Good morning, welcome to another Six on Saturday. The Propagator, the original Six-er, will be hosting a whole variety of SoS posts, so do pop over and take a look. For my part, everything is a little on the busy side, as is the way of things at this time of year. I’m just about keeping on top of things, but the to-do list is stretching away into the horizon faster than I can tick things off. Never mind! Here are my Six for this week:
1. Wisteria
The Wisteria is looking good. I don’t think there’s much more to say!
2. Peony
A few years ago I was planting out a some bare root Peonies for a customer. A single digit from one of the finger-like roots accidentally ended up in my pocket. From tiny stolen roots, mighty Peonies do grow. It’s in the wrong place, as is the Daylily in front of it. Perhaps it’s hiding from any recriminations.
3. Dicentra formosa ‘Bacchanal’
For colour, ‘Bacchanal’ is probably one of my favourite Dicentra cultivars. Most of the Dicentras and herbaceous Corydalis made a good showing pretty early on, but have stalled since then. With the wet weather we’ve had over the past couple of weeks, they’re finally beginning to respond. ‘Bacchanal’ didn’t seem to mind all that too much, and has done really well through all the dry weather.
4. Geum rivale
Another plant from a customer (this time with permission, I think). It’s a very nice one: it has a messy sort of appearance, nodding flowers, and a subtle colour. There’s another Peony (the double red one that seems fairly widely distributed) behind it, which is collapsing forwards after the downpours we’ve been having.
5. Corydalis petrophila
Here’s an interesting one for you. I’ve featured it, or rather it’s leaves, in a previous Six on Saturday. It’s formed a low-growing mat of those very nice leaves, which have a bit of a tendency to blend into the background. It’s been putting out the odd flower here and there. These too are quite low to the ground, and despite being very light blue/purple, don’t really stand out all that much. We’ll see how it does now it’s milder and wetter.
6. Seeds and piles of compost
I know how you lot love a bit of compost. And seeds for that matter. Anyway, last Sunday I started sowing the seeds that I’ve been collecting (and still am collecting) from the tuberous Corydalis. The pots sit round the side of the greenhouse, exposed to most of the elements, but protected from the wind. I tend to bring them into the greenhouse in the January, just to give them a bit of a head start. They usually start to germinate from the end of January onwards. The aim is to keep the tiny leaf green for as long as possible, so it has a chance to build up a decent sized tuber.
That’s all for this week. Don’t forget to have a look at some other Six on Saturday posts at The Propagator’s blog. Have a great weekend!
Are those ladders forming part of the pergola that the stunning wisteria is growing across? That’s a brilliant idea.
They are indeed! Someone was getting rid of them, so I took pity on them and gave them a home and a purpose!
What a satisfying slideshow of compost mixing and seed sowing that is. No doubt about it, the Wisteria and its lovely frame are spectacular. I think I prefer your Geum rivale to my G. Scarlet Tempest, which is not in the least subtle, it’s starting to look a bit gaudy.
Glad you liked it! It’s the sort of thing I find interesting. The Wisteria has done really well this year – I’m very pleased with it.
I quite like the showier Geums too, but they don’t seem to thrive in my garden for some reason. G. rivale is certainly a nice one. I saw a yellow coloured one the other day, which rather took my fancy.
There’s a nice Geum Banana Daiquiri on Hortus Baileyana’s post. I need to put something in the middle of my band of Scarlet Tempest to break it up a bit, or perhaps pick some of the flowers for a vase!
Nice lesson on seed sowing. It is quite a long road from seed to flowering plant, but well worth it.
Yes, it takes a while: a good exercise in patience!
This wisteria is so pretty Andrew and I can’t stop thinking about mine … No live flower buds (all burnt by frost), no leaf buds yet … It’s miserable in front of the house … I have to wait a bit.
Beautiful slideshow of corydalis plants. (peat-free compost?)
Thanks! What a shame about your wisteria. Mine is close to the house, so was quite sheltered from the late frosts. I think you had it a bit worse than we did too.
Yes, the compost is peat-free. I’ve tried a couple of different ones, at the moment I’m using Dalefoot. It has a very good reputation, and so far has been nice to use 🙂
Lovely six. I’m starting to develop a hankering for more geums, and I like the color and modest downcast face of yours in particular. Any idea what variety it is? Thank you for sharing your process around seed starting. I have noticed the use of grit on the surface of the soil by other bloggers; what is the advantage?
The Geum is a very pretty one and the wisteria is looking great. Dicentra Bacchanal is such a deep colour – very striking. I’m glad yours are getting going again. Mine have been pitiful this year.
Thanks!
The Dicentras have been very slow to start. They’re beginning to perk up now though – I hope your’s do too!