It’s the first weekend in early July and here are some photos from my cottage garden for the theme of Six on Saturday.
Jasmine by the front door
Glorious scent right at the front door
This trachelospermum jasminoides by the front door is evergreen and right now it is filling the garden with the scent of jasmine. It’s a great plant giving so much value all year around. Do plant one in a sunny spot if you can.
A salvia out of its pot
This really didn’t work. It’s just brown sticks in a pot.
Oh dear, this pineapple scented salvia just lifted out of its pot intact and wasn’t thriving at all. The rootball shape is a solid lump of dry roots and clearly my watering the pot had had no effect. I think it’s been in the pot too long without the right care. It’s old and woody and I’m not going to nurture it any more.
Water mint in the pond
Water mint in the tiny pond
I love what this tiny water mint has done. I dropped a 7cm pot in the water and from there it has spread over half the pond and it’s flowering. Such a success and so unplanned. The duckweed is so mixed up with the mint leaves that I’ll never get it out but until it causes a problem I can enjoy what it’s doing. I imagine lots of creatures are sheltering in the mint leaves.
Hardy geraniums are the best cottage garden plants
A jumble of hardy geraniums
The garden is probably 70% hardy geraniums which I adore and keep on buying whenever I see them. Slugs don’t eat them which is a bonus. Here they are all mixed in together in true cottage garden style, covering the ground so no bare soil shows and with some foxgloves pushing their way up through them.
Sitting in the garden
So vital to have a table and chairs in a town garden
Just a snapshot taken today of what the garden is for – sitting with a coffee reading a gardening mag. Lots of herbs on the table and a box of Dreamies (for the cat, not me).
Gardening is ageless
No age limit to gardening
Here’s my Mum, who was 103 yrs old in February, with her pots of summer bedding that she has done every year. We have very different taste in plants as she goes for marigolds, pelargoniums, petunias and lobelia: the bright neon colours (to match her socks I notice). My husband is very fond of her, as you can see in this pic.
As long as you are able to, you can garden in some way or another, thank goodness. I’ve written more about her here
Thankyou to the Propagator who hosts this theme of Six on a Saturday. Over on his blog you can find other people’s contributions from all over the world. We are a community of gardeners who share our gardens and follow each others’ ups and downs.
Lovely photos.
Your Trachelospermum looks glorious, it gives me hope for mine which I picked up last year for £3 in Morissons – It’s in flower but still somewhat juvenile.
I utterly agree with you about the usefulness of hardy geraniums – while I adore the blues, I think I spy delicious ‘Ann Folkard’ in your border whose rich magenta flowers magically mingle with their neighbours. It’s time for me to chop my geraniums back, with hope that they might flower again this year. I know it’s a good thing to do but I’ll miss their blowsy bushiness while they rejuvenate.
Your Mum’s pots of annuals are like medals for achieving another year. 103 is impressive.
Thanks for this delightful collection.
Hello Maggie, thanks for your message. Now it’s not Ann Folkard, it’s the big tall Psilostemon called Patricia and there’s a second one just like Patricia but a different name. They are very tall whereas Ann creeps along the ground but I’ve never managed to make that one thrive even tho I’ve bought it many times. Yes, putting off the day I chop them all down…….. So glad you have enjoyed my post.
I must find me some hardy geraniums. Can the ‘out run’ crocosmia and common day lilies? If not they won’t mqke it in my space.
Hi Beverly, well all I can say is they are the OST marvellous plants growing everywhere, good for wildlife, move in and around all other plants – yes, find some easy ones and go for it!
I have breakfast on the terrace and the jasmine perfumes wonderfully well next to it. A delight! Your mom looks healthy even if she is in a wheelchair. The pleasure of being at your side in the garden can be read on her face. Long life to her!
That sounds lovely Fred. Actually my Mum isn’t in a wheelchair, in fact she walks as fast as I do. She just used that wheelie thing to wheel her gardening stuff around. And she keep whiskey and rum in it.
Thanks Julie – I’ve learned something –
I’ve been calling my geranium by the wrong name for years!
Well everyone has called the bedding plants geraniums for years and no one had really heard of hardy geraniums until they got much more popular. Such different plants but I suppose of the same family somewhere up the line.
What stunning pics! Yoyrvgarden sounds idyllic. Mine is getting there, I hope. My trachelospermum isn’t as abundant as yours, but is still only a couple of years old so I guess there’s time. I have a few hardy geraniums and after reading your post am definitely going to get more. I have quite a shady spot, under a ceanothus and where the cat loves to settle when it’s hot, and am hoping some will thrive there. Thank you for sharing your garden and tips, and your mum – what a lady!
Thankyou for your lovely reply. Yes there are geraniums for every place, they thrive everywhere and there are certain varieties that do better in shade than others. Phaeum and nodosum are good for shade. My jasmine is at least 10 yrs old so hang on in there, it will suddenly take off. Best wishes.
Dear Julie
A lovely story about your mum. 103!! An example to us all and I’m now going to sit down and order my bulbs. Thank you
Hello my friend, thanks for commenting, and I’ll txt you about getting together soon, xxJulie
Thanks for the hardy geranium names. Have added them to the garden shopping list!
Oh lovely. You might (will) find it’s hard to stop at a few. And as they grow they are easy to chop up into lots more plants.
Have a lovely hot pink geranium- Ann Thomson. Love your blogs
Thankyou Sally for saying so – and I think that one is a winner isn’t it, like Ann Folkard I think the name is. Hurrah for hardy geraniums.
So wonderful to see a photo of your 103 year old Mum! My granddad is nearly 94 and still potters around the garden and his garden looks much better than mine 😀
Thankyou Nikki, aren’t they lucky that they have the mobility to still potter in the garden. It’s such a life enhancing thing. Cheers to you and your granddad.