I’m publishing two posts today – a rather excitable one on the new allotment I’ve got a share in – and this week’s Six on Saturday, as there’s still plenty to revel in as September draws to a close.
1 Salvia ‘Ember’s Wish’ was an impulse buy as I was killing some time last Saturday afternoon while my son did his theatre class. There’s a nice little garden centre run by some friendly Flems nearby, so this inevitably means picking up a plant or two. This one stood out. It’s one of the Wish collection salvias from Australia, and part of the sale proceeds go towards granting wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. The flowers are a lovely coral-red with dusky pink bracts and there are purple tones to the leaves and stems. Only downside – it’s not fully hardy, but I will enjoy it through autumn.
2 Begonia ‘Picotee Sunburst’ is described as ‘an indefatigable bloomer from mid summer to the first frosts’ but my three in pots seem very fatigued. They have been growing at a snail’s pace since spring, and only now are deigning to flower. I’m probably not giving them something they need, and so they are sulking. Never grown them before.
3 Calendula ‘Daisies Mixed’ – many thanks to One Man and His Garden Trowel for the seeds for both this calendula and number 4. I was late sowing these, so they are flowering much later than my ordinary orange calendulas, but they are worth the wait. I’ll let them set seed and grow more of these next year.
4 Calendula ‘Snow Princess’ is an interesting colour mix, the petals starting off a soft yellow and then turning white, but retaining a hint of that yellow towards the centre, and the very tips of the petals are brushed with brown.
5 Dahlia ‘Bora bora’ is flowering again, this time in combo with some perennial sunflowers in the background. I really can’t get enough of this cactus dahlia.
6 Pot luck. We’ve got a neighbourhood WhatsApp group for a small collective garden managed by a very sociable Italian (is there any other kind?) up the road. I recently dug up some overgrown Alchemilla mollis, divided them and offered them to the group. They went like hot cakes. Then another neighbour offered some aged terracotta pots he didn’t want, so I was very pleased to get hold of these four, just in time for planting up bulbs. A bit of gardening Karma.
Plenty more Six on Saturdays to see on The Propagator’s site. Wishing everyone a great weekend. Here we have another glorious sunny September morning, so hope the weather is good wherever you are.
Lovely Calendula, there seems to be an increasing variety – something we can all be grateful for!
Good work on the pots. A nice aged terracotta pot is a thing of beauty!
Yes I was so pleased to get those pots, for free!
The begonia is a wonderful blend of colors. Sorry to hear that it struggled this year. Calendula snow princess is quite appealing. The dahlia in combination with the perennial sunflower is very effective. The yellowof the sunflowers picks out the yellow base of the dahlia petals that makes them glow. You have a good eye for color and a lovely way of describing it.
Thank you, the dahlia flowers over a long season, so it’s been really interesting to see how it blends (or sometimes not!) with other colours in the garden that are more fleeting.
Pots are precious!
Yes absolutely!
Dahlia ‘Bora Bora’ is a beauty and a plant purchase for a good cause is always a bonus. I’m glad the Calendula grew. I think I was a little too late sowing a lot of mine this year, although Snow Princess has done well out in the sunny front garden.
I was also a little late but we don’t usually get frosts till November so I’ll get some mileage out of them yet. Both are very pretty. You also gave me Lemon Dream but that doesn’t seem to have come up and/or was eaten.
Come to think of It don’t think I have any Lemon Dream flowering either.
Pretty calendulas, I prefer ‘Snow Princess’
What are you going to do with your pots of begonias this winter? Wintering indoors I guess?
Very nice photo of ‘Bora Bora’ with the background of these small sunflowers 👏
Thanks! I think I’ll give the begonias to someone who appreciates them more – if you like I can send you a couple of tubers.
Why not, I will see : Tks.
Pretty, individual blooms. My calendula were eaten along with the vegetables they were supposed to protect 🤔🙄 Last year was my year of the begonias, but I didn’t plant any this time around.
I am not taken with the begonias but I think they are unhappy, perhaps the compost isn’t rich enough.
You’ve done well with the terracotta pots. They look good size. The calendula Snow Princess is one I grow, but your photo makes it look much better than the ones here. Dahlia Bora bora looks almost unreal – what a wonderful range of colours, like shot silk.
Ideally I would have more Snow Princess to make a nice clump, maybe next year…and yes, Bora Bora is really fascinating!
How can anyone not want to keep aged terracotta pots? You fell on your feet there!
I know, could not believe my luck! I have also rescued beautiful pots dumped in tips and at the dump, people are mad (and not very thoughtful) to throw them away.
I want to live where you do!
I love the two Calendulas you have. You are lucky getting those pots in time to plant out the bulbs! The Salvia is very pretty too.
Gardening karma — brilliant! And I totally love that dahlia — wow 🙂
Thanks, it’s just wonderful to get free pots (they are really expensive to buy here!).
That dahlia is gorgeous! Have fun planting bulbs!
Thanks Cathy, will do 🙂
Love that cactus dahlia! I had not heard of that type. So pretty. Sorry to be commenting late… I’m catching up with posts I missed. 😉
No worries I also have WordPress breaks every now and then 😉
Oh good, glad I’m not the only one. ☺️