Six on Saturday 08.01.22

Thistles and Kiwis,

Here we are – 2022 – and happy new year to all SoSers out there across the globe. It is summer here of course, and we have been blessed with lots of sunny weather – which has had its consequences in the garden, both positive and negative. Anyway, many thanks to The Propagator who encourages us to share what is going on in our gardens in all parts of the world. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in.

We went off up to glorious Hawke’s Bay for a few days after the new year, as some of you might have seen in the last three posts (lots of pictures of beaches if you feel you need to see some sunshine). There was beach sitting, wine drinking and book reading…and weather forecast checking as it got to over 30C back at home. The terrace in front of the house gets particularly hot, so I was wondering how my plants were getting on. On getting home, before I even unpacked the bags, I was out checking to see what damage, if any had been done. There had been a little rain, so it wasn’t nearly bad as I thought. One of the sage plants succumbed, but I have cut it right back and will see if any new growth appears. The parsley looked sad, but has improved with a little judicious trimming and watering. Meanwhile, the agapanthus, of course, still look fine. Hmmm……

I was particularly pleased to see the dahlias hadn’t suffered too much. Lots of brown leaves which I have been removing, and one sad looking flower on the Art Fair. The three pictures in the middle are Happy Cream (two pictures taken before we left on holiday) and Pablo, which came into flower while we were away.

At number three, the gorgeous purple flowers on the hostas (one peeping through the stalks of the agapanthus).

Over to herb corner, and before we left on holiday I bought this lavender boysenberry which is supposed to be long flowering and heat resistant – not so sure about that! Anyway, after a good watering the pineapple sage came back to life, and there are flowers on one of the thymes that I guess I should pick to make some flavoured vinegar. The lemon bergamot has produced these very pretty pink/purple flowers.

Next up, the last of the alstroemerias, and lots of seed heads appearing. It was a lovely display again this year, adding some gorgeous colour to the side of the house.

Let’s end the post with a couple of nasturtiums. There are lots more to come – hopefully – judging by what I can see – at least I hope so as need to make more ‘capers’ (if Fred can remind me of his recipe – I remember putting them in salt first?).

That is my six this week, and 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 @thistlesandkiwis.  As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days.  If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com

Published by Thistles and Kiwis

21 Comments

  1. A lovely array of flowers to come home to after spending time away. I am happy to report there is thunder about and I can hear the swishing of tyres on the road below our house – the light drizzle can only be good for our garden 🙂

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  6. Oh, thank you for the sunshine! I am very happy to share it with you on this cold, extremely wet and windy day. Your Dahlias are so pretty and unblemished, almost makes me want to attempt to grow them again. Almost…

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  7. Your garden faired well while you were away. The dahlias are looking lovely, as are the herbs. I have no luck growing bergamot here unfortunately, and the Hosta flower is delightful! I hope mine will flower this year. I find Alstroemerias very rewarding. Best wishes for a Happy New Year to you too!

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    1. I kept saying to my husband ‘what about my plants’ when we were away…but I was really appy most things were fine, especially my dahlias and to see the hostas in bloom on getting home wa a delight.

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  8. I love the nasturtiums – mine are bedevilled by shade as leaf growth everywhere is monstrous after such a wet season. And capers? Oooh, I missed that from Fred. Fred!!!!! We need your recipe!

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    1. Guess what? I found Fred’s recipe! “Once picked, I cover them lightly with salt for 24 hours, I rinse them, and put them in a jar with vinegar and a mix of coriander, rosemary, pepper and chili : Ready to eat after 2 months.”

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    1. February is usually the hottest month. The long range forecast is for a warm autumn, so let’s see what goes on out there! There are a few seeds I planted that are not yet showing signs of life.

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