Welcome summer time! Although the week began with beautiful summer weather, it deteriorated mid-week reverting to typical British summertime with cloudy skies and brisk winds, though not so much in the way of rain.

Sisyrinchium

Geranium ‘Magnificum’

Buddleia

Geranium

Hebe

Campanula

This week’s six are all blues and purples that are in flower in my garden during this week.

(1) Hebe (Shrubby Veronica). A New Zealand plant that does very well here in the south-west, almost a weed as it self-seeds everywhere, even in the smallest of cracks! This one is in fact a cutting that it barely two years old. Although this can seemingly flower at different times of the year, May / June are the most floriferous months. 

(2) Geranium x ‘Magnificum’ a glorious large dark violet-blue flower, it is a shame that this flowers for such a short time. But deservedly of the name.

(3) Gertie and campanula – such a lovely combination of colours and completely randomly planted.

(4) Sisyrinchium a pretty alpine with little dark-eyed, violet-blue flowers with yellow centres which stare up at you from tufts of grassy foliage from early summer onwards.  This is planted in my Belfast sink, but I am going to remove all the plants from here and instead use it for Sempervivums. 

(5) Geranium oxonianum ‘Thurstonianum’ (Thurston’s cranesbill) – a rather different looking one this week with light green, 5-lobed leaves and pink to purple flowers 2.5cm wide, sometimes double, and with very narrow petals. This is planted in the shade under the contorted/twisted Hazel tree.

(6) Buddleia alternifolia (also known as alternate-leaved butterfly bush) – this is bigger than ever this year, but still needs shaping properly so the branches actually weep. There are a lot more flowers this year and I have even seen a Red Admiral butterfly visiting! This large deciduous shrub or small tree has arching branches that nearly touch the floor and produces clusters of sweetly scented purple-lilac flowers along it’s weeping branches. It needs to be pruned after flowering as the flowers are borne in clusters along the previous year’s shoots

Buddleia

Apologies to all the sixers whose sites I didn’t get around to visiting last week. There are so many now that it could become a full time job!  But as always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’  who is also having a bit of a purple theme this week and where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world.

Remember to stay alert out there!

See here for the participant’s guide.

Six on Saturday