Six on Saturday 13/10/18…
As part of the regular gardening blog hop put up by The Propagator, my Six for Saturday are growing in our little matchbox garden in the city. I mentioned once before in another post, that this garden is only three and half years old and was built from scratch. (See Matchbox Gardens)
It’s also had plants repeatedly moved until one finds the right place (if one ever does), so the six on exhibit today are keepers and probably also quite hardy, as the garden suffers blazing heat and sun in summer and dire shade and cold in winter as the sun lowers in the sky.
Nemesia Aromatica white. It says Aromatica, although to date there’s nothing at all aromatic about it, unless its to the bees who seem to enjoy it. I love it for its robust habit and for the fact that the snails (who have demolished all my cosmos and petunia seedlings) leave it alone.
Aquilegia flabellata ‘Nana Alba’ – I love these but on googling, suspect they may have been wrongly labelled as the flowerheads aren’t as curly as the googled inages. In any case, they’re robust, snail-safe, and I’ve popped them here and there throughout the matchbox because they are just pretty. (Jack Russell’s bottom disappearing into the right as he searches for lizards.)
Calamintha Nepeta White Cloud. So hardy. Cut to the ground every autumn and returns as healthy as ever in spring.
Pulmonaria Sissinghurst White. This is very special. My close, super gardener friend (oh my gosh, you should see her garden! Set in the grounds of an 1800’s sandstone house and filled with delight!) gave me cuttings of this twenty years ago and when we moved, I took cuttings and brought them with me. My concern is that the position is too sunny and that the poor things do rather frizzle in mid-summer. Should I move them?
Polygonatum Solomons’ Seal. Love the stately arching growth of these. They also came from our previous garden and they fill this shady, very ordinary stretch of path beautifully in summer. Hardy as anything. But what do I plant around them for winter. I already have hellebores amongst them and there were the sweetest tiny imperial mauve violas which have vanished. All suggestions gratefully received.
And finally the first buds and flowers of a white clematis, variety forgotten, that climbs happily up over the rusty windmill top that we brought to the city from the farm. The structure is a focal point in the garden and the clematis never disappoints. I’ve got five different white clematis around the garden (don’t know their names because I wasn’t keeping a list at that point) but I’m besotted with clematis of all kinds and intend on demolishing a juvenile white wistaria to replace with clematis. (Or should I plant the clematis with the wistaria and they can climb around and over each other? What do you think?)
And that’s it.
Cheers all!
PS: It’s Sunday morning here!
A lovely, dainty six, Prue. I think you like white! Your garden certainly presents some challenges when you need to decide what to plant. I’m interested that you have Pulmonaria: I’ve seen it onUK garden blogs, but I don’t ever recall seeing it in Australia.
Hi Jane. Lovely to see another Australian in all the SOS’s. I am a fan of white, although I do love a coloured garden. I just settled on white after seeing Sissignhurst. I love blacks, deep magentas, chartreuse and acid greens as a foil too. Pinterest has been a huge source of plants in the tones and colours I love. The white pulmonaria came from my plantsman friend. She collects many things that are rare, including alpine bulbs. When I was at her place the other day, she was talking about the pulmonaria and saying it had vanished in her garden, perhaps been overgrown, so it gave me a thrill to give her two little rooted cuttings. Giving back to she who gave it originally to me. Gardening’s great like that! Hope you’re getting some rain around Mudgee.
First reading of your blog Prue, a nice Six all in white.
About clematis and wisteria, I have on the same wall support 2 clematis, 1 lonicera and 1 wisteria. All climb together but the wisteria is the strongest … you have to know how to tame it….
Welcome Fred,
And thank you for the advice re the wistaria. It is rather overpowering and has a strangle hold on its supports. I’m rather good with secateurs. Do you think that’ll help?
Lovely summery six just as we are heading into winter here. I love white flowers and green ones too. That clematis looks as if it might have green stripes, does it? I used to have a Jack Russell, Pip, who looked just like the tail end of yours. I still miss him. What is yours called?
I think it does have green stripes, Chloris. I know one of them does. I shall see what eventuates and then get you to identify the variety. 😉
As to JRT’s, we’ve had them for all of our 40+ years of marriage, tending toward rough-coats. This one is quite vocal but such a personality. I love him dearly. Re his name, remember the post I wrote called Public vs Private? This is one of those moments. In social media, he’s referred to most un-endearingly as Dog.
Lovely selection of plants, we have two clematis plants growing on the same trellis, and it looks lovely, so maybe worth a try with the wisteria and clematis
I love the idea of two clematis together, so maybe the wistaria will have to come out because it’s so robust. Almost angry! The clematis on the other hand are so pretty and gentle and have such lovely seedheads…
Love the disappearing dog!
He has the habit of photo-bombing most shots I take. He has an ego, but then what Jack Russell doesn’t?
Prue, i think you should move your lungwort to a shady spot. It’ll struggle in full sun. I have the same plant and it does well in full shade.
Will do. I did wonder. And I have such a wonderful patch of shade under a treefern with other much smaller ferns. Thank you for the advice!
Lovely Six Prue. I’m very envious of the Solomon’s Seal. I can’t get it to grow for me sadly. I’d definitely move the Pulmonaria to a shadier spot to avoid scorched leaves in the summer
Thank you, Ann. We’ve had a couple of days of humidity, thunder and heavy rain and the Solomon’s Seal has gone quite ballistic. In fact the whole garden has. As for the Pulmonaria, I will move it to the fern garden. I would hate to lose it. PS: might actually try and strike some more.