YaY! We had some rain this week. Only a couple of heavy showers for about an hour but better than nothing. Here is my Six on Saturday (SoS) for this week.
1. New Hibiscus
I ONLY popped into the garden centre to buy some strawberry plants (see post 3 below) but I could not resist this stunning hibiscus (love at first sight). The hibiscus was only €8.50
The plant is only 10inches tall and the flower a whopping 5 1/2 inches!
There was no name on the label so I will need to google and see if I can track down the variety.
2. Fuschia
This was another purchase I made when buying strawberries. At €1.75 it was a snip.
Luckily for the plant, I decided to put it in a larger pot to fit the terracotta vase. However, when I removed the pot, most of the roots were a brown squishy mess. I’ve let it dry out completely and on the next watering, I’ll add diluted 3% hydrogen peroxide to bring oxygen to the roots.
… especially when I’ve been growing these cutting since 21st October last year.
3. Growing Strawberries from Seed is NOT Worth the Effort
I planted strawberry seeds on the 7th May and here we are nearly at the end of June and this is all I have to show for over six weeks of growth. When I can buy mature plants for €1.50 each already in flower AND with strawberries, life is too short. If the seedlings survive the heat of the summer and then the winter chill, hopefully, I will have some new stock for next year.
Buying some mature strawberry plants was a great excuse to visit the garden centre!
4. Moisture Meter
What a marvellous little gizmo! I used to work on the principle that if I poked my finger in the soil (pt plants) a couple of inches and it was dry, the plant needed watering. Not so. The top two or three inches can try out quickly but the roots are still wet.
This is what happened with this plant. The top is dry but the moisture meter tells another story.
5. Dipladenia
Dare I say I am pleased with this plant. as it not only survived the winter mostly in shade, it seems to enjoy my quirky humid climate and salt air! This is its second season and fingers crossed it will continue to thrive. I also have one in white and a couple in pink.
Apparently, it enjoys full sun to partial shade and is ideal for ‘lazy waterers.
It does not give a temperature range – do you have these in the UK?
6. Sucky Bugs
My SoS would not be complete without a rant about bugs. I usually remove these orange sucky bugs (not sure what they are called) by hand and spray with weak washing up liquid does anyone have any other suggestions, please?
That’s my six for this week. Why not click across to Mr. P’s blog to enjoy other Sis on Saturday gardeners.
Piglet in Portugal 
I’d never heard of a moisture meter, what a great gadget.
I usually get aphids in my roses and treat them naturally with a spray made with water, a little oil and a little dishwashing liquid.
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Hey, next time you are in Portugal, you can take one home 🙂 I could not manage without mine now.
Adding oil is a good idea. Is that neem oil, or just olive or sunflower oil?
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You know, I see strawberry seed for sale, and sort of wonder about them. Growing bare root plants is already enough work. I no longer grow them because there is no one here telling me I must. (When I grew them in town, it was only because the neighbors wanted them.)
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I only attempted to grow seeds as I could not get the bare root plants by the time I was fit enough to walk around the market. I think I get a bit carried away with my seedling success for other plants.
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Hi Piglet.
That is a beautiful Hibiscus. I like the sound of that Gizmo. Your garden is looking great.
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thank you, sedums 🙂 I don’t know how I ever managed without it!
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A moisture meter! I never knew such gizmos existed! Nice hibiscus – I’m not in the slightest bit envious of it, looking all leafy and green, with flowers.
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I confess I would not be without a water meter now. You can also get a PH meter as well. So you like my hibiscus 🙂
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It is rather nice. Apparently a replacement hibiscus is on its way to me so I won’t need to feel envious anymore!
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Stunning hibiscus and what a color ! I don’t have aphids on my dipladenias. I grow them near pelargoniums, that’s maybe the reason ? ( in the same large container)
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Ah… they are called aphids! 🙂 For the life of me I could not think of the name. I used to grow pelargoniums but my whole collection was wiped out by a moth that lays its eggs in the stem and rots them from the inside out. Maybe i should try again.
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Lovely hibiscus. I’ve got a tray of fuscias I tagged onto an order as they were cheap but don’t currently have any purpose. I need to find a space or pot for them.
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We can always find a space for just one more plant 🙂
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Lovely colour, the Hibiscus. We have Dipladena in Australia, and I have three pink Dipladena plants in the garden, but they do not seem to be doing too well. I think I should move them into a sunnier location and see what happens.
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While Dipladena are easy to grow they are fussy about location. I once plant sat one for a friend. It was on my patio in light shade for several months and it thrived. However, once the friend returned from her travels the plant was returned to its owner (sadly) and it was placed in full sun. It died. Does yours grow in a pot or in the ground?
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Mine are all in the ground and that could be the problem. I might put one in a pot to see if that improves its growth. The garden soil is heavy and they probably like free draining soil.
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