Six on Saturday (29 June 2024)

I really need to motivate myself and finish pulling up this and chopping back that and actually plant the annuals I grew from seed earlier in the year. Time is getting on. Some plants are struggling after the mini heatwave we had in the middle of the week, requiring emergency watering sessions in the evenings. The lawn is also on the turn. Despite all the rain we had earlier in the year, the garden could definitely do with some more of the wet stuff, preferably at night… and not too heavy please. Four of the six water butts have been completely emptied and ‘bucketing’ has commenced in an attempt to eek out out what remains. Anyway, time for Six on Saturday.

1-3. We start with a fragrant trio – the first picking of Sweet Peas, a Lily and a Salvia. The Lily has really struggled this year, producing only two flowers and, for the first time in a long time, attracting lily beetles. It’s getting on a bit, having started life in a pot over 15 years ago – so I’m not sure if it’s an age thing or whether or it just needs a good feed after it’s finished flowering.

4-6. I was a bit worried about the ‘Minera’ Rose as it was very slow to get going this year. However, it’s looking quite healthy at the moment and has produced the first of its fragrant blooms which become more purple with age. After a dearth of Foxgloves last year, they’ve come up all over the place this summer, in a variety of shades of pink. Talking of pink, the Sea Pink/Thrift has staged a comeback in the gravel path in the front garden which was a pleasant surprise. Fingers are crossed that some more appears.

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of the current Six on Saturday host, Jim.