Last weekend I finally made a start on preparing the garden for winter. One of the South African Foxgloves, an Agastache and a Verbena Hastata were dug up, plonked in pots and put in the mini greenhouse (after a battle with the ‘easily adjustable’ shelving). And the other evening I took a few quick cuttings of the Salvia ulignosa ‘African Sky’. There’ll be no more brief after-work garden potterage from tomorrow though. Oh no. After the clocks go back tonight gardening will be restricted to the weekend-weather-permitting kind. And now that the big delivery of bulbs has arrived I must confess that I’m hoping the weather won’t permit gardening of any kind this weekend. I hate planting bulbs. Which make my first Six on Saturday all the more puzzling.
1. Another Wilko bulb purchase. I’ve never grown Camassia before but have decided to give them a go. I’m sticking to just the one pack for now to see how they fair. If they’re a success more will be acquired this time next year.
2. Back in April I planted a Mahonia ‘Soft Caress.’ The leaves are pleasingly ferny and I’m hoping the flowers will be as fragrant as those of the spikey leaved variety. I’ll soon find out looking at these buds.
3. While the Mahonia should be flowering my next Six on Saturday shouldn’t. At least I don’t think it should. This Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ certainly wasn’t in flower this time last year. I’m not sure what’s going on.
4. Next up we have a Cyclamen. One of those fancy varieties that’s not necessarily all that hardy (although a red one left outdoors in a pot last winter is in full flower again). This has been living outdoors for the past month or so, but the other day I suddenly remembered that back in 2020 Jim had mentioned a fragrant variety. Curious, I sniffed this one and was pleasantly surprised to detect a sweet fragrance. It is now living in a posh pot indoors.
5. ‘Rudbeckia ‘Daisies Mixed,’ sown from seed back in 2020, is still going strong. I hope it survives another winter as it’s been one of the stars of the garden this summer.
6. As has Fuchsia ‘Army Nurse.’ She resented being moved a few years ago but has finally forgiven me. Back in October 2020 Eileen’s Tiny Welsh Garden found some details regarding the background to its intriguing name (details can be found here).
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.
One Man And His Garden Trowel 
I don’t think Viburnum tinus ever knows what it’s doing. It seems to flower at a different time every year! Nice to see the Rudbeckia still performing – those bright colours are good to see at this time of year.
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That’s useful to know regarding the Viburnum tinus!
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Seeing your Rudbekia has just moved my packet of seed to top of the list to plant at the right time.
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I wish I’d sown some more of it this year in case this one doesn’t make it through another winter.
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You won’t be disappointed with the camassias ! Very pretty flowers every year and more and more year after year. The photo of the rudbeckia is very successful.
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That’s good to know. I’ve just got to motivate myself to plant them…
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What a really interesting story about the fuchsia, and it’s heartening to read how the son was tracked down all to trace the origin of the name of the fuchsia variety. I have not heard of Camassia before so it will be interesting to see how it grows for you. Fred’s comment about it is very encouraging. Rudbeckia I planted out before winter are still growing strong, so I’m hoping for a good show from them this season.
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I look forward to seeing photos of the Rudbeckia in full flower. It’ll be interesting to see how the Camassia do.
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That camassia looks very pretty – I’ve not heard of that before. I haven’t been to Wilko for ages, (do I keep saying that?). That is an unusual rudbeckia, mine are all at the black pompoms stage now.
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It’s probably a good thing you’ve not been to Wilko for a while – think of the money you’ve saved!
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So pleased to see the Mahonia here as I have this and didn’t know what it was. I have the spiky leaved one too, but after two years in this house I am still discovering names of some of the plants. Thank you.
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That was lucky! Glad I could help. It can be tricky identifying some plants that you ‘inherit’ with a new house, especially shrubs.
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I find the camassias do best in full sun. I have a few old clumps in shade where they produce huge amounts of foliage that flops about – and a good display of flowers also, I must confess. I grow a small one, C. cusickii, in a patch of high grass and it is my favourite.
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Thanks for the advice. I’ll have to look up C. cusickii later.
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Cyclamen and fuchsia – two of my favourites.
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I’ve been contemplating getting a few more Cyclamen and as luck would have it pay day has arrived.
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Thanks for the mention. Just to point out the Eileen in the article is not me 😀
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Noted!
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I know what you mean about bulb planting, it’s drudgery. Like you I bought Camassias for the first time but foolishly ordered far too many (30) so they have gone where I could find space for them – at the allotment! This is in part shade so am somewhat apprehensive after reading Paddy’s comment. No SoS from me this week, am traveling. That Rudbeckia is wonderful especially given the time of year.
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30?! Fingers crossed yours do flower despite the shade as they’ll be a show if they do. I was going to go easy on bulbs this year but appear to have ended up with more than I thought (buying little and often has proved more dangerous than buying in bulk). Still no where near as many as the Propagator though thankfully!
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There’s always a more extreme gardener 🤪
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I’ll look forward to seeing how your camassias perform. I used to have a good clump of them but they were dug up to make way for my rockery. I think I must have composted them which is surely a criminal offence?!
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They might go easier on you sentence-wise if it was a crime of rockery passion?
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I planted Camassias in my lawn and they came up two years running, but not all of them. They like damp soil and sun I think. I suspect I have seen the last of them as I have put pebbles over that area now! Your Cyclamen is a beauty. I need to go to a nursery and buy some winter flowers for the front steps. I had some red cyclamen which were not hardy either, but which lasted for months outside.
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Damp soil and sun. That rules out the front garden which gets frazzled, but a border in the back should be okay. Thank you. I need to get a few more Violas to add some colour here and there over the winter.
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Thanks for the link to ‘Army Nurse’. I do find it interesting to know the story behind the names of plants. My viburnum tinus is also in flower.
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A few people have said there Vb’s are in flower which is reassuring, although I’ve spotted a spring flowering Viburnum carlesii in bud this afternoon!
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That’s a great six! The last three are really spectacular. I must grow some cyclamen (seems I finally managed to kill the only one I had) and try the rudbeckia. What fun. Great photos — thanks!
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I’ve managed to kill a few indoor Cyclamen. It’ll probably wish it had been left to fend for itself outdoors!
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I wish the foliage on my Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ was as green as yours, it being yellowish instead. Is yours in shade? I’ve found Camassia foliage pretty messy, even in full sun, and the flowering period is quite short. I’ve moved them to where the foliage can hang over a retaining wall. That Rudbeckia against the pink whatevers is not for the fainthearted.
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Buzzy Lizzies I think – a bold planting scheme. The Mahonia is in a fairly shady spot that gets some sun first thing in the morning during the summer. That’s good to know about the Camassia foliage. They may have to go towards the back of a border.
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Our viburnum tinus is flowering too – full of flower for the second time. I like camassia when they’re in bloom but I think you need a lot. The flowers don’t last long and the foliage needs hiding with something else. I put a few more in every year. They’re supposed to increase but I guess it takes a hundred years. Love that mahonia foliage.
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Jim was saying something similar about the Camassia. They will definitely being going towards the back of a border. Thank you.
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The cyclamen is lovely. I just returned from Tuscany, and they were in civic planters everywhere.
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They must have looked rather splendid.
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White and red mainly, they literally “popped” in the muted Tuscan color palette.
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