Six-On-Saturday

Rain, Ripening Tomatoes and a Solitary Allium

It’s my first time having some hydrangeas in the garden, and I’m tempted to self-administer forty lashes for not growing these before now.

It’s been a great week. Rain has fallen. That’s what rain does. Enough of it, at last. Not biblical quantities, admittedly, but enough to put a bit of life back into the place. The ground has softened. The leaves have perked up.

The weather, as usual, refuses to settle. One minute there’s rain tapping against the glasshouse, the next there’s a brightness in the sky. Temperatures are neither here nor there – not quite autumnal, not quite summer. It’s that curious bit of the year when the garden seems to be asking: Are we finished yet?

The rainfall has certainly helped. The jaded look has given way to a cautious resurgence. Buds are forming and flowers are gathering themselves for one last show, but there’s a sense that the garden is holding something in reserve. September is only around the corner. Perhaps there might yet be an Indian summer?

For today, though, let’s simply be grateful that enough rain has fallen. There is something satisfying about hearing it on the windows after weeks of watching the ground dry out. Tomorrow will bring its own weather, its own situations and probably its own little surprise.

Enough of the waffle. Let’s take a wander through the garden and see what’s happening. I’m joining in with many other gardeners across the globe for Six on Saturday hosted by Jim at Garden Ruminations.

New And Old

It’s my first time having some hydrangeas in the garden, and I’m tempted to self-administer forty lashes for not growing these before.

This one is a bigleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla. As August comes to an end, many of the giant blooms are fading, but some new ones appear.

As I snapped a few early morning shots, I noticed that the plant is decicately laced with silky webs. Check top left. An ambush awaits.

Pretty Pansy Purple

Pretty pansy purple,
smiling in the sun,
Petals like velvet,
Dancing for fun.

Extract from “The Pansy Song” by Plooshi, a children’s song from the flower-themed album Flower Songs for Kids, Toddlers, Preschoolers, released in March 2025.

I was happy to revert temporarily to toddlerism, as I ambled down the garden today.

I sang it for my granddaughter on phone face time. She isn’t very impressed with my singing. Others have mentioned that I’ve got Van Gogh’s ear for music.

Begonia: Front And Back

I love trailing begonias. This is one of my favourites. It’s in a small pot sitting on an upturned square pot, with a saucer beneath it to hold water.

I rotate the plant, perhaps twice a week, so that front and back will face the light.

This is unfortunate. I neglected to take my own advice. My guess is this side was facing backward for 7-10 days. Again, I am willing to submit to self-flagellation. Ten of the best should do the trick.

Sorbus acuparia Romina

Back in May 2020, just as Covid lockdown began a phased easing, I purchased a beautiful Mountain Ash, Sorbus acuparia. I wrote about it back then. Here’s the link if you are really keen.

Shortly after that, a young Iranian girl was beheaded by her father to protect family honour. Sharia law is a bitch. I named this tree in her memory. Sorbus acuparia Romina Ashrafi.

Since then, the tree almost died, but it is now doing very well. I think the original article, linked above, is worth reading. I read it back during the week, and it saddened me.

Tomatoes / Trátaí

Is maith liom trátaí. There’s a nip in the air these days, and more particularly overnight. So I moved seven tomato plants back into the glasshouse. There was a glut of tomatoes from mid-June, but the last of them need the extra heat to ripen.

Allium

I can’t remember planting it. It’s a solitary Allium, with nobody from the immediate family for company. As in life, it looks a little lonely, but gets on with living its best life. The flower is spent now, and seed is abundant.

That’s my Six on Saturday for this week. Six-on-Saturday is a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of Six on Saturday host, Jim.

In Other News

When Trump hears I’m recovered from surgery and ready to protest at his Doonbeg Golf Club next month, I think he’ll chicken out. TACO.
Dolly Parton RIP. I spotted this on X during the week: You want to honor her today? Put a book in a kid’s hands. Stay married. Do the works.
Romina Ashrafi A sad Sharia Law tragedy in Iran (2020)
The Great Irish Eclipse — Almost Missed Over a Beer. This update is a summary of the August 12th eclipse and what I was doing instead of gazing at it.

Until next time,

Slán, Pádraig.

From Hot Lips to Secret Trips

Note to US Border Patrol… If you find this Six-on-Saturday on my Social Media, do not ignore. Send me back to Ireland immediately.

It has been the best summer since 1976, and I’ve enjoyed my time in the garden. As a consequence, because I’ve spent so much time working in the garden and relaxing to enjoy it, I have neglected my blog. There has been an almost complete absence of writing it up. My Six-on-Saturday has been abysmal. I think I’ve posted twice, and today makes three!

For anyone unfamiliar with the Six-on-Saturday meme, here’s the nuts and bolts of it. Many hundreds of gardeners from around the world and from Kilbrien post six items from their garden on Saturdays. The rules are more like guidelines, and for example four of my six are taken in my garden this week, one is in our housing estate, and one is in Northern Ireland. Likely, my efforts will be tolerated and there are no red cards for such mild offences.

Recovery

The garden is recovering just a bit, following a week of showers, mostly light. However, a few very heavy thunderstorms dropped more water than we’ve had since late June. Hurrah for that!

I too am recovering after my gallbladder surgery on July 25th. The lovely surgeon Niamh and her team outlined a six-week recovery timeline for me. This is week four. No bike, no running and no swimming. They did mention that I’ll know what to do when the time is right, provided I listen to my body.

This week I’m doing light dumbbell exercises for arms only. Given the continued good weather, it makes sense to do this outside. Listening to my body, added to my usual good feeling whenever I’m in the garden.

Lobelia

I bought this at the Farmers Market in Lismore last Sunday. It’s Lobelia something-or-other, and not often that my phone camera captures red properly. On this occasion, I’m happy with the shot. It has been potted up and is now living it’s best life on my sunny patio.

Salvia ‘Hot Lips’

This shrub is about fifty metres up the road from me, on our estate greenspace. I did have it in the garden several years ago, given to me by a gardening enthusiast (thank you Ann🙏), but I didn’t mind it as I should have.

Simon usually sells Salvias at the local Farmers Market. Perhaps last year or the year before we discussed it. He told me it’s Salvia ‘Hot Lips’, and suggested I’d be in the good books if I were to buy it for my missus. A few days later, Marion met him and he suggested she buy it for me! Good salesman!

Verbena

I rarely get to look at the front garden, apart from coming to and going from the house. That said, the Verbena is worth looking at. The masses of small purple flowers act as a magnet for butterflies. It seeds itself freely in gravel. I even see it growing across the road, germinated along cracks in the footpath.

Onions

Harvested two weeks ago, and drying in the glasshouse, I made an error in not removing some flowers when the time was right. Still, bees were attracted to it. I have since cut it back and moved all onions out of intense direct sunlight.

Blackberries

Recently, Marion and I made a road trip to Belfast. Long day 9am until 9pm, there and back same day. Don’t ask, it’s all under wraps! I’m subject to the Official Secrets Act 1963 and Protected Disclosures Act 2014.

Anyway, that’s enough rambling on. The point is that on one of several stretch-my-legs-breaks somewhere just north of the border, I came upon a feast of blackberries. Very tasty too, these northern blackberries.

These are my items for Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator, currently hosted by Jim. For more Six-on-Saturday updates, from all around the world, head over to Jim’s blog.In addition, many others post on X using the hashtag (you guessed it!) #sixonsaturday. I sometimes post there too @psdeburca58

In Other News

Boat trip on the Blackwater. Mr. Meta bought a castle nearby but when we called, he wasn’t home.
Cinema: The Odyssey
Five teenagers in balaclavas were killed driving wrong way on M9 motorway. Four innocent road users remain critically injured. National outrage. What on earth is happening to our country?
Body Trauma Gallbladder surgery
From Rust To Yellow My AI fun.

Until next time,

Slán, Pádraig.

Six Photos. Many More Plants

I used ChatGTP to analyse this collage of six photographs. It was able to complete this task slightly faster than my 68-year-old processor. Here’s the bottom line…

Hylotelephium (Sedum) ‘Herbstfreude’ / Autumn Joy — the large rounded cream-pink flower heads throughout the foreground. These are especially prominent in the main photograph.
Hydrangea macrophylla — the large pink/mauve hydrangeas in pots at bottom left.
Pelargoniums (zonal geraniums) — the masses of red, pink, salmon and orange flowers in pots and window boxes.
Lavandula (English lavender) — the grey-green foliage and purple flower spikes against the wall.
Gaura lindheimeri — the delicate pink-and-white flowers on long, airy stems in the foreground.
Allium — the spherical white flower heads in the separate photograph; they appear to be flowering/going to seed. My assistant, realising that I’m addempting to dry the onions, offers solid advice: “Best to deadhead the lovely flowers, because they will interfere with the process.”
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.) — the ripening blackberries in the top-right photograph. Note: not my garden. These are Northern bla kberries, photographed on a recent journey to Belfast.
Pansies/violas — visible in the window boxes and among the pots.
Lobelia — the small blue-purple flowers trailing from the hanging pot/chair area.
Heuchera — some of the foliage plants around the containers look like heucheras, although the photograph isn’t quite detailed enough to identify cultivars.
Euonymus — the variegated cream-and-green shrub in the foreground looks very much like a variegated Euonymus.
Thuja/conifer — the upright evergreen in the left-hand container arrangement appears to be a small arborvitae-type conifer.
One particularly interesting plant
The large white/pink flower heads that appear repeatedly in the foreground are almost certainly a stonecrop/Hylotelephium, rather than the old-fashioned annual sedums often called Sedum. The fleshy leaves and flat-topped flower clusters are characteristic.
The plant with the very airy pink flowers beside it is almost certainly Gaura (now often classified as Oenothera lindheimeri). It makes a lovely combination with the sedum because the two have such different flower structures.

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of Six on Saturday host, Jim.

Begonia Delight; Oh What a Sight!

Begonia delight; oh what a sight!
A blaze of blooms in softest light.
As morning spills her silver dew,
The dreaming garden wakes in you.

From folds of crimson, rose, and gold,
A quiet tale is gently told.
Each petal, touched by breeze and sun,
Speaks of the day that’s just begun.

The blackbird pauses in his song,
The bees hum low as they belong.
A butterfly on painted wing
Makes silence seem a living thing.

No boastful call, no need for fame,
Yet gardens whisper just your name.
Where sun and shadow softly meet,
The earth grows gentler at your feet.

When twilight wraps the fading sky
And swallows homeward wheel and fly,
Your colours hold the evening’s glow,
Like embers burning far below.

So bloom until the autumn rain
Has sung its soft and sweet refrain.
Begonia delight; oh what a sight!
A little flame against the night.

https://x.com/i/status/2085982099610210579

Disclaimer: poem with AI-assist. Every garden should have it!

Six On Saturday: Keeping Me Grounded

There were several lowlights during the week. My phone went on the blink and several heavy frosts finally arrived, followed immediately by Storm Goretti. On a positive note I finished my regular 5k Wexford Parkrun under thirty minutes. The last time I recorded that milestone was way back in 2014. Perhaps I’ll treat myself? A new phone, did I hear you say? 🤔

The garden is my mindful place throughout the ups and down of life. It reminds me to accept what comes and not to be swayed unduly by problems on the one hand and ego celebrations on the other.

I’m joining Jim at Garden Ruminations as we approach mid-January. Pop over to see what’s on display there and in many other gardeners’ gardens. Here’s my selection from SE Ireland this week, helping to keep me grounded…

Campanula

Campanula comes into flower en masse in late spring and sometimes there’s a second flush in September after a severe haircut. This tiny remnant brings joy to my heart. I vow to shine no matter the season.

Wolf Moon

The moon is out of range. It’s moved further west, yet the night sky is lit by reflected sunlight, and the photo was snapped with night mode. Actually, I can’t take credit really because the wonky phone gently suggested night mode would be best. A nice way of saying that it would look very drab if I decided to ignore the suggestion. Imagine the possibilities with a smarter smart phone? No, perhaps not.

Rockery

Skimmia and Camellia side by side. I spent an hour tidying this little rockery area during the week. I call it Joe’s rockery, as it’s against the boundary wall of what was Joe’s garden. In years gone by he was great to leave baskets of grapes and other garden produce on the wall for us. I still think fondly of him.

The Tidy Side

I use the quiet of winter to plot and plan what I’d like for the year ahead. This corner is gently on my mind.

On the sunny west-facing side of the garden, the tidy-up had been mostly completed. It really didn’t need much. I’m turning over some ideas for the raised corner. There’s no rush. Something will emerge. Several years ago I had a seat there. It was a lovely vantage point to enjoy late evening summer sun.

On The Other Hand

Theres another change in the pipeline on the other side.

Untouched since September, this east-facing rockery is drab, but I’ll leave it as it is for another month. There are three fuchsias on top and I think two will be sacrificed.

A Dangerous Yoke

Creeping Jenny is very definitely a dangerous yoke, but I’m up to the challenge of taming her! Why? Because in summer it is a beautiful shade of green. Mostly I keep her prisoner in window boxes, to impede her urge to spread into unwanted places. Now, she does a great job hiding a bare corner. I glance with satisfaction regularly. She will not best me!

To finish, a quote from James Clear. Its not specifically related to gardening, but but it’s worth applying it there too.

There are two ways to grow: by adding or by shedding. Do you need to add something or do you need to shed something?

Over the coming months my garden will change to include adding and shedding. Me too, most likely.

I hope you have a great week.

The First Six Of 2026

I’m reminded of Victor Meldrew’s refrain from One Foot In The Grave: “I don’t believe it. I just don’t believe it.”

The incessant rain stopped two weeks ago and since then it has been dry almost every day. For the first time since mid-October the garden is not saturated, so I took advantage of the good conditions to get to the garden. I spent most of New Years Eve pottering about. I can’t say that I really got much done, but it was good.

Inside, we got a lot done. The decorations came down before the New Year, a quiet ritual that signalled a return to normal routines. Join with me as I share the first Six of 2026…

Primrose

I continue to enjoy my morning coffee outside and this pretty primrose caught my eye. I’ve got several in pots but they really prefer their roots dry. High on a rockery suits them best, but this one is an exception. It is doing well.

Sedum

About three or four years ago, Geraldine gave me two sedum plants and they’ve matured well since then. I’ve had them on the raised beds near the glasshouse. Apart from lovely flower heads in summer, they look good even when the flower is finished.

Already I can see the beginnings of next summer’s flowers and therefore very soon, I’ll cut the old stems to ground level. Apparently, it’s best to leave the old flower in place. Last year I waited until March, but I may not have the patience to wait that long.

It is a remarkable plant, loved by bees and butterflies. Easy to care for with a very long seasonal interest. Writing about it now, it seems to make sense to get another one. A different variety perhaps? I’m also going to move this one closer to the house and in doing so I’ll divide it to make two decent clumps.

Annual Lobelia

No hard frost yet so this is still going. To have it still in flower in January is an unexpected bonus. Perhaps not strong, but definitely alive. Lobelia ‘Crystal Palace’ has earned its keep. There was a time when I’d be thinking of starting the 2026 lobelias from seed, but not any longer. I’ll buy a dozen or two in June.

Once planted, it quietly gets on with the job. And somehow, despite everything, it usually ends up being one of the best things on display. It’s on the summer of 2026 list already.

Hyacinth

In addition to recent daffodils added to the covered pergola area, I also got myself this hyacinth. At the time the shoots were merely peeping from the bulb. Now it’s their time. It’s a nice way to say Happy New Year.

Double Delight

Two for the price of one in this photo. I think it’s Eleagnus in the foreground and Pieris japonica ‘Little Frosty’ behind.

I do leave the labels attached to plants but after a few years they disintegrate. Likely there’s a better way. The Pieris label is there but not the other one. As with my mystery plant last week (Pseudowintera), any confirmation or otherwise will be much appreciated.

Water

Continuing my winter care for garden birds, here’s the bathing area. They love it, in particular the starlings and blackbirds. The basic necessities: food and water. We have not yet had a hard frost but when it does arrive I’ll make sure they have good access to water for drinking and washing.

Thanks to Jim over at Garden Ruminations and Happy New Year to all.

Six On Saturday: Christmas 2025

Short and very sharp this week. I’ve been busy with Christmas festivities, but I did find another five plus one for today’s round of Six On Saturday. Most of this week’s selection is about evergreen garden structure, which becomes very important in winter. Without further ado, here we go …

1. Lamium maculatum

Commonly called spotted dead-nettle, and very much alive, despite the name.

2. Euonymus

Variegated Euonymus japonicus. At this time of the year it shines brightly. The garden is back to bare bones so anything evergreen that also has a bit of structure is very welcome.

3. Pittosporum

Similar to the euonymus above, the Pittosporum does its job well. I have two of these, planted last year and I’m pleased to see them doing well. I’d imagine they’ll look even better in another year or two, but given my small space Ill be sure to keep them trimmed tidily.

4. Mystery

I did know the name of this. I’d imagine I made a note of it when I got it last year or perhaps the year before. In any case, despite not knowing it’s name, I like it very much. I have a feeling that I got it after seeing someone here on SOS highlighting it.

5. Skimmia

The skimmia is doing very well considering it’s in a pot, albeit a large one. I did remember to feed it twice during the year and I put a saucer under it so that during the summer it retained some water.

6. Birdfeeder

We love attracting birds to the garden, and what better way to do that than by providing a little extra food during the cold weather?

I’ve also been feeding myself a bit extra recently, just to see me through until spring.

Soups and casseroles are my favourites. Peanuts, fat balls and mixed seeds attract a good variety of birds.

So, everyone’s being looked after.

For now, at least.

Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations and Happy Christmas to all.

Six On Saturday: Wexford To Ventoux

Another week of downpours and deluges. However, this time it was only every second day, with hard frosts and bright sunshine in between. The downpour days were double downpours and they did test my spirits, they did. In the middle of these testing deluges, news from Bondi Beach brought a sobering perspective. Seems a bit pointless to be getting upset over rain.

Closer to home, I had two days of hard labour in Wexford: physical work that left its mark but also delivered a quiet sense of purpose. In between, there were lots of Christmas preparations—lists, small rituals and cautious hopes. And so, with boots still damp, perspective restored, and one eye on the calendar, here we go again — another Six On Saturday.

1. Beech Hedging

Spoiler alert: not my garden.

We spent two days planting two hundred beech whips at Méabh and Jimmy’s place in Wexford. It was a very satisfying job. Afterwards, less so. I discovered aches in places that had clearly been idle for some time.

Although this is very definitely not my garden, I may adopt it. Our daughter and other half seem willing to give me (almost) free rein to develop their site from scratch. It will never be my garden but I’d like to leave my mark. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to say: I was here.

“Whips” is the term used for small bare-root beech plants. I didn’t know that. Read more.

2. Pansy

There are six of these—two in the window boxes and four among the pots beneath the pergola. A hard frost paid a visit last Monday night, but this little plant stands tall regardless, silently asking the weather, Is that all you’ve got? Small plant. Big attitude. Winter can bring its worst; the pansy has already read the forecast and remains unimpressed.

3. Geranium & Operator Error

It’s really a pelargonium, though it’s commonly known as a geranium. John prefers it by its proper name, so I’m happy to oblige. A small correction, quietly noted.

It also lends some support to the rumour that I’m far from perfect. This was confirmed to me last Sunday when I emptied the washing machine and hung everything neatly on the clothes horse — all before breakfast. I allowed myself a moment of mild satisfaction.

It didn’t last.

None of it had been washed.

A little Operator Error, nothing serious. Still, it may be how habits begin.

4. Another Hellebore

I included a hellebore last week. Lo and behold, here’s another. This one is a textbook hellebore: head bowed, flowers facing the ground, and a firm insistence that you kneel to appreciate it properly. Photographs must be taken from below, camera pointing skywards.

Consider it a combined gardening and wellness exercise. As with all such pursuits, overdoing it is discouraged.

Reminder re: overdoing it… planting of the beech whips is a sad reminder that I really should listen to my own good advice!

5. Malus

That’s the fruit of a crab apple tree (Malus). Small apples hanging on long, thin stalks, often blotched or scabby. They cling on long after the leaves have gone.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of tiny red apples. Every now and then I notice a blackbird teasing one off for breakfast. She does not feast. It’s a pantry, not a party.

6. Mont Ventoux

In my garden there’s a small piece of metal that carries a big memory. It speaks of effort, companionship, and the curious satisfaction of having gone up something very big—only to come safely down again. Like all good garden features, it rewards close inspection, reveals a gentle truth, and asks a question just for fun.

This plaque is to remind me that Marion and I, along with eight other members of Dungarvan Cycling Club, cycled to the summit of Mont Ventoux in September 2023, climbing the 1,910 metres in 2h22m. Extinct French volcanoes are trez magnifique.

The descent back to Bedoin took about 45 minutes.

Close inspection of the plaque reveals a subtle, symbolic detail: Marion is slightly ahead as is only right, while I am in minding mode. Some things, it seems, are captured perfectly in metal.

Mastermind or University Challenge question: what do the letters TC on the plaque mean?

I wish everyone a Happy Christmas. Meanwhile Jim, chewing the cud at Garden Ruminations, reminds me that beggars can’t be choosers and to be grateful for even small flower colour at this time of the year.

Summary:

Some weeks ask very little of us. Others ask for effort, patience, and a bit of kindness — to plants, to people, and occasionally to ourselves. This one asked for all three.

Páraig

Whips

We planted two hundred beech whips in Barntown last week.

Why are they called whips?

They’re called whips because they look like… well, whips.

In nursery-speak, a whip is a young tree—usually one or two years old—with a single, slender stem and little or no branching. Long, flexible, and straight, it has more in common with a riding crop than a “tree” as we imagine it.

The name stuck because:

they’re thin and pliable
they bend without breaking
they’re ideal for hedging and training

Given time, soil, and patience, today’s whip becomes tomorrow’s hedge. A good lesson, really—start simple, grow strong.

Six-on-Saturday: Surprise Surprise

I’ve missed my Six-on-Saturday and I’ve missed reading garden updates from others. So, just as if I’d been here every week, I’ll continue as before.

Who remembers Grow-Write-Repeat? Who remembers The Three Hairs? I’m Páraig, still here on the south-east coast of Ireland and I’ll be looking forward to reconnecting with lots of ~~old~~ SOSers. If you remember me, have a quiet chuckle as you read.

Today, I had a sudden urge to resurrect the old blog, but it’s full! I can write forever and ever but not a single extra photograph will upload until I pay some money, so I’m starting anew. This Six-on-Saturday reappearance is long overdue.

It’s been a wet one. In fact, it’s been a very very wet one. Storm Bram blew through on Tuesday, pushing rain northwards at a fierce rate of knots, in order to allow wetter rain to follow immediately. On Wednesday, in between being wet and being very wet, there was a short glimpse of blue sky.

In any case, all of that is just a meandering preamble to my surprise reappearance. I’ve missed my Six-on-Saturday and I’ve missed reading garden updates from others. So, just as if I’d been here every week, I’ll continue as before. Perhaps you will recognize me again and be tempted to reconnect?

1. Early Daffodils

These were bought recently and are well ahead of themselves. I’ve put them just outside the back door. As I enjoy my morning coffee, padded with heavy jumper and jacket, these pretty things bring a smile to my face this very wet mid-December week.

Gently coaxed into flower, they bring a welcome hint of brightness — like fairy lights in the dark of winter — reminding us that spring is already quietly preparing itself.

2. Hellebore

For many years I had put cyclamen in the kitchen window boxes, but I was never happy with their staying power. This year, I’ve added two of these beauties.

Calm, dignified, and flowering quietly while everything else argues about the weather, the hellebore is basically the sensible adult of the garden.

3. Hydrangea

Further down the garden, this is the only flower produced on this hydrangea this year. Who could advise about what to do for next year? Admittedly, it’s in a pot so perhaps it would be better on the ground?

4. Fuchsia

I’ve three different fuchsias in my small garden. Even at this time of the year, they look well.

5. New Tiled Corner

Recently installed and already earning its keep by providing shelter from the rain. Perfect for standing under, staring at the garden, and wondering why you didn’t do this years ago.

Our big project for 2025 was this area just outside the conservatory door. We had it tiled and we put up a covered pergola. Now, as it rains and rains and rains more, I like to sit and sip my morning coffee here. Many of the potted winter flowering plants here do benefit from this warm dry corner.

Blue sky, you’ll notice. What’s rare is wonderful.

6. Saving Best Till Last

Finally I’m more than happy to bend Jim’s Rule 7. This is not my garden. It’s not even my Christmas tree, but being a first-time grandad does confer some latitude. Rule bending really is such good fun.

My last Six-on-Saturday was back in February 2024. Shortly afterwards our granddaughter Bonnie arrived. She continues to bring us joy and happiness in abundance.

And that’s your surprise Six-on-Saturday: plants blooming out of season, rain everywhere, rules cheerfully ignored, and a blog that has popped back up like a perennial you thought you’d lost.

Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations who keeps this show on the road.

Happy Saturday to one and all.

Páraig.