I’m sure the house sparrows think of the garden as their own and view me as an annoyance, disrupting their busy routine when I’m out pottering. A possie of them spend each day eating sunflower hearts and taking baths of both the watery and dusty kind. They battle with pieces of string I’ve used to tie in this and that (apparently it would be put to far better use as nesting material), squabble occasionally, and search amongst plants for aphids. Yet until earlier this week, they hadn’t discovered the horrible grey aphids that have set up home on the Sambucus nigra ‘Golden Tower.’ However, the other evening I watched as one sparrow ventured into the narrow elder of yellowy-green foliage and started to pick off the little sap-suckers. And where one sparrow ventures, others are quick to follow. A small flock of starlings have also been making frequent visits to extract leatherjackets from the lawn (it’s a bit disconcerting to see just how many of the grubs lurk beneath it). Now if only the resident amphibians would eat a few more of the slimy plant assassins of the night who will no doubt set upon my first Six on Saturday in a few weeks…
1. Last Monday I decided to start the process of hardening off some of this year’s seed-sown plants. Ah, it seems like only yesterday they were but tiny young seedlings. As is often the way, the weather turned wet and rather breezy almost as soon as I started, but I’ve stuck to the plan. I’ll carry on ferrying them in and out for another week and then I’ll have to figure out where to put everything.

2. Next up, Geum, ‘Tequila Sunrise.’ Part of the ‘Cocktail Series,’ I’m hoping it will produce more flowers than it did last year. Two ‘Banana Daiquiri’ may have been acquired in April and are being nurtured in pots until they’ve put on a bit more growth.

3. As the Tulips go over the Dutch Iris have started to bloom. I usually find myself planting more of these every autumn but I completely forgot last October. Fortunately, they seem to do well here, coming up each year. Although that wasn’t the case with my next SoS…

4. A Wilko purchase back in November 2020, only one rather sad looking Dutch Iris ‘Carmen’ flowered in the spring of 2021. However, there are at least three in bloom at the moment so perhaps they just take a little while to get going.

5. Alliums are also beginning to do their thing. This lot were carelessly tipped into a pot in the autumn during the I’m-flippin’-sick-and-tired-of-finding-somewhere-to-plant-blubs-I’m-not-bothering-next-year stage.

6. And finally… For many years I’ve tried to grow Welsh Poppies, transplanting some from my mother-in-law’s garden, scattering seed and even purchasing the odd plant. They have never returned or seeded themselves… until now. I’ve read warnings that they’ll take over and I’ll be forever pulling them up. Well, I don’t care. They’re wych.

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.