Six on Saturday – 3rd September 2022

I am frazzled and so is the garden. There is much to be done, yet no energy or motivation to do it, and the plants are similarly exhausted after so much heat and so little rain – now is not the time to be upping and moving the gardener or the plants. So, we tinker around the edges, and deadhead when we can be bothered, and wring our hands at the outbreak of red spider mite that threatens the new dahlias. And we wait, for a better state of mind. And the rain comes at last, in the night, and we are grateful. This too shall pass.

Mr Propagator continues to host Six on Saturday for us, even though he’s running a race on Anglesey (thanks MrP!) so head on over to his page and see how all the other SOSers around the world are getting along: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2022/09/03/six-on-saturday-03-09-2022/

The morning glory on the left self-seeded from a pot stood at the foot of the pergola some years ago: every year I think they aren’t coming back, and every year, eventually, they do. Pleasing red berries on the honeysuckle on the right, too. Rose Gertrude Jekyll battles on above the rudbeckia on the third column in the background.

The morning glory is so exuberant that it’s taking over this chair. I’m letting it. These chairs are damned uncomfortable to sit on anyway. (I’m counting this photo as an extension of the previous one, so not counting it as one of the six. I know, that’s cheating.)

The tomatoes have been excellent this year. Not the biggest yield but by far the best taste. Best varieties have been red romello plum, green zebra, Goldwin’s golden cocktail cherry, and costoluto fiorentino. I read that tomatoes are self-pollinating and should come true from saved seed. I’ll certainly try this out. Please ignore my chipped bowl: we are clumsy and the kitchen is full of unforgiving surfaces.

The borders are jaded but still trying: the gardener can relate. Thank god for rudbeckia and their indefatigable happy glow.

Dahlia whaltzing Matilda glowing in the (welcome) drizzle.

A late sunflower. I think this might be Valentine. The sunflowers were all short this year, I think they were hungry. I shall cosset them more next year.

Agastache Navajo sunset, grown from seed. I’ll grow more – it has proved very drought tolerant and gives a pleasing pop of orange over a long season. I like it here with this variegated thyme. I don’t usually like variegated plants but I love all thymes so this one gets a reprieve.