It is a short Six on Saturday, I’ve been up on the allotment all afternoon trying to plant my dahlias out but I’m having great difficulty with the hard clay soil. A pick axe wouldn’t go amiss! I am now exhausted.
My cottage garden plan to have a purple and white bed has come into fruition. Whilst there are still more plants to flower, such as Larkspur, Gaura and Day Lilies to name a few. My Six on Saturday has a definite purple theme.
1. Alliums
I bought a mixed bag of allium bulbs in November and planted 4 varieties into a small bed. The Christophii and Purple Sensation are in full bloom. I also planted Nigra, a white allium but that is not in full flower yet and the sphaerocephalon are quite a bit later in blooming.
2. Primula vialii
This is one of my all time favourites. I just love the purple and red together. I need to water it often, it likes moist ground and is not too happy with the dry weather, even though it is near the pond.
3. Penstemon barbatus Pina Colada Violet
This penstemon not only flowers early but is compact only growing to about 12″. It is new to me and I’m really pleased with the color.
4. Scabious
When I took this photo this afternoon, I forgot to make a note of the variety. It was £2 plant from Wilko bought in March and looked very weak, but it has taken to its new home and flowering prolifically.
5. Cerinthe
Cerinthe is another of my all time favourites and was so pleased to see that it was already growing on my allotment plot. I have some small cerinthe plants I grew from seed this year before I knew I already had it, so am looking for a suitable place to plant them out.
6. Sweet Pea ‘Mammoth’
‘Mammoth’ is a mix of colours, and just one of the 4 varieties I am growing. As this is a purple theme I’ve only included purple sweet peas. It is a great feeling when you pick your first sweet peas of the year. The perfume is fabulous and I was so pleased to bring home a small posy for my lounge.
A big thank you to Mr Propagator who hosts the Six on Saturday, he has a great blog – please make a visit and see all the very many contributors, showing their weekly Six on Saturday.
