A Past, Present and Future Six on Saturday

As I write this week’s #sixonsaturday, I am struck by the fact that this week has been all about clearing some of the fading past glory of the garden, appreciating the colour of the present and planning for the future Spring burst of bulbs and flowers in the pots and hanging baskets.

I’ve had to clear some of the Pelargoniums from the pots and baskets at the front of the house in order to get them potted up with a bit of Winter colour but it’s a job I hate doing when some of the plants are still in flower or still hold the promise of blooming, even though it’s far too cold now!

This Nemesia is still in flower which is utterly amazing given not just the current cold snap which we have in Glasgow, but that I bought a few of them at the end of August for £1 each from the dead and dying shelf. After a quick haircut of all the dead stems and a refreshing drink of water, they have been really lovely so it’s sad to have to refresh them from the late Summer baskets.

I do love a Hebe for its evergreen form and for that gorgeous blast of colour in the late Autumn, early Winter so this is present joy to be appreciated. This one I’m particularly pleased with as it was slowly dying off in a pot so I planted it in a border and it has bounced back: the leaves are green and glossy and the delicate purple blooms just perfect!

I’ve bought and planted 18 Helleborus ‘Christmas Carol’ in the pots and baskets at the front of the house. They are small just now but as the Winter bites, they will grow larger so they are something to watch and look forward to see growing. The other aded benefit is that they can be planted in the garden when I need to make room in the pots for Summer bedding. I might even pot them on in the Spring to be able to use again next year. Let’s see how they survive the Winter first!

Alongside the Hellebores, this week I’ve planted more than 50 Violas in my own and in client gardens. Although not as showy as their Pansy friends, I find Violas have better staying power to last the Winter through to Springtime.

My other future planning in the garden this week was in the collecting of Nasturtium seeds to store and use come the Springtime. I’ve not always had great success with saving nasturtium seeds but nothing ventured, nothing gained and if a plant actively wants to give you seeds to sow next year, well it would be folly to refuse!

Do feel free to me leave a comment on these six as I love to chat about plants and gardening! Enjoy reading other #SixonSaturday blogs for information and inspiration as gardeners around the world share six things from their garden on a Saturday. #SixonSaturday is hosted by The Propagator, and you’ll find lots of links on Twitter on the #SixonSaturday hashtag. You can find The Pink Wheelbarrow on Twitter at @PinkWheelbarrow.