Six on Saturday (19 January 2019)

It’s been rather gloomy weatherwise over the past week. In fact it’s been so gloomy that, at times, the days seem to have been getting shorter again rather than longer. But I haven’t let it get me down, oh no. I’ve been formulating a plan to extend the beds near the patio. After months of pondering how best to go about it (how many slabs to dig up and which ones) and weighing up the pros (more plant space ergo more plants) against the cons (more rubble and gravel to get shot of and less patio to put pots on) and disregarding the cons, I think I’m ready to get started; possibly later today if the rain holds off or perhaps tomorrow. But enough of future bed extenions and patio reductions, what six gardeny things have I chosen for my Six on Saturday today?

1. This dwarf Sweet Box featured in a SoS way back at the beginning of November. It was in bud then and I’d assumed the flowers would have opened weeks ago, but no. However, I think they’re finally about to release their delicious scent.

2. The larger variety (not Sarcococca confusa as I originally thought but possibly hookeriana var. digyna) also featured in a previous SoS. It too is taking its time to do its wafty scenty thing.

3. But at least the Sweet Box shrubs are looking fighting fit. The same, alas, can’t be said for the Daphne odora. The gardening gurus tell you Daphnes don’t like having their roots disturbed. Well this poor thing has been moved twice over the years but it has always pulled through. It was repositioned again during the Great Shrub Move of October 2018 and initially it seemed to be doing really well, even developing flower buds for the first time in a long time. Over the past week however it’s begun to look very sorry for itself indeed. I think it may flower itself to death and the vinca behind it is poised, ready to take its place.

4. After that sorrowful sight there’s only one plant that can help lift the spirits. Cheery violas.

A gratuitous close up shot of a viola may also be needed…

5. The Rose banksiae ‘Lutea’ has almost featured as a SoS a few times but has aways been ditched for something else at the last minute. We’ve had ours two years and it has yet to flower. I think part of the problem was that it was sharing the West facing fence with the rampant Clematis montana. The rose has been moved to the South facing fence where I’m hoping it will thrive. Having accidentally killed the tree that was growing near this spot in the Autumn I’m also hoping the rose will eventually help hide the view of the top of the neighbour’s van (though a few more rows of wires higher up the fence may be needed to help support it).

6. And finally… the mini greenhouse. As useful as the plastic mini growhouse has been over the past 6 years (and will hopefully continue to be for a work colleague) I’d always fancied something a bit more substantial. I just didn’t know where such a thing would go… until we decided to replace the old green shed.

Last weekend was spent constructing the new aluminium greenhouse of miniature stature. Thankfully, I found the box which contained the instructions.

And by 3pm on Sunday it was finished. Well, almost finished. I was missing a few parts for the fifth and final shelf when I took this photo (though they’ve since arrived and been fitted).

It won’t get as much sun as the old plastic growhouse used to as it’s in a more shady spot in the garden, but I’m hoping it’ll get enough sunlight to give things a head start come the spring.

There’s only one thing that worries me. Why do I have these nuts and bolts, an unidentifiable cap thingy and three plastic tubes left over?

And they were my Six on Saturday. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, take a look at the site of the chap who started it all over at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.