Here we are again. Six On Saturday – a group of like minded people sharing six things from their gardens in the last week. We are led by Jim whose blog is here – go and check out his blog and read all the comments from SOS participants and have a look at their blogs too.
Another week of wind and rain here in the North West of England. It has been quite cold too so the garden feels more like March than June. The potatoes are the only things that seem to be ignoring the weather and just getting on with things. Everything else is sulking and not playing along.
This is one of my inherited hydrangeas. The flowers are coming in slowly but surely. When we moved in last year it hadn’t been dead headed by August and I wrongly assumed that the poor plant hadn’t been dead headed for years judging by how dense the old blooms were packed in. But looking at it now I think maybe it is just an incredibly abundant plant.
The first early potatoes have started to produce their flowers. I can’t wait to have a look and see what’s under the soil. This week was 10 weeks so I may give them a few more days. We’re off on holiday soon so I don’t want to miss those first delicious crops by leaving them in the ground.
I found this pot a few weeks ago hidden with all the random pots I’d dumped at the back of the garden and I immediately recognised the shoots as dahlia. The first buds are forming so I’m hoping for flowers in the next few weeks.
The strawberry harvest has been poor. We get one or two ripe ones every couple of days. This pot is hanging off the patio ballustrade, and seems not to have been noticed by the blackbirds, but the slugs have definitely found it. It hasn’t been warm enough for any length of time for a decent harvest and I think this year will be about getting runners for next year when I will hopefully have a greenhouse.
A favourite plant from our previous garden which is flourishing in its new home. I have a couple of campanula and they’re all cuttings from a gifted plant back in 2019 (ish). All still doing well.
At the risk of being accused of rosicide, floracide….. is there a word for killing a plant? Previous readers may remember my dislike of this (and all) roses. Well I went into the garden this week to find it almost completely flat to the floor with its roots up in the air. I swear I didn’t go anywhere near it LOL. So after a bit of googling and ChatGPT’ing (is that a verb now) I armed myself with several pairs of gloves and my secateurs and set about reducing the weight on the top of the plant. I removed about 50% of the flowers (the picture on the left is after I pruned it!!!). I wedged it up with a bucket of rocks and re-covered its roots with fresh compost. I need to buy a stake of some description for it because bamboo supports are just not going to cut it. It is soooo top heavy. I feel like I could go in and take another 50% of blooms off and it would still look dense. Any advice gratefully received. The leaves seem to be suffering since I put it back in place, but it’s very windy here right now – and it’s been quite cold too. I fear all my bad thoughts about this plant have been manifested and I feel quite guilty now.
So that’s my Six this week. Come and join us with Six On Saturday in your garden.
The Garrett Garden 
The potatoes look really happy and the flowers are so pretty! Ours are a little behind – I’ve only seen one or two buds on them, though the plants look happy and green enough.
I’ve also been finding the odd strawberry here and there, but no real harvest. Plus, the ones I do get are quite sour. The raspberries, however, seem quite happy and early!
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I’ve got a mix of first, second and main crops. Only got flowers on two pots so far.
Our strawberries have been sweet but so few of them. Only have one raspberry bush and no sign of flowers or fruit so far.
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Hi there! Im participating for the first time this week. 🙂 Everything in your garden looks so lush and bright. Those potato blooms are lovely, I just learned that potato flowers come in a range of colours! I think mine were white, only grew potatoes once, years ago. 😀 That rose is gorgeous, but it demands attention with its presence, I can see how it might become an annoyance if you don’t like roses. Maybe you can find somebody willing to take it off your hands – marketplace or a local shop window ad maybe?
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Thank you! This is our first year here so it’s a lot of wait and see. The rose gets a reprieve this year but may find itself with a new location next year. Potato flowers are so beautiful. I’ve seen white and pink flowers on different types. Welcome to SOS.
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Oh my goodness–home-grown Strawberries! I’m so jealous–even if it’s only a few here and there. I grew Strawberries years ago in a barrel with holes as a vertical planter. They were so yummy! But I don’t have enough sun in my current garden. Enjoy!
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In our last place I had a whole raised bed full of them – nothing beats the taste! But they are so weather dependent – it’s been a very slow year ☹️
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I’m sharing the few strawberries that haven’t gone mouldy with birds, slugs and seemingly rodents of some sort. Does make me wonder if they’re worth the effort.
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Agree, so many not even worth picking. It’s been a very poor year. The new plants up on the balustrade seem to be faring better than the two/three year old ones in pots from the old house.
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beautiful hydrangea and how exciting to see a dahlia almost flowering….looking forward to seeing it in bloom. I’ve never seen pink flowers on potatoes….just white ones….so that was interesting to see. I’m in the same boat as you as far as strawberries go. I feel I am forever fighting with the birds for the fruits so I’m petitioning for a grow house this year.
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a greenhouse is very high up on my wish list 😎
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