Hello! It’s time to commence on another Six on Saturday. As is his way, The Propagator will be the home to all sorts of posts from around the world, so do pop over and take a look, although there’s a good chance that that’s how you got here in the first place! For my Six I’m actually using some photos from a few weeks ago. I took some pictures at the allotment but didn’t get round to using them and then forgot all about them. Coming across them during the week, I thought I might as well put them to good use.
1. Daylilies
The Daylilies serve the same purpose as my lovely poppies, namely as a decorative boundary. I’ve split the allotment into three sections, to help with crop rotation, and they are divided by a line of something decorative, in this case some bright orange Hemerocallis. These Daylilies originate from a garden I work in. The owners are moving house and so after working in their garden for nine and a half years, I’ll have to say goodbye. I’ll still be working for the owners in their new home but I’ll certainly miss their old garden. Anyway, I have these colourful chaps to remember the place by.
2. Onions
Nothing special really, in fact they’re possibly a little smaller than in previous years. Despite that, there’s something very pleasing about a nice patch of Onions! There’s a bit of a section in the foreground where the Red Onions seen to have struggled for some reason, but generally speaking they look pretty healthy this year.
3. Sunflower
This cheerful flower is part of the Sunflower Fortâ„¢. After growing a couple of rows of Sunflowers at the front of the allotment one year, we now have a plentiful annual supply of spontaneously appearing seedlings each spring. Every year, I dig a few up and plant them in a big square shape with a little gap at the front for an entrance. There’s currently a big hole in the middle of the fort. I believe it’s an attempt to find Australia.
4. Swede
Swede, replete with my hand for scale. Bear in mind this was taken a few weeks ago; they’re now even more monstrous.
5. Hops
The Hop flowers are now all looking more like the photo on the right, but I like the way the flowers look when they first come out (photo on the left), with those funny little bristles. Hops are dioecious, so a plant is either male or female, with only female hop flowers are used in brewing. The (female) flowers start out as ‘burrs’ with lots of styles on display, hence the bristles. These then fall off and the bracts extend to form the ‘cone’ which is what is used in brewing. That’s my understanding of it anyway!
6. Bad neighbours
The chap next door happens to be my father. I thought I’d throw him a bone and feature the lovely selection of annuals he’s got growing outside his shed.
That’s all for today’s Six on Saturday. I hope you have a jolly weekend!
Pleased you’ve got a souvenir from the old garden, I love a plant with a story behind it
Absolutely – the stories behind the plants are often an important part of the garden (or allotment in this case).
I also added a sunflower this week in my Six but it seems to me that the sky is bluer here … 😂
Well done for the onions they are looking healthy and pretty orange daylily.
Your sky certainly is bluer! I’m afraid clear skies have been in severe shortage round here recently!
That swede looks very impressive, as does your crop of onions. I rarely have any luck growing sunflowers for some reason and yet they’re supposed to be easy! Your dad’s/bad neighbour’s flowers are a show.
I find that the sunflowers that appear of their own accord always do better than the ones I sow myself! I’ll pass on your admiration to my old man.
Swedes have always been called “turnips” here in Ireland and your turnips were rarely grown here. The swedes are a favourite winter vegetable here and our preference is for them boiled, mashed and flavoured liberally with white pepper! Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding etc etc.
I must say, I did grow Turnips as well this year, but I probably won’t bother again! We like Swedes a lot too – so far they’ve been used in a rather nice cottage pie mashed to accompany some sausages. Lots of butter in the mash!
Lovely sunflower.
Thanks!
I’ve grown onions reasonably successfully but find my eyes stream far worse than when I chop shop bought ones. I know, I’m a wimp. ðŸ˜
What wonderful swede, I have vegetable envy.
A potent onion can be quite a challenge! The swedes have been particularly good this year.
Wow, I love the sumptuous orange of that day lily. Will you be making beer from your hops?
My brother in law is a keen home brewer, so I send them over to him, and we both reap the rewards!
Lovely neighbour you have.
On a good day!
Formidable swede to be sure. Your lucky to have such a good neighbour. Hope you help each other out and share crops!
We do occasionally!
I’m definitely going to grow more flowers on my allotment, for fun, to attract pollinators, for green manure, to confuse the pests. Sunflowers are high on the list.
Your allotment has lots of interesting things going on, and that’s a great idea to divide sections with flowers to add something decorative. I wonder if your bad neighbour had any influence, he’s certainly got some pretty flowers.
The flowers draw in the pollinators too (although not so much the daylily – more the poppies). I think my dad’s flowers were an annual flower mix he picked up somewhere. It’s come out really well!
Great success with swedes! I may have to try to grow them. (thanks for that hahahaha) This year’s new veg for me includes parsnips and fennel, and I do like something new each year.
We usually grow Swedes, and they usually grow well. Turnips were a new one for this year, and probably not something we’ll grow again as we could only find so many uses for it!
Your allotment is looking fantastic and I love your idea of including some colourful flowers to divide up your beds. The sunflower fort sounds fun!
Thanks – they have the benefit of bringing in a few insects too.