09 October, 2021

Six on Saturday - 9th October 2021

Seeing Red

After a bit of a gap, and on a pretty foggy Saturday morning here in south east London, here's my twelfth #SixOnSaturday post, six things going on in the garden this week and inspired by The Propagator. There's a red theme this week

Bowl containing chilli peppers and tomatoes

1) Chilli Peppers

I grew peppers for the first time this year. I have absolutely no idea what type they are as the packet they came in was simply marked "Chilli Pepper Seeds" and was part of a Mexican-themed party box from work to spice up our otherwise online Christmas Party. There were seven seeds from which I grew six viable plants. All have produced chillies whose size and shape suggests Padrom, Apache or JalapeƱo.   

Flower

2) Salvia "Hot Lips"

Hot Lips has got her lips back having started the flowering season with pure white blooms.  She continues to flower vigorously. The plant is placed by a path and I love the scent that the leaves release when you brush by it.

Large flowerhead

3) The plant formerly known as Sedum

This year has been a good one for the sedums in my garden. The original plant has been much propogated through spring division and at this time of year give fantastic displays in shady and sunny borders alike, with the intensity of the red deepening over time. They are hugely prone to flopping and so next year I'm planning to grow some through Peony support cages. I've been surprised how good they are as cut flowers so at least the very flopped ones have had a second life in a vase. 

Bowl of ripe tomatoes

4) Tomatoes

I grew two kinds of tomato this year, Tigrella and Gardener's Delight. I had so many successful seedlings and many went to neighbours or appeared on local charity stalls. I tend to keep some in my little greenhouse and then grow the remainder outside. This year all the outside ones suffered from blight and had to be destroyed. Those in the greenhosue fared much better and all the fruit ripened nicely. Yesterday I picked the last ones and the plants have been chopped and added to the compost heap.    

Branch with small leaves and berries

5) Cotoneaster berries

This is the time of year when cotoneaster comes into its own, with the rich red fruit contrasting the small glossy green leaves of the plant. The birds love the berries. 

A plant with flowers

6) Cyclamen

With their perky flowers and distinctively marked leaves, cyclamen for me signal the onset of autumn. One plant has, this year, produced a large number of offspring which I'm now attempting to grow on.   

The fog is lifting and the forecasted sunny day looks like it will be delivered, so we are hoping to get the bikes out and gently trace the Thames Path.

That's all for this week. Check out the participant guide if you want to join in.


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