My first #SixOnSaturday of the month, as I was away working last weekend (and sad to be stuck indoors on a gorgeous day). There have been some lovely autumn days lately that really show off those rich autumn colours and stand-out shades. Here are a few from my garden this week, from whites through pink to purple.

First up this week, I thought my hebes had flowered much earlier, but they have saved some joy for mid-autumn. Here is my favourite, this large shrub is repeated several times around the garden, the structure and colour are pleasing.

Something else that really finished months ago is giving a last blast of colour too. This clematis is a touch frost-burned around the edges, yet still giving a glorious surprise when I walk along the garden path.

In the greenhouse, somehow the last few bunches of grapes have avoided rot this year. I’ve been opening up the greenhouse on sunny days to keep it aerated, seems to be working!

A late flush of colour has appeared on some low shrub roses. The colour is really striking, although these beauties have no scent. Great for an autumn vase though.

Despite a couple of slightly frosty nights, cosmos are blasting away. I always forget how late into autumn these plants can hang on for. Good for them, great for me.

Last this week, it’ll be time to winter my snap-dragon pots in the greenhouse soon, but for now, I’ll let them grace the garden for a little longer. Wonderful form and colour.

I hope you enjoyed my autumn colours as much as I have. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, it’s a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

The nights are drawing in, and getting cold, the courgettes are about to die back, but my late summer favourites, dahlia, and still going strong. Here are 6 wonderful dahlias for my #SixOnSaturday. Regular visitors to this blog may spot some familiar faces, but who cares, these plants look so great at this time of year.

First up, a simple red bloom, still caught after by the slowing bees and the odd hoverfly. This one is probably Bishop of Llangdaff.

Despite their uselessness for foraging insects, I’ve grown to be quite excited by cactus dahlia. I have a few this year. Love the orange-red of the petals and the spiky appearance.

This plant is a biggy, and so are her blooms. A wonderful pastel peachy colour.

Another huge blooms comes from this plant, delivering one flower at a time, but has been doing so for 5 weeks or so now.

A few plants are still hanging on in pots in the courtyard, although the house wall now occludes the sun for too much of the day. This one has still managed a lovely pink flower. These colours are almost metallic.

Last, but not least, flowering, flowering and then some more. This is my favourite dahlia for the 2024 season.

My discovery of the loveliness of dahlias for the end of summer, a few years ago, still makes me happy every season. Hope you’ve enjoyed them too. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

In eastern Scotland there have been some warm bright days, hastening the harvest. The hum of harvesters is in the air, and the dust! In the garden, I’ve finally a lot of fruit and veg to choose from. Here are some of my crops for SixOnSaturday.

To emulate what’s happening in the fields around here, I dug some tatties. These are Shetland Black. Deep purple outside, inside a creamy white, with a purple stripe in the flesh about 1cm in. VERY tasty, especially when roasted.

Back in August I could barely find 3 courgette to enter into the village show. Not so now, courgettes are everywhere, with the yellow varieties doing best this year. I’m hoping for some warmish nights to keep them going as long as possible.

Most fruit are finished now, yet a few blueberries are still ripening. They have done so well in the cool and very wet summer. Blueberry muffins will cheer our autumn and winter as a reminder of summer. These fruit freeze very well for baking later.

Into the greenhouse. I have a fine crop of achocha, as I do most years. These are a Peruvian vine, grown as an annual (doing best in the greenhouse this far north). About the size of a plum, they will be deseeded and used in stir fry a bit lit a bell pepper.

Even a few of my chilli plants are finally making a show of some decent fruit. These are ‘lemon drop’. Nice and spicy but with a lemony flavour.

Tomatoes have been wonderful. I’ve yet to taste this variety: ‘blue fire’ has really taken its time, still not quite ripe, but very pretty so far.

I hope you enjoyed my fruitful harvest. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

Some sunny days, but we almost had a frost last night in eastern Scotland. Keep up the summer vibes!!! Here are another colourful late summer SixOnSaturday.

First up, I have come to remove the snap dragon. A friend gave me some seeds a couple of years ago, I’ve kept a few plants in the greenhouse, and propagated cuttings, seem to have lots of pots of these lovely flowers now.

There are some lovely dahlias still coming into their first blooms. I have a peach one with a strange virus or genetic defect, a single white petal.

Red dahlia are finally coming into their own. This one is almost a pillar box red, or even tomato, coming into its full cactus variety loveliness.

I do like a pink one too. This is a plant I grew from a seed, it has managed to make it to its second year, but flowering in September is leaving things rather late.

And for something a little different, finally zinnia has flowered. this year I sowed the seeds late-ish, in May, and left the pot in the greenhouse. It has finally delivered for me!

At the very end of the season I’m getting one or two interesting sunflower now. So many rotted before getting to flowers. this one has some lovely autumn tones.

I hope you enjoyed another burst of late summer colour. I’m aiming for a few more before the summer is done! I hope we can hold onto summer for a couple more weeks yet. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

There was no #SixOnSaturday from me last week, as I was exploring Scotland’s beautiful Moray Coast. A lovely week, with fewer garden visits than expected as I managed to up my hip-rehab and get onto my bicycle for some scenic rides.

Home now and the garden is bursting with late summer colour at the start of September. Was the warmest day of the year in Scotland on Friday this week, I do hope some of that warmth continues. Let’s celebrate with some vibrant colour for #SixOnSaturday.

POW, a simple dahlia that is a brilliant post-box red, this dark leafed Bishop’s Children variety has been late, but worth the wait.

The late yellow pom-pom budlija do a great job now to look right and cheerful and feed the pollinators. Bees, hoverflies, and finally eve a few butterflies have made it to September.

Another cheerful dahlia, this one has a delicate dark pink edge to the pale pink petals. Will be trying this one again next year.

My garden seems to be one of the very last where echinops flower, but here they are, with their perfect spherical form.

More dhalia, I alwasy want more, including this simple form that may well be another Bishop’s Children. A nice combination of colours runs across each petal.

And to end on a high note, this is still my favourite dahlia this year, and this one plant just keeps flowering and flowering.

I hope you enjoyed my burst of late summer colour. I hope we can hold onto summer for a couple more weeks yet. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

The last weekend of august, wet and windy, is summer over? I hope not as half my dahlias have not been polite enough to flower yet. Having missed the local flower show by 2 weeks, at least my greenhouse tomatoes have decided to fruit, there are quite a few for my #SixOnSaturday. I’ll start with today’s harvest. This lot might get chomped tonight, or chopped for the first freezer bag of the season.

As you’ve seen above, I try to grow a few different varieties each year. Despite some advertising themselves as ‘early’ I’ve had nothing at all this year until mid-august. Aside from cherries in red and yellow, I’ve got a lovely new one this year, huge zagadka, a stripey beefsteak.

More solidly yellow, and fairly early, this yellow mid-sized offering is sweet and juicy.

Nowhere near ready yet, but my most radical attempt this year, has been blue fire. Currently a bit greeny-black and rock hard, there may be promise to come. Even the stems and parts of the leaves are dark on this one.

Another strange one, these are red-green striped, and a hint at being heart shaped. Audrey’s love! She’s quite tasty too.

Last but I’m hoping very much not least, Costoluto, not quite there yet, but these have fruited very well and becoming a very pleasing bright red when they ripen.

I hope you enjoyed my longed-for tomato harvest. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

Last weekend was our village Produce and Flower Show. No cups for me this year, but at least I got a 1st prize for raspberries, a second for a ‘dish of peas’ and a scattering of 3rds. AND I got a 3rd prize in a craft…new hobby is crochet as I’ve been laid up for months after hip surgery. I won for a crochet bag…yippee. And in the mean time my flowers have been busy blooming in celebration. Here they are for my #SixOnSaturday.

At the top of the bill, having flowered for what feels like weeks, these sweetly scented lilies are still stealing the show and attracting oodles of pollinators.

After what feels like months of waiting, dahlias are now doing their thing, mostly in garden pots. First up, the huge dinner-plate sized red and white one that reminds me of raspberry ripple. Always a joy, though some critter is beginning to nibble it.

A new dahlia this year is my next-up, much smaller, but with similarly striking colour and rather delicate pointy leaves, I think this one will offer a lot more flowers and I love it already.

So, far this simple peachy bloom could be my best pom-pom dahlia for years. Its fairly small (tennis ball sized), hard to show in one photo, but is showing a close-to-spherical fush of curved petals.

A final dahlia this week, this is ‘bishop’s children’, dark leaves, the quorms seem to last over winter if dried and stored, and the hover flies love them. This bloom features 3 feasting hovers.

And for something a little different to end on, the warmer days have brought out the agapanthus, looking lovely juxtaposed against my still-flowering herb fennel.

I hope you enjoyed my celebratory mid-summer flowers. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

A later #SixOnSaturday today, as the morning was consumed by preparation and submission of fruit, veg flowers (and even crafts) to the village annual flower show. I’m awaiting the results, which will appear later this afternoon.

In the meantime here are some cooling whites to keep us calm while we wait. for a change, I’ve managed to grow ammi from seed this year. The delicate form of the blooms makes a gorgeous contrast against the purple of a dahlia that is still waming up for its season.

Cosmos are doing well. I like the pure white one I’ve picked this year. They have grown very tall, and some have been smashed down by the wind, but at least a few are still standing.

I’m growing Sheltland Black potatoes again this year. They have a pleasing purple-green leaf and bright white flowers. Hoping for a good crop in 2-3 weeks time.

I think this daisy-like flower is related to a local native wildflower. They are certainly proving resistant to wild winds.

Snap-dragons are loving this year’s mix of cool, cloud and rain. They still look lovely and the bees are still loving them.

Last and very much not least, the huge blooms on some of my lilies attract a crowd of hoverflies, even in this insect-scarce summer. The scent is wonderful for humans too.

I hope you enjoyed my cool mid-summer flowers on a breezy afternoon. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

I was away in a properly hot and sunny south of England last weekend for a family wedding. It was fun, and great to bring at least a bit of that warmth back up north with me this week. To celebrate that we’ve had temperatures over 20 degC for 3 days running, here are some colourful, yet simple, daisy-like blooms. My #SixOSaturday.

First this week, here’s a sample from a swathe of tall white flowers that almost fill one of the long thin beds. Cheery, robust to winds, and stand up in a vase for absoutely ages.

Something a little harder to grow in our chilly conditions, cosmos have finally decided to grow and bloom. This is a new one for me this year, a rich wine colour, lovely in a mixed annual bed.

With cosmos on my mind, I also chose a pure white version this year. So far, they seem to be offering multiple blooms on each stem, very nice.

MUCH taller, at around 2m, these flowers grow tall and very strong, I think they are a native to north American prairie, are they a kind of helenium?

Another shot at white daisyness, I have a few stands of these. I call them ‘shredded daisies’ due to those tiny long thin petals. i think I like them, but they can get a bit battered.

My favourite this year, and finally a helenium that is robust enough to over-winter, just soak in the glorious red of this one. And the lovely yellow and black detail of the flower centre. Stunning.

I hope you enjoyed the first of my collection of bright mid-summer flowers. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot

Very VERY late this year, but I’m finally getting to some fruit and veg. Here are some edibles for my #SixOnSaturday. Starting with raspberries, as they are just coming. A few cheeky blackbirds have helped themselves, but they leave most of these delicious fruit for us. These are supposed to be ‘autumn fruiting’: they tend to go from July-November so are great value.

In the veg beds near the raspberries I always grow some chard. They do very well in the cool of Scotland, and are just coming to the ready-to-eat point now.

Near them, in a supposedly sunny spot, courgette usually do well. This year I have just a few tiny ones so far, fingers crossed the flowering means that the fruit will grow before they rot now.

In the greenhouse, the one plant that is absolutely loving a cool year is cucumber. I’ve made up several jars of pickle from them so far, and it looks like there will be many more.

Chillies are SLOW, yet my huge over-winter Alberto Rocoto is coming good. There are lots of purple flowers now, and the first fruit have set. These will end up bright red and about the size of plum tomatoes.

Last, but very much not least (I hope), the very first tomatoes to ripen will be consumed thsi weekend.

I hope you enjoyed my first fruit and veg special of the season. And thanks to those leaving comments on the blog – sorry if I don’t always get back to you on time! The blog is going well, but it would be great if more folk on Mastodon, or other parts of the Fediverse got into tooting a Six! Go on, its a much kinder form of social media, not controlled by crazy billionaires. All you need to do is find 6 things in your garden to show us. Then post on social, or add a link at Jim’s blog below. For regulars, our organiser is Jim at https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. And I’m on mastodon @julie3dharris@mastodon.scot