This week the weather on Monday and Tuesday turned out lovely, despite cloud coming and going. I should have popped down to the beach, but the garden called. So much to tidy up at this time of year.

(1) A gardener’s lament. Bessara elegans: Type: Tender Perennial Corm. Common Name: Coral Drops. These tiny corms were purchased three years ago and planted in a pot. The first summer the grass-like foliage appeared, but no flowers. The second year I was excited to notice 3 or 4 flower spikes appear, only to see them get munched by the slimy assassins. This year I placed the pot on a bench outside and watched the foliage grow again. Then some flower shoots with tiny buds. I checked it carefully for S&S and all was well. When a storm was forecast I brought the pot into the conservatory. The flower spikes increased. The buds swelled. At last the beauties I have been waiting for with 6-8 flowers per spike. Often gardening is a game of patience, which I am not particularly good at. Bessera Elegans is not frost hardy, so make sure to bring inside over winter and put back out as soon as the last frosts have vanished. Problem? I wish I had planted more bulbs!

(2) Remaining in the conservatory my next choice this week is an Echeveria – possibly ‘Purple Pearl’ ? – this plant has grown sideways and now hangs over the pot which is a bit concerning as I keep waiting for the stem to break! Question to those of you who grow succulents, should I cut the head off myself and attempt to replant it? There are roots making their way down along the stem. Meanwhile I do have a few babies.

(3) Moving outdoors now to the herb bed where we find the Garlic Chives. I planted these a few years ago, but every year they got covered by the Forget-me-nots, then the Nasturtiums and Borage and they never flowered. This year I cleared everything away from them and replanted them at the edge of the bed and voila – flowers! Very pretty and the bees think so too.

Of course the nasturtiums have come back, but fortunately the chives are taller now!

(4) And talking about Nasturtiums. I have never needed to plant any as there are plenty self-seeded ones all over the back of the garden. Mainly orange, some yellow and this one,

but I do admit to sowing some dark red ones a few years ago and sometimes one or two reappears. There are so many lovely shades of nasturtiums, maybe I will grow more next summer.

(5) By the edge of the raised herb bed is a wonderful annual decorative Painted Sage or Salvia horminum. For some reason it self-seeded on the wrong side of the bed, in the shale of the path. I left it to do its thing, though occasionally I do tread on it. I did plant both pink and purple ones last year so it was so nice to see this reappear.

(6) And another look at Hydrangea ‘Vanille Fraise’ which has taken a while to get going in its new bed, but is now flowering beautifully.

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’ where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world.

See here for the participant’s guide.

Six on Saturday