I have been enjoying the sunny warmish Autumn weather. There is lots of colour left in the garden, enough to do another colour theme, despite the fact that we have just passed the equinox. So here are some pink flowers. I will start with the remains of summer: cosmos are still going strong.

A late summer favourite of mine is Japanese Anemone, this year there are fewer than usual, perhaps a casualty of the hot weather in July?

Over the last few years I’ve been slowly growing my dahlia collection. They do bring so much joy. This new one JUST started to flower, gorgeous.

I guess it really is Autumn when the sedum appear. Great for the now sluggish and hungry bees.

Another classic plant that pops up in September if I’m tidy enough to free space for it: I love how cyclamen grow, and spread, even in the shadiest cool corner.

Last, this is an odd one. It happened last year too: azalea, that usually flower in March, are doing their thing in September. Anyone know why?

That’s my #SixonSaturday for this week. The garden keeps me going in these really odd times, and I hope there’s a green patch somewhere that soothes you too. Stay safe, take care out there, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

Time to reflect this week on a fabulous growing season in Fife. Despite the heat and drought (much less than further south), or perhaps because of it, some of the fruit and veg have been the best ever, including outdoor figs and STILL flourishing courgettes. We have a weather forecast for close-to-zero temperatures in the next few days. Instead of showing off my veg, I’m thinking this might be the last chance for dahlia, which are magnificent this year. So here we go.

A favourite simple red open flower, i think this is one of the ‘Bishop’s Children.

Possibly another in the same series, the next plant has lovely rich purple foliage and a red-yellow petal. these last for ages.

A purchase from a ‘posh’ dahlia supplier has produced a few new wonderful varieties. This one might be ‘Totally Tangerine’. The petals are simple, the centre complex and interesting.

I’m particularly please with this little beauty, in its second year after being grown from seed in 2021. Has become a lovely plant in its second year.

A mini-dahlia I bought as a cheapy supermarket plant, also in its second year. this one flowered in the August heat wave, then had a rest, and is now coming back strong for an early autumn flourish.

For the finale, I can’t remember the variety, and the flower is barely out (first one of the season on this plant), but just LOOK at the fabulous red-wine colour on what I hope will be a rich full cactus-type bloom.

That’s my #SixonSaturday for this week. Will the week ahead bring the first frosts? Stay safe, take care out there, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

What a week, biblical floods and historical momentousness….so here’s some lilac(ish) flowers. First up, Michaelmas daisies.

Buddleja are still blooming.

As are the hebe, though with tiny drought-shrunken flowers. And free bee.

Canterbury bells have popped up a few more blooms for some lovely late summer colour.

A few of the echinops survived Thursday’s strong winds and 90mm of rain.

And last, but not least, at least the sun came out for some much-needed cheer for an hour or so, allowing the colchicum to really show off.

That’s my #SixonSaturday for this week. Stay safe, take care out there, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

I don’t want to admit that Autumn is on its way, but gosh, here we are in September. Hopefully not too many mists yet, but there is a fir bit of mellow fruitfulness around, hence fruit will be the theme for this weeks #SixonSaturday.

Part of my garden hosts what must have been a small orchard. There are 8 old trees, each one a different variety that fruits at a different time. One has finished already, the next one to come will be a lovely crisp, green-red variety. This year the apples are particularly large, and there are huge numbers of fruit weighing down the boughs.

I’ve a couple of old trees that offer cooking apples, as well as a fairly young one (10 years or so). This lovely fruit is from the latter, the big old trees have been hammered by the heatwave and their fruit are still small and hard.

For mid-to-end September, there’s another tree, this year having a great year with huge numbers of little red apples. This one has a pink blush to the flesh too.

Attached to a south facing wall, I have an old pear tree that I suspect was planted when the house was built (>200 years). The tree tends to fruit every other year, despite the drought it is doing me proud this year. A soft sweet variety, delicious, though they do all ripen at once.

I’ve also got some slight more exotic fruiting action. On a sheltered south facing wall, this is the first year when my outdoor figs have ripened properly, they are sweet sticky and very tasty.

To finish with a flourish, this far north, grapes only work well under glass. I’m fortunate to have a large greenhouse with a big grapevine. We’re almost there. these are dark and juicy, last year there was so much fruit I made some very tasty raisins.

I hope other growers are also having a good harvest. That’s my #SixonSaturday for this week. Stay safe, take care out there, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.