Hi and I am back again for Six on Saturday after a lovely weekend away in Queenstown and a few days just at home, relaxing. Autumn is really here – the clocks go back this weekend heralding the move to the cooler months of the year. My plans to tidy up the garden were put on hold yesterday afternoon as it poured with rain. Today it is lovely and sunny but I am indoors baking a cake and boiling eggs in anticipation of our Easter Sunday celebrations. Ah well….. Anyway, thanks once again to The Propagator for allowing us to share what is going on in our gardens. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in. So…let’s look at this week’s six.
First up, we were greeted by the Japanese anemones when we came up the stairs home after our trip. The display is heading into its last days, so we might as well make the most of these beauties while we can.
The other thing we were welcomed by were these black dahlia buds, thanks to those sap sucking vine hoppers. A quick trip to the garden centre yesterday to find a suitable (organic) pesticide to squirt on seems to have done the job. When I cut off the blackened buds, you could see where all the damage had been done. Be gone evil bugs!
Yeah! Nasturtiums! Two rather pretty ones this week, plus a taste test. A few weeks ago, I pickled two lots of nasturtium seeds, one batch using a recipe found on the internet, and one using Fred’s method. While the ‘found’recipe tasted almost the same as capers, Fred’s method, adding in some oregano flowers from the garden, produced a really amazing tasting product. Fred’s recipe need to sit a little longer (he did say 3 months) but regardless, I am very pleased with the result.
At number four, some randoms in the garden. The violas featured two weeks ago are still looking good. The saffron crocuses have made great progress as you can see, and I found another wild strawberry before a bird too.
At number five, a few herbs…the tarragon is looking very sad, but I still have loads of parsley, chocolate mint, a healthy rosemary and lemon verbena.
And finally…my bulb order arrived. Where I am going to plant them all is a question I have not fully answered. We don’t need patio seating do we? The box they arrived in had this happy message on the side – happy gardening to all of you this week too!
As usual, I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful gardens in other parts of the world. Hope you are all well and enjoying your gardens in whatever the season is with you.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram@thistleandkiwis. As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com
Thistles and Kiwis 
Happy gardening to you too! I do love the personal touch on the packaging.
The anemones look fantastic, even if they’re coming to a finish. You’ve got such a great position for them – a bit of room to roam around, whilst still looking like they’re mean to be there, if you see what I mean!
Good to know about the nasturtium seeds, I’ll have to give that a go.
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I loved that personal touch too…. I really love those anemones, and I agree they look like they are meant to be there!
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That sucking bug looks nasty – glad we don’t have it here. Do you have a name for it?
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Vine hopper I believe. Nasty little things.
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I do love the personal touch when you order something and looking at your bulb selection I think you did very well, you will find space I’m sure. Your pickles sound great, something I might try in the future. And the anemones are always beautiful. Happy Easter to you!
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Happy Easter! Yes I am sure I will find room…even if it means moving the chairs around!
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I’m glad you managed to sort out the vine hoppers. The Japanese anemones are beautiful. You have reminded me that I have a packet of nasturtium seeds to grow – I’ve not grown them before.
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I like nasturtiums – they add a nice pop of colour and are easy to grow.
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You have a delightful variety of herbs on hand – so useful!
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Yes they are so useful.
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Viola, can’t pass by these without a smile back. Bulb order – well there’s always, we hope, a little space somewhere that needs something extra to look forward to 🙂 I like the hand written message too 🙂
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Oh I am with you on violas! They make me smile too. I’m sure I will find room for the bulbs….:-)
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Am going to bookmark Fred’s recipe for this coming summer’s nasturtiums. The two nasturtium flowers featuring this week are very pretty too, the pale lemon is an interesting shade. I have never seen those vine hoppers, nor do I wish to!
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I had a packet of nasturtium seeds labelled ‘mixed’ so had no idea what to expect, and these are the result. You don’t want to meet a vine hopper…
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Glad to see that your capers of nasturtium are on the way! 3 months is a long time… Sometimes I start to eat them after a month ….but shhh…, you must not say it
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🙂
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I am looking forward to trying Fred’s recipe with nasturtium seeds but I have yet to sow mine into the hanging baskets. Thank you for featuring them again. Lots of pretty colours and sunshine this week.
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Nasturtiums would be lovely in a hanging basket – hope you get to try the seeds too!
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Those anemone flowers are beautiful! I will look up Fred’s recipe for nasturtium seed for this years pickling, as it sounds unusual. What a shame that you lost your dahlia buds.
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Luckily the bugs only seemed to have attacked one side of the dahlia. The product I bought has certainly done the trick in getting rid of the ones left.
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Whew! Thank goodness for that!
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Good riddance to the bugs!
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Yes!
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Your plants are all still looking good! You got quite the variety in your new shipment! Next year I am going to plant more daffs I think…..the ones that came up are very nice, but I think they need a swath to look really good! My neighbors anemones are coming up nicely and as they are on our border paths I always get a good view of them too! Cady
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I just felt I needed more daffs…you know that feeling?
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Yep, I feel that way every Spring and then I forget/get lazy every Fall! Cady
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Sorry about those dahlias! Hope the nasturtiums and anemones were some consolation. Good luck finding a place for those bulbs.
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I had an idea the dahlia would suffer after I saw quite a few bugs before we went away. I seem to have solved the problem at least. I’m sure I will find space for the bulbs – somewhere!
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I bet you will!
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Love japanese anemone, though my favorite is ‘Honorine Jobert’. Good luck with the bulbs!
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Thanks re the bulbs! I looked up Honorine Jobert and they are beautiful.
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It still looks beautiful there as you enter the autumn season in your part of the world.
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Those bulbs look good, I have a few of them flowering right now! And I love the personal greeting. For some reason my violas are not doing so well this year and even the new ones I purchased only a couple of weeks ago have stopped flowering. Maybe there is some kind of disease. And two clumps of my Japanese anemones are going to have to be removed as I have three clematis to plant where there are, but I shall pot them up until I can find a new place for them.
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I would keep the Japanese anemones somewhere – but then I would say that! Last year I had no luck with violas so am so pleased this year.
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Oooh – those sap sucking bugs! I’m pleased we don’t have those here. It looks like you’ve made a great choice in bulbs, and you’ll find space for them I’m sure. I’ve been enjoying putting the smaller daffs in pots. Once they’ve flowered though, I’ll have to find somewhere to plant them out!
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At least this year I bought labels to put in with my bulbs this year….
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Love those Anemones. A plant I could never grow. The chocolate mint sounds marvelous, what do you use it for? I am also trying Fred’s nasturtium caper recipe, it has not sat long enough – what herbs did you use. I have thyme, bay and red pepper flakes in mine.
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I don’t really use the chocolate mint, though did put some with roasted nectarines this year. I put oregano flowers and peppercorns with my version of Fred’s nasturtium capers. They need another month I think.
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So, you stand in the garden and inhale the scent of chocolate mint? That works for me! I think I will add some oregano and peppercorns – that sounds good. I can’t taste the thyme in the vinegar thus far and I like herby..
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what a shame about the dahlias. It seems to be a constant battle with bugs and diseases and every day seems to bring a new challenge. I’d forgotten about pickling the nasturtium seeds. I like this idea.
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Yes there is always something eating something we don’t want them too!
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You have a wonderful variety of herbs and flowers. I’ve never tried anemones in my garden, but they’re lovely. I never see them in garden centers here, so they may not be suitable for our area. Every place has its challenges, right?
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Yes you are so right – every place has its challenges – it is just knowing what they are and how to deal with them.
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The delicate blush of your anemones, offset by the neon green center, reminds me to look again for one of these wonderful plants. Have yet to find them at our local nurseries, surprisingly. The markings on the upper nasturtium are really striking, and I am intrigued by the thought of pickling the seeds.
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You should try pickling the nasturtium seeds – well worth the experiment! Yes the contrast of the pale pink and bright green is quite lovely.
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Its so nice that things are still flowering as the colder weather approaches. That’s funny I managed to get 1 little wild strawberry the other day so yum. lol. The bulbs planting looks like it will be a happy time with a message like that. Have you purchased with growing success from this family before? I am always on the look out for reliable seed suppliers. Hope you had a wonderful Easter.
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Yes I have used this company for bulbs before. I didn’t have any luck with a couple of things last year – one was definitely my fault though. But you never know do you? Hope you also had a wonderful Easter!
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If we knew where we would plant online orders, we likely would not order at all! Part of the fun is solving the puzzle! Happy gardening!
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Lovely photos.
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