The Little Weeds were back to school this week, although Littlest Weed doesn’t start until next week, but settling back into the routine has not left much time for gardening.
So this week’s six really have very little to do with me – just plants getting on and doing their thing. As ever I doff my cap to the head honcho of SOS, The Propagator, and look forward to seeing what his other underlings have been up to in their plots this week.
- Japanese anemone
We have two small clumps of this pretty white anemone (I’m guessing it’s Honorine Jobert – I didn’t plant it) and would love more. Shown here with bronze fennel, rainbow chard and cavolo nero. You might call it messy; I’m going with artistic abundance.
2. Erigeron karvinskianus
I planted this Mexican fleabane last year by our front gatepost and it has obligingly flowered from early summer onwards, left pretty much to its own devices.
3. Sunflowers
You can’t beat a sunflower for low maintenance jollification. I popped the seeds in the ground fairly late in the year (May?) and watched them grow. Job done.
4. Buddleia
Our butterfly bush is another low maintenance winner. I chopped it back late last autumn (I believe I should have done it in the spring but I get a bit bored of it once it has flowered). It didn’t seem to mind and has come back bigger than ever this year.
5. Choisya ternata
Until earlier this year, our Mexican orange blossom was obscured by an overgrown box in front (you can still see the remnants bottom left). So I have been delighted to notice this year that it has a second flowering in September (the first was in the spring). I do miss the box a little and so am thinking of installing a new box ball somewhere this winter.
6. Shrub ident please
Some of you may remember that in my enthusiasm for hacking things back this year, I cut down a small tree just outside our French windows which was cutting out a lot of light. I did not manage to kill it off altogether though and here you can see the red leaves of its new growth. I would be very grateful for an ident – Jim Stephens?
That’s it for this week. I hope soon to be able to report on some actual gardening – I have big plans for making big plans this autumn, if you catch my drift.
Carrots and Calendula 
That Mexican orange blossom is now on my “want” list- it’s so pretty!
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I thought the Mexican fleabane was an annual so I’m excited to see I could leave mine!
I love a good Buddleja….such a brilliant plant for just doing its own thing. Enjoy!
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I’m going to borrow your ‘artistic abundance’ excuse 🙂 Nice pics
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😆
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I had to buy plants of Erigeron karvinskianus as i could not get seeds to germinate / survive. Do I leave them outdoors during the winter? Or should I pot one up and bring it indoors? I know they are supposed to self-seed, but…
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Ours survived the severe winter we’ve just had – it is in a south facing front garden and quite sheltered though, although partial shade. It does very well round here and grows in cracks on walls up and down our street so I guess it depends on whether it likes your Cornish climate?
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I see it growing in cracks everywhere so there is hope!
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Our white Japanese anemone hasn’t flowered this year. I don’t think it liked the hot summer. A lovely Six. We used to have few Mexican orange blossoms at our old house. A great shrub.
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Photinia ‘Red Robin’, though other forms are sometimes encountered. A decade ago they were by far the biggest seller on the nursery where I worked, so there should be trees of it everywhere. There aren’t, which probably tells you something. Mainly that it grows too big and too fast for most of the small gardens it was planted in.
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I was thinking simple Photinia X fraseri, although it does seem to be remarkably red. ‘Red Robin’ became available after all of our older plants, so our all of ours are just Photina X fraseri. I need to renovate them sometimes; and sometimes, I cut them down to stumps so that they can regenerate like this. ‘Red Robin’ is supposed to be more manageable, and exhibits better color.
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Yes that’s it – thanks again Jim. I’m not really a fan but I wasn’t strong enough to dig out the roots and so it has come back.
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My Choisya doesn’t have a second bloom this year .. or not yet. I love the smell of leaves and flowers! Here too, it was time to go back to school for the kids (but a few days before you: it was 03-09)
Good luck for your little one
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So glad you have plenty of cheerful views of your garden when your little sweeties have to depart for school. These days fly by too quickly. I imagine the fragrance of that choisya is outstanding. Do tell.
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I the just bought Choisya Ternata
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I the just bought Choisya Ternata. Looking forward to it flowering next year.
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A great SOS, all my favourite plants – I had a lovely Choysia in my old garden which flowered repeatedly eve through the winter. I made lots of new Japanese anemone plants by breaking off bits of the roots and sticking them in the ground. They spread like mad if happy.
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I have that white anemone (might well feature soon). Id heard that anemone spread but these have remained stubbornly well behaved. Typical…
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I think the pink ones spread but the (to my mind nicer) white ones don’t…
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I’m another fan of the Mexican orange blossom, mostly for the scent of the leaves. I’d prune ours so both new & old growth showed, which made me love it even more. And the flowers are nice, too. See them everywhere around here, but that hasn’t stopped me loving them. I like this whole collection in your SoS. This is a really busy time of year for everyone, btwn school term, end of holidays for those w/o kids, harvesting & preserving . . . so you’ve got a great half dozen that clip along on their own & keep the garden looking alive. Fantastic.
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