15 deg in mid-November means that there’s still lots of colour, and pattern around. I must admit ‘colour and pattern’ is a bit of a loose theme for a #SixSaturday, but here it is…..

First up, there are still roses in flower, battling away to keep going and going. These ones last for months. I love their pretty little blooms, sadly they have no scent.

Rather than clearing a big patch of hosta, these have been left to decay away, producing a rather satisfying pattern as the stems melt away into the earth.

Some lovely autumn colour next, from iris foetidissima, a fairly plain and simple summer flowering iris, but at this time of year the seed heads are interesting a colourful.

Activity is calming down in the pond now. Spiky ‘water solidiers’ have sunk into the depths. Water lily is still in leaf, and a few local invaders are doing there thing. The pond will need an early winter clean out pretty soon, but we’ll wait until the leaf fall is nearly over.

Talking of leaves, this year has produced a rich variety of bright colour, that is now falling before it fades, leaving a multi-coloured lawn, and lots of promise for leaf-mould to come (once it’s all been raked up and put into the leaf holder).

Last but not least, some more pink…not-very-hardy geraniums are still outdoors in pots. This weekend looks like it might drop cold, so they will be moving into the greenhouse soon for their winter holiday.

That’s my #SixonSaturday this week, have a great weekend in the garden, looks like the weather will still be mild across most of the UK. Stay safe, keep yourself and others safe by following the science and wearing a mask, 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 didn’t publish a blog last weekend, as I was privileged to experience glorious Autumn colours in the wonderful Scottish Borders. It has been a fabulous autumn in southern Scotland, so here’s a bonus image of Stobo Castle gardens before I even get to my #SixonSaturday for this week.

WOW! Whoever designed the garden is probably long-gone, but what a fabulous legacy! Stobo Castle is a spa hotel, but it doesn’t say anywhere that the garden is private, so I’d recommend a look if you’re near Peebles any time.

Now I’m back home and starting to wade through the vast arrays of collapsing border plants. But there’s still things to look at, little pieces of joy that make mid-November in the garden worth a look. First, still standing this year (because we’ve only had 1 frost) is my boisterous gunnera. Soon to collapse but, for now, fighting on.

To complement the green, here’s a bit of colour. I can’t quite decide whether this is wallflower is newly flowering, or if it’s been flowering all year. But I noticed it as I cleared a big tub of cosmos away. What a worker!

For my next little joy, I showed the flowers of clematis tangutica a few weeks ago. Always a late flowerer, and soon to be chopped, but now it is full of gorgeous seed heads. I’ll leave a bit longer as I’ve seen sparrows collecting these to line their winter roosting pockets.

This is the first year I have grown ammi, from seed. These promised to give that lovely floaty white thing, in mid-late summer. They have been at their best later than advertised, but I think they are worth it. I will try to sow the seeds earlier next year.

My final two are certainly, ‘wow still going’ blooms. The first is some kind of daisy-type plant, probably north American, maybe a Shasta Daisy? This year I did deadhead vigorously and a few of the plants were kind enough to deliver late flowers. Nice.

Last, and I know I’ve shown these recently, but what’s not to love? Calendula…..still at it. I remember a trip about 10 years ago trekking in Nepal in November, and they were growing there, so perhaps it’s not surprising that they manage eastern Scotland too.

That’s my #SixonSaturday this week, have a great weekend in the garden, looks like the weather will still be mild across most of the UK. Stay safe, keep yourself and others safe by following the science and wearing a mask, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

As we almost draw October to a close, it has to be a Halloween theme for my #SixonSaturday this week. After failing to grab shots of scary spider webs, because the pouring rain and wind had ripped them away, I give you pumpkin….well actually a lovely squash…just the one on a plant grown up the outside of the greenhouse wall this year. I think we are are much on the outer edge of squash-growing territory. This one will likely feature in a veg curry pretty soon.

I tried to find something spooky in the garden, this is the best I managed, the creepy tops of echinops seed-heads stalking the border.

With no frosts in evidence yet, calendula are bobbing their cheerful, festively coloured heads in the pouring rain.

Not ghoulish, but soon to be ghosts (it seems to be controversial that they might overwinter in the UK), there’s the odd butterfly pottering about still. Red admiral has appropriate seasonal colour and is enjoying nectar from the still-flowering hebe.

Another splash of October colour from the nasturtium, they look a bit ragged now, but this one seems to have one of those creepy-clown-face grins that suits the theme.

FInally, we’re approaching the end of the eating apple harvest, and this is what’s left…try not to notice the one or two dark decaying specimens…my creepy Halloween finale.

That’s my #SixonSaturday for another week, hope you enjoyed the view. Stay safe, keep yourself and others safe by wearing a mask, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

In a week when I’ve had a few days away in the mountains, bathed in the misty chestnut hues of autumn, it was startling to come home to a garden still showing off it’s vibrant colours. Here are some of my best reds this week for #SixonSaturday.

In the greenhouse, a few toms and chillis hold on, with most leaves stripped off the bright sun is achieving some ripening. You can’t get redder than this.

Having dug the last of my potatoes on Friday, one of the veg beds has had its cardboard jacket put on for winter. In the other, there is still much deliciousness, including a favourite patch of rainbow chard, this one’s one of the best.

I’ve grown more and more nasturtiums over the last few years. When the sweetpeas die back, I have these in the same pot and they grow up and over the drying sweetpea stems. This year it looks like they will make it until November. A new mix this year has thrown up some extra-red flowers.

Despite a major sulking period in the middle of a wet spell in August, what appeared to be a poor showing from autumn raspberries turned out to merely be a delay. The fruit are huge, shiny, juicy, and starting to fill my freezer. I can feel some jam-making coming on soon.

There are some plants that sit in the middle of the border looking boring all year, then they do this: smokebush doing its rich smoky purply-red thing.

And last, but by very no means least, I’ll try to keep adding a dahlia into my six until they have all finished….will this be the last week? Has got to be one of my favourite flowers of all this year.

That’s my passionate red #SixonSaturday for another week, hope you enjoyed the view. Stay safe, keep yourself and others safe by wearing a mask, and don’t forget to follow the crowd on twitter and via the web from links to the originator of #SixonSaturday, the Propagator himself.

As we descend into the dark months, I’m taking cheer from the pinky-purple warmth of autumn blooms, and a few summer survivors that are still going. To start, a rather suprising hanger-on, chives having probably their 4th attempt at flowering this year.

Made slightly bedraggled and tatty by the season (a bit like me), I can’t resist showing what is probably the very last flower from the grown-from-seed dahlia. This was the first year I tried growing dahlia from seed. The result has been a bit mixed, but is fun. I’ll do it again.

On the more elegant side, I grow several fuschia, not sure how much I like their fussy form. But flowering well into October, their delicacy and detailed beauty does bring joy.

A second summer champion is osteospermum. In my Fife garden, these are grown in pots so that they can be wintered in the greenhouse. The rich purple is set off well by the rich green leaves that are sometimes evergreen.

Hesperantha flower for just a few weeks at this time of year, when they come into their own, I always wish I’d got more. They seem to spread very slowly indeed.

I will finish this week with a stalwart of the season. I wish it hadn’t changed it’s name, I keep having to look this one up: hylotelephium.

That’s my #SixonSaturday this week. Trying to get into the garden on bright weekend days, there’s lots to do, though the storms have started. Have a good gardening weekend. 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.

This was a week when the weather changed for the cold and breezy, then changed back to Indian summer with a couple of very strange days of warmth, but drizzly rain. Doesn’t make for much joy in the garden, yet the raindrops on the still-resiliant blooms are lovely. So this week’s #SixonSaturday focuses on wet stuff, mostly pastels. To start, echinops are doing their best to stay in bloom, rain drops seem to cling to each little set of petals, seedheads still look very good too.

Foliage can looks gorgeous in the rain, the soft leaves of purple sage almost look shiny. Sages have had a wonderful time in this warm summer, it must be time to dry some soon for my Xmas stuffing.

Many plants that show up in my garden have invited themselves. Mallow is a plant that is around locally in hedgerows, and it popped up near the brick path this year. By now, the leggy stems have been chopped back a couple of times, yet still they flower. Delicate, and pretty.

The gardening blogs and programs suggest that hardy geranium will re-flower after a chop back in July. few do, but this little pink beauty came back this year. I’ve been getting lots of physio to fix my dodgy knees, I can finally get down to see low-growers like this one.

Perhaps the warm autumn has perked up the large hebe shrubs again, several are having another go at flowering. Flowers and glossy leaves do give a very nice display in the rain.

Finally, this is the second Saturday in October, and STILL I have cosmos that are bursting into flower, with many buds following on behind. Keep dead-heading, it seems to really do the trick while the frost stays away. What a joy!

That’s my #SixonSaturday this week. I do hope the sun comes out before the next working week begins. 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.

An active weathery week has heralded proper autumn. Now that October is here, with high winds, driving rain, and day-time temperatures finally down into ‘normal’ figures, I’m shivering away, trying to keep cheerful by enjoying the beginning of the garden’s autumn colour. This week will be an autumn-foliage-filled special for my #SixonSaturday. My first this week is hypericum: leaves are losing their chlorophyll in a fascinating pattern, starting with red blobs symmetrically placed along each leaf. I wonder why?

A large cotinus is well into it’s autumn glory, green tones merge with purple as the winds tousle the broad leaves.

One plant that is barely showing the season yet is gunnera. Sitting by the pond overflow, the plant is statuesque, with leaves about 50cm across and the whole plant a couple of metres high and wide. Still looking lovely and green, I suspect one morning soon the frost will wilt it.

I always forget that alamancia has autumn interest. It is such a good value plant in spring, with delicate white blossom, and comes back into it’s own now, with vibrant, almost orange foliage.

Even garden perennials can do their thing towards autumn brightness. This vibrant red is provided by a couple of peonies: having hidden themselves in broad sight in dark green cloaks all summer, they finish with a colourful flourish. I’ll chop them down eventually, well into winter.

Last of my six this week, it’s hard to stop absorbing the limey brightness from a small old-fashioned mulberry tree. Each year it provides a few little fruit, but now, WOW, what wonderful colour to start a weekend on.

That’s my #sixonsaturday for this week. Hope the weather works out for a gardening weekend. 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.

Indian summer has stayed with us in Scotland. Days are still warm and sunny with 19 deg C temperatures. As we move through the equinox and the light starts to fade, the miracle of giant courgette plants and sunflowers continues. This week I’ve chosen yellow-and-orange as a cheerful, warm, sunny theme, as we brace ourselves for the dark nights to come.

My first this week is the wonderfully wildlife-friendly buddlija weyeriana. This plant grows tall, like many buddlija, with yellow bobbles holding lots of tine flowers, that can last well into October to provide much needed nectar for Autumn pollinators.

On the more summery side, a mixed bag of nasturtium seeds has resulted in about 10% of this year’s flowers having a bright yellow flower, with red central streaks. Refreshingly bright on a dull day.

Clematis tangutica is next. For years I let this romp around a corner of the house with flowers up on the roof, then a friend pointed out that it could be chopped down to knee high each winter and the flowers might end up in reach next year….bingo. Here they are, each one a delicate yellow, leaving a springy seed head that will be used by small birds to clip off and make cosy roosting pockets for the winter.

Now for the late flowering big-guns. I’ve grown a rudbeckia in a pot this year, in the hope that i can nurture it in the greenhouse through winter. They should be hardy but I wonder if the winter wet gets them. This one is blooming away and looks like it will do for a while.

I may have shown this gorgeous dahlia before. I tend not to go for the big blousy ones, but this plant has been producing lots of delicate yellow-orange (or perhaps they are apricot?) flowers for what feels like months now, I love it!

To finish this week’s six it has, of course, to be the giant sunflower. This one was planted in a shady corner that I cleared for the first time in years. The soil must have been very rich, and the sun quite a struggle to find…the plant solved the problem by growing to about 9 ft tall….I had to stand on top of a bench to get anywhere near the flower. What a wonderful specimen!

That’s my #sixonsaturday for this week. A quiet weekend awaits me, where I’ll enjoy what must surely be the last warm weather. 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.

I am finally willing to admit that it is really autumn now. What’s great, though, is that the weather has been warm and clement and thus there are so many flowers smiling their colour and form at us. I’m going to focus on pink colours for this week’s #SixonSaturday, here we go. First, hot pink comes from knautia macedonia, this plant has been blasting out stunning colour in the middle of the border for many weeks.

I sowed many different colours of cosmos this year. The warm summer, and the wet spell in August has suited them very well. I had lots to choose from for the pink theme, a duo-tone little number has got to be my favourite this year.

Back to the hot pink theme, with burst of brightness from the rose. I don’t know the variety, sadly, there is no perfume. But this one is a shrub rose that flowers for months when deadheaded regularly.

Japanese anemone is a lovely autumn flower. This one sways away in some of my shady borders, robust to winds, pale enough to glow in the evening light (despite the melancholy of that evening light come awfully early now.

A good friend gave me a few snap dragon seedlings this year, most of which have romped along, some in striking colours, some more delicate. A very pale pink shows how the pastels can really show off the interesting form of the flower.

Last, but by no means least, the real hero of the season is colchicum. This garden makes them thrive. A few years ago a generous neighbour gave me a dozen clumps. They have spread to really fill the front of several borders. Always a nice surprise when some of the summer growth splurge of other plants is cleared away.

That’s my #sixonsaturday for this week. I’m off to show some family visitors round the garden today, I’ll be sharing all the wonderful plants with them this weekend. 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.

After the shocking Indian Summer heat of early this week, there’s much hope for still not using the A-word for this week’s #SixonSaturday. Whatever the season, it is time to show off some of the ripening greenhouse harvest. A range of new tomatoes were tried this year, with various levels of success. Mille Fleures was advertised as having dozens of little toms on single trusses. There were huge numbers of flowers, but not that many set, though those that did have been sweet and delicious so far.

For year’s I’ve struggled with what kinds of tomato to grow on the greenhouse bench. There’s about 1m of height, too high for a typical bush, too low for a cordon. Realseeds.co.uk offered a couple of what they called ‘sprawling bush’ varieties this year. This one is Latah, and has been just the trick, filling the spaces near the windows very nicely, about 1m high, quite sprawly, and producing early and very sweet fruit.

My next two varieties are of the more traditional cordon type. Jen’s Tangerine have delivered middling numbers of very orange-yellow fruit, which looks great in a mixed-tomato bowl or salad, tasty too.

Last of my favourite toms for this season are Trixie, with fruit on long trusses and a wonderful rich red colour and sweetness. It’s been a very warm summer in Scotland, the toms have done their best and I’m currently looking for recipes to use them most deliciously.

Other plants that have really benefitted from the heat have been chillies. All are still ripening. Regulars in my greenhouse are pyramid, pointy and fairly mid-heat, these will go into most dishes.

I will finish this week with the most exciting new plant in the greenhouse this year: Chinese Dragon’s Tail, these are very fiery, even more so if they are left to ripen to a full red. Great in a Thai curry or jamabalaya.

I hope you enjoyed my greenhouse six for this Indian 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.