it looks metallic, like titanium jewellery or something. Looks amazing with bright orange (which I hope that geum behind will demonstrate when it really gets into its stride).

Tulip chaos in my long border – I like the jumble of colours though so I’ll probably give up trying to have a colour scheme.

This is an idea I got from a Sarah Raven book. Apparently this technique with roses was used at Sissinghurst Gardens under Vita Sackville-West. A framework of bent hazel stems is placed in the ground round the bush, and the supple new growth is bent down and tied to the hazel. This forces the plant to produce more blooms (upright growth – foliage, laterals – flowers) – I think! Certainly I always find lateral training boosts flowering so it’ll be interesting to see how this goes. Looks a bit mean to the plant, though, doesn’t it?!

We have several breeding pairs of blackbirds in the garden and they all think I’m their best mate. Mrs Blackbird followed me everywhere as she knows worms and other titbits appear when I’m out gardening.

Bosun the Under-Gardener celebrated the first lawn-mowing of the year by performing an elaborate dance routine in the dappled sunshine under the apple tree.