Another sunny weekend demonstrating that my moping about the rainy weather last weekend did the trick. As indeed did the rain. The garden borders are full of late summer colour. I’m planning to sit back and relax in the garden this weekend (not a bank holiday for all of us, so will have to make the most of Sat-Sun), and just look at it (no weeding, honest!….well maybe just a little). So I bring you hot summer colours to celebrate that it IS STILL (just) SUMMER. First up, I managed to bring on many cosmos this year, and have all kinds of colours bobbing away in the breeze, keeping the hoverflies happy. This is one of my favourites.

Having enjoyed some regular rain, and unusual warmth, crocosmia lucifer has lasted longer, and grown taller, than in many summers.

Despite a late flurry of the delicate, beautiful, pesky large white butterfly, nasturtiums have blasted away as usual. This year, I’ve grown them in the same pots as sweetpea. At this time of year they nicely cover the faded sweetpea foliage.

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Pelargoniums have had a good year, they respond well to under-watering (I have so many pots this year, it has been hard to keep on top of the action. In recent years I have focused on growing only the very brightest red ones to maximise that happy summer feeling.

When earliest August delivered a deluge of rain, a couple of my rose bushes lost pretty much all their flowers, which went totally to mush. Some quick dead-heading (I’m getting better at that) results in another flush of blooms…..these don’t have a scent, but do look lovely.

I’d been tempted to focus on dahlia this week, but there are a few about to bloom (some for the first time this year), so maybe that theme will appear next week. For now, I’ve gone for my best ‘hot-colour’ dahlia of the year. This could be ‘Bishop’s Children’. Whatever it is, the mix of orange-pinky flowers on purple foliage is an absolute wonder, so seems a fitting end to this week’s hot-summer #Six.

I hope you enjoyed my six for this late summer Saturday. Stay safe, keep gardening, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

August has been a bit disappointing with lots of rain, but it seems that eastern Scotland has had the best of the weather in the second half of this week. Lots of warm sunshine to tempt me out of endless worky zoom meetings. After last week’s veg-fest, I will head back to a colour theme this week. I’m finding choosing a colour very satisfying as there are still very many lovely blooms to choose from. This week I thought I’d indulge you in my favourite colour, purple (-ish). I possibly wasn’t aware that some of my new clematis would be late flowering. This was one, and has been very much worth the wait for it’s velvety richness.

From large blousy flowers to tiny productive ones. Marjoram pops up in many of my sunny borders. Loved by bees and hoverflies, looks nice to fill odd corners in a vase of flowers, and then it can be cooked with. What a versatile all-rounder.

Perhaps I don’t have this next plant in the sunniest border, for me it does not deliver it’s spiky alien-like flowers every year, but the warmth of July has coaxed acanthus into action this year.

August is a time for butterflies, and if one wants butterflies, then budlija has got to be the one. This one is almost violently fragrant, tall, statuesque, each plant hosts half a dozen gorgeous peacock butterflies (other lepidoptera species are also available).

A new departure for my garden this year, I always wanted a late-flowering allium. Turns out that if you forget your leeks and leave them to blot, this is what happens in August. Wow.

Last for me this week is another favourite, again doesn’t flower every year, and from viewing others ‘sixers’ I had to wait a good 4-6 weeks longer than many. The agapanthus are out and waving exotically in the warm breeze….ahhhh.

I hope you enjoyed my purply six as we cling on to summer…a few more weeks perhaps? Stay safe, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

This is the Saturday that would have been the date of the village Flower and Produce show. Although most restrictions are now lifted, I can understand why it’s cancelled (for the 2nd year running of course), a small hall, people handling produce, judges to organise, the worry that many might stay away. Instead, I’ll spend the weekend harvesting and admiring my own fruit and veg. So my #SixonSaturday this week is very much a ‘not the village show’ offering. The irony is that this year I have fabulous courgettes. Some years, when cold weather stalls the plants, there are a few shrivelled little fruit. I even won 3rd prize one year with one (of the 3) fruit that was just a wee bit mouldy…but not this year, look at this beauty.

It has been a good pea season. These last couple of years I’ve paid more attention to variety, growing one ‘standard’ pea..Kelvedon Wonder this year, and one climbing snap pea, Spring Blush. The latter have been lovely, crisp and crunchy, the former have grown very well, enjoying the long periods of warm dry, then cool wet. There would have been a bowlful to show.

I will admit that a lot of my more reliable veg are grown in the greenhouse. Tomatoes are a bit slow off the mark this year, but here they go. These are Latah, sold as a bush tomato, so easy to deal with, kind of sprawly, but about the right size to grow on the 1m high greenhouse bench.

Chillies are beginning to fruit well too, they are a little green (we’ve had some cool weather), but good enough to cook with already. I think these are a simple jalapeno. More exotic varieties may appear on the blog in later weeks.

I also grow achocha, a south American vine, best in greenhouse (but will also grow up a warm south-facing wall). About 3-4cm long. Don’t eat the scary spikey black seeds, but deseed, chop, and they are good in a stir-fry in place of bell peppers.

Back outside finally to the finale of the soft fruit season (excepting the autumn raspberries that are still maturing). Currants, my favourite are black, sweet and sharp, my other-half’s favourite are white (or might these be called pinkberries?). In a good year, I often win prizes for both of these — this year well focus on the eating of them.

That’s my #SixonSaturday for this week. I hope to sit in the garden today with a friend and she can judge my veg. I hope we’ll be able to get together for a local veg-growing group event next year. Don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

It’s a birthday #SixonSaturday for me this week, so it simply has to be lots of August border flowers. The form of astrantia has appealed to be for a long time. Each flower is incredibly detailed and delicate, yet these hard workers are long lasting and robust.

August in my garden means crocosmia season. Lucifer is tall and brilliant red. This year has delivered fewer blooms, but I’m still managing a bit of ‘drift’ across the width of the border.

I dug up a few root cuttings from a neighbour a couple of years ago, and now have helianthus rising tall and proud in several small clumps. I’d love to see these in the wild, north American prairie I think…one day….

Calendula are grown from seed this year, and planted close to the veg beds to bring in pollinators. Seems to be doing the trick as the runner beans are starting to set, and flowers on calendula so pretty too.

I don’t think I ever planted oxeye daisies, them seem to have invited themselves to the party. Wonderful in the garden and the vase, I’d better pick more before the rain sets in again.

Last, but not least, the later lilies have begun to bloom. I sort-of-love that sweet sticky smell that pulls in the hoverflies, I certainly love looking at them.

That’s my Six for this week, I think I’ll sit in the storm and view the flowers all weekend. I hope your garden is delivering on warmth and garden joy, wherever you are. Don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.