Six on Saturday (9 October 2021)

Last Saturday I popped into Wilko on a mission to pick up some light bulbs and bird food, ignoring the baskets on my way in as I was certain I wouldn’t be making any plant related purchases. A fair few bulbs of the spring flowering kind had already been ordered online and besides, the last time I’d had a nose around the garden section of Wilko there was barely anything there as they’d already started clearing space for all things Halloweeny and the odd thing Christmassy. Yet ten minutes later I found myself pondering how best to pick up bulbs of the illuminating kind whilst overburdened with packs of bulbs of the Narcissi, Crocus, Iris and Camassia kind; sort of hoping for a light bulb moment I suppose (oh the irony). Anyway, it didn’t end well. There were several droppages and things only got worse when it came to picking up the bird food, much to the amusement of some passersby. Do I regret my lack of willpower? Not a bit and that leads me to my first Six on Saturday.

1. Narcissus ‘Thalia.’ I’ve been meaning to get my hands on some of these for a few years now but always forgot about them come the autumn. Thankfully, Thistles and Kiwis featured ‘Thalia’ in a post a few weeks ago and when I spotted some in Wilko last Saturday I took it as a sign.

2. Another week, another Zinnia. Possibly one of the ‘Funfair Mix.’ They’re still flowering away.

3. More bulbs up next. I discovered these lurking near the mini greenhouse, unlabeled and hidden behind a big pot of Petunias. I must have bought a pot of bulbs in flower last spring, intending to plant them once they’d finished. Evidently I didn’t. I’m assuming a mini daff of some sort but they’re ridiculously early.

4. A new addition to the garden back in March, this Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’ was purchased primarily for adding some tall leafy structure rather than its berries which I’ve always thought looked a little artificial whenever I’ve seen photos of them. However, I may have been converted… possibly.

However, it’s the autumn colour of the foliage that is proving to be its biggest highlight so far. Originally planted near the patio to replace the hibiscus of stubbornly short stature, it got moved a couple of weeks ago to the spot where a rather disappointing Lilac ‘Belle de Nancy’ once grew. What happened to the Lilac? Least said, soonest mended.

5. Growing nearby is Rosa ‘Compassion.’ A few months ago her thorny stems were all tied in, restoring order to chaos. Well, chaos has returned already and access into the shed is getting tricky (not helped by a Clematis Montanna that some numpty has trained across the top of the shed). Her fragrant flowers are beautiful though and seem to vary in appearance throughout the year.

6. And finally… a Scabious. A red one, grown from seed over a year ago. It’s been flowering for months now, although is a tad leggy. I must remember to collect some of its seed.

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.

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