This week’s gardening has been largely watering and weeding, with some bonsai tinkering and repotting Micheal Bay the bay tree. Plus some rock washing to make the pond look nicer. So the soundtrack for this blog is ‘Rocks’ by Primal Scream, singing ‘get your rocks washed’ as we scrub the green gloop off of the pond pebbles.

The rock washing was part of the ongoing maintenance of the raised pond, which is almost entirely my lovely husband’s department. I did help out with a little bit of rock washing, but he did all the pond gloop extraction, using a suction pump to remove some of the gungy bits, and using the rich gloopy pondwater to feed the rose patch and flowerbeds.

Here’s the view from the back door this week, and the pond with its freshly washed rocks.

The rose patch is lovely, and ever changing. I’ve probably packed far too many quite vigorous roses in to a small space, but it’s chaotic and joyous and I love it.

Here’s one of my favourites this week: Rosa Nostalgia (‘Taneiglat’)

Next up we have three little trees in pots, at different stages of growth.

Let’s start with an update on Phil Oakey, the oak tree named for the singer songwriter of Electric Dreams, Human, and Don’t you want me. Phil Oakey was grown from an acorn I collected a few years ago, although I’ve lost track of precisely which year and which acorn.

Let’s guess he’s about five years old. Phil Oakey is now my lovely husband’s bonsai project, gently wrapped in garden wire and tethered to the pot to produce a pleasing shape. It will go into a prettier pot in a year or two, once it seems to have settled into it’s curves.

Next up is Ashleen, the ash sapling I found in our front garden, that already had a bit of bendiness, and is now another bonsai project, with moss and mind-your-business underplanting.

Ashleen lives in the downstairs loo and is a pretty specimen so far. She’s another entirely experimental project with keeping trees teeny.

My third and final tree this week is Micheal Bay the bay tree, a gift I bought my lovely husband back in 2012 ish. This bay tree is named after the film director known for big explosions.

We recently repotted him, and topped the pot with moss. This corner by the back step looks better for it, although it is still messy and could use a brush up.

Although the pot says ‘ER’ it is not in celebration of our late queen. ER is the initials of the plant pot company.

My final selection this week is nothing fancy, just a sweet little terracotta pot of begonias by the front door. Sometimes its the little things that catch your eye.

For more garden highlights for Six On Saturday visit Garden Ruminations.

Have a lovely weekend,

J x