It has been a mini-hiatus of a few weeks for me from compiling a Six on Saturday; however I am glad to get back on the horse. A lot has occurred during this time, including starting a new job in a new garden (read more about this here), while my seedlings grow (despite a near-disaster when I knocked the propagator onto the floor) and we continue to accumulate even more plants to fill the greenhouse.

However, the weather has continued to be disappointing. But there is promise of sun to come next week (it might even be gardening in shorts weather) and the garden will flourish.

So here are the six images to showcase my last couple of weeks in horticulture:

The parterre at Hanbury Hall is starting to bloom and looking fantastic, with the hyacinths kind of stealing the show at the moment. There is a combination of the likes of Hyacinth Aiolos, Hyacinth ‘Lady Derby’ and Hyacinth ‘Blue Jacket’ proving real splashes of colour to contrast the box hedging. Thousands of bulbs, including tulips, daffodils and more hyacinths, are also popping through the ribbon border and giving an explosion of colour.

 

 

I built these two compost bins at Greyfriars House and Garden in the centre of Worcester. It is a Grade I listed building and National Trust property with a lovely little garden, providing a real tranquil oasis hidden in a bustling city centre. One thing the garden didn’t have was compost facilities, until now. The bins were relatively simple to put together, once I got the power tools out, but the posts still need to be sawed down. They are supposed to be sunk into the ground, but since they had to go on a solid base it means they are a bit long at present. But the bins look good and will prove really useful going forward.

 

I am a real fan of Primula auriculas and I have a particular penchant for darker varieties. There are a range of auriculas on display at work, but I definitely think this is my favourite. It really stands out on a spring day, especially this last week when its delicate form beams out on a grey day.

 

 

 

Another standout at the moment is the Geranium maderense, also known as giant herb rocket. It is a tall and splendid geranium (to about 1.2m) and a consistent flowerer.

 

 

 

 

I have finally taken the opportunity to plant up my potatoes. I plucked for Red Duke of York, a first early, and should give me a vigorous harvest of large red-skinned potatoes. They were chitting for a long time on a windowsill as I waited for the worst of the cold to pass. I now have one load in a pot and some planted in a large bag. It is good to finally get them planted.

 

 

 

Earlier in the year I started a project to grow Dahlia ‘Bishops Children’ from seed (read about that here). Admittedly I didn’t know what to really expect, but was blown away by how quickly and successfully they germinated. So they have been potted up and continue to romp away. They are currently much bigger than I expected and continue to grow on a seemingly daily basis – soon they’ll need potting up again. I would definitely recommend it as a simple and easy method to grow beautiful flowers. I’ve got more than I need, so will give some away as presents.