Could someone please arrange for a delivery of rain – preferably overnight – not too much and not too little? Thank you.
It was a friend’s birthday yesterday, but I hadn’t got her a present. So what better to give her than a pot of summer flowers? I bought everything (except the compost) from B & M and not only filled a pot for my friend but three for me. Her pot (grey) contains 1 x Lily Purple Prince, one hebe Champagne Ice and one lavender (my cuttings), one each pink carnation, white begonia, verbena and marigold. My pots (2 x black) each contain 1 x Lily Landini (dark), 1 each carnation, begonia, verbena, marigold, and a mix of wild flower seeds. My terracotta pot contains the other Lily Purple Prince, 2 x marigold, 3 x verbena. Mine are in the Tiny Greenhouse in case of frost, I’ve asked her to keep her pot in a sheltered position out of full sun until she sees signs of growth. She’s not a gardener so I’ve given her two pages a full set of instructions.
Clematis montana has opened and there is a lovely clove/vanilla smell when I pass it to go to the waterbutt. It’s not as dense as previous years, maybe it needs pruning once the flowers have gone?
Narcissi ‘Tete-a-tete in the front border – at last – but fading fast!
Last year, I managed to grow one verbena Bonsariensis in a pot. A few weeks ago, after reading up about it, I cut back the old stems, reluctantly, it must be said. However, new shoots are appearing on several stems, and I wonder if I should have cut it back further than I did. I may go wild and direct sow some seed in the front border.
My ‘I’ll flower when I want to and no one’s going to stop me‘ cactus – aka Thanksgiving Cactus. Maybe its flowering this early in the year is a sign of distress and I should move it to a larger pot?
Last weekend, this advert popped-up on Facebook. Ooh, I thought, that would be good for a present for a gardening friend. Then I looked closer at the shape. With everything going on in the world at present, do seed-bombs that look like hand-grenades really send the right message?
Pop over to The Propagator’s Six on Saturday post for links to other, more colourful – and less contraversial – plants, gardens, and general mayhem.
See you in May!
Eileen's Tiny Welsh Garden 
I think we all need rain right now, you’re right. The soil is dry and I need to water fairly regularly. Asiatic lilies Landing look really nice. I can’t wait to see them bloom…
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It”s been raining here since late afternoon, not heavy, but consistent. Hopefully it will continue overnight.
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I have a Christmas or Thanksgiving or some kind of cactus. It bloomed nicely, then I abused it and it is slowly starting to look better. will it bloom again? Only time will tell! So cold here that not much happening outdoors yet. Lots of rain though – we may get out of our drought yet! Officially in the abnormally dry category, having escaped severe and moderate drought categories. Nonetheless, the sump pump has still not needed to run, so groundwater is low regardless of what the US drought monitor says
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I’ll have to use the hosepipe to water my garden if it doesn’t rain soon. We’ll all be planting desert and Mediterranean gardens at this rate 🤔
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My Christmas cactus just had a second flowering, they are funny plants. Great six, and no I wouldn’t want to hand grenade as a gift.
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Verbena seeds will germinate easily just by scattering them on loose gravel.
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I have gravel, but not where I want the verbena 🙂 Do you think a tray of horticultural grit will help start them off and transplant later?
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I’d imagine the seed would grow well in grit…. but, on other hand, there’s no mention of it here.. https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/growing-verbena-bonariensis-from-seed/
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