I haven’t done a Six for a few weeks. Not sure why! I don’t think I’ve been particularly busy, I’ve probably just been faffing and procrastinating and ran out of time! That sounds like me! I’m making the effort today because there is so much to document at this time of year. I’ve been out in the garden today weeding and pruning and generally trying to make it look a bit tidier, but it really is too hot out there to do anything much. I did manage to finally plant out my grown-from-seed cosmos and some erysimums that I salvaged from the sale table a few weeks ago, but I drew the line at planting out the magnolia and the buddleja that are patiently waiting in their pots because it’s too hot to be digging!

I’ll start with a couple of pink offerings. First a hardy geranium. These grow really well in our garden and it really is pretty impossible to kill them! They’re self-seeding all over the place, but I’m letting them because they’re kind of nice, they fill spaces well and, as you see, they’re good for pollinators.

Next is a first. I couldn’t get a decent photo of it, but this is a flower on my leptospurmum. I’ve had this for a good four or five years and I had no idea (or I’d forgotten) that it was supposed to have flowers. It’s never had one before and when I saw this one, I was so surprised that I went to check it hadn’t just fallen on it from another plant, but no, it’s definitely attached!

Moving on to orange now with a close up of a giant begonia. This is in our wheelbarrow planter and it’s supposed to be apricot! I’d be quite concerned if I had an apricot this colour, but I’m quite pleased to have this growing. The plants came from QVC and are supposed to be an apricot mix – so far they’re mostly this colour with one yellow one.

This one, I know is generally considered a weed, but my mum potter it up for me from her garden last year because she likes them, and I have to agree. They add a lovely splash of colour to the front border and they look particularly cheerful in the sunshine.

Speaking of looking lovely in the sunshine, these pansies are positively glowing! I planted up several pots with pansies and violas a few weeks ago, but they haven’t done very well on the whole. This pot is one of the few successes and I can see it from my home office and it cheers my heart all week.

I’ll finish with another success. In fact, it’s a bit too successful and it’s difficult to move along the path past it, but I don’t care because it looks beautiful and is good for the butterflies. It’s such a vibrant purple colour. When I finally plant out the second buddleja that I have waiting, I’ll make sure I put it somewhere with plenty of space!

There’s my Six for this week. I hope everyone’s enjoying the good weather and that some gardening is being done in between sunbathing and ice cream eating! Don’t forget to check out the Propagator for other Sixes.

I wasn’t intending to write a Six post today but then I went down the garden and saw something that made me smile, so I thought I’d share. It’ll be a very concise Six because I’m typing on my phone because I don’t want to get off the egg chair to get my iPad!

Anyway, the source of my grin was this …

… beginnings of raspberries! I’m fully aware that this doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll get raspberries, but it’s closer than I’ve ever got before and the anticipation is almost as delicious as the (hopefully) ensuing raspberries!

So what else is happening in the garden?

Well this is happening in abundance overseeing the raspberry babies. An absolute wall of beautiful honeysuckle that also makes me smile because every time I see it I think of this …

Edit: not honeysuckle, I now realise, but still beautiful!

No, Pooh, you don’t eat them, you smell them!

Oh!

I’m working my way back down the garden, and here we have my eupatorium springing back up.

It’s about a foot tall so far but will get to around a metre if previous years are to be matched. I must try to remember to take cuttings this year. I need more of these!!

Ambling my way back down to the patio it’s like strolling through a bluebell wood.

I can take absolutely no credit for these whatsoever. They were here before we got here and I imagine they’ll still be popping up every year long after we’ve popped off! There are so many that Ziggy the triceratops is almost completely ambushed by bluebells. I do take partial credit for the beautiful pink rhododendron in the background though!

A happy accident has occurred in the front border.

I planted the erysimum a couple of years back, but I had nothing to do with the lime euphorbia which has appeared around it. At least I don’t think I did! I think the colours work perfectly with each other, both appearing more vibrant in contrast. More bluebells making sure they get a look in too!

Back on the patio and the polomonium that I thought I’d lost is looking beautiful.

This is Stairway to Heaven, bought to live in one of granny’s pots. Maybe this is her saying ‘hello Sarah, you’re doing ok’.

I’m going to sit here a little longer and enjoy listening to the buzz of bees and the birdsong. Might slip along to check out more Sixes at the Propagator. Join me?