The BIG NEWS for this ‘Six on Saturday’ was only discovered yesterday morning. It does not look like much yet. I suppose that anyone who witnessed my exuberant reaction to it likely wondered what all the fuss was about. I suppose that I should be embarrassed. Oh well, I am not. I know how totally awesomely excellent it is! Furthermore, it is approved by both Skooter and Rhody! (That is ‘the’ famous Skooter of Tangly Cottage Gardening.) The fifth of these Six is also important news, although the first four are rather mundane.
1. Four O’ clock with a five O’ clock shadow is not big news. It is actually rather mundane folly that is included here merely because I like bragging about shabby but pretty weeds.
2. Lily of the Nile fasciation does not classify as big news either, although it is intriguing. This entire colony blooms like this or worse, and after all the other lily of the Nile finish.
3. Black coral pea climbing over the Eureka lemon tree is more of an annoyance than big news. I should have known this would happen while I was not looking. Vines are sneaky.
4. Grapevines, although sneaky, are at least productive. These are suspended more than ten feet above the courtyard below. Unfortunately, opossums typically get the fruit first.
5. Koi are rather big news, but are not the big news. Seven moved into the drainage pond last Saturday just after Six on Saturday. Cheeto is below the middle. Shiro is to the right.
6. Gladiolus papilio from Tangly Cottage Gardening is finally THE BIG NEWS this week! It has been here for a few years, but bloomed only once last year, after major tribulation. I noticed this floral stalk today. I do not know how long it will take to mature and bloom.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Tony Tomeo 
I looked it up, not being familiar with it. I’d be excited too.
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Skooter approved! Although not native, it looks like a wildflower, and is reliably perennial (supposedly a bit too reliably perennial). I have several reasons for being so fond of it.
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Horray for the gladdie! I love this one, looking forward to seeing it in full bloom. Here the four o’clocks are not weeds, they are cultivated and thought quite exotic. There you go, this might all change.
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This species of Gladiolus does not bloom profusely. Nonetheless, I SO enjoy showing them off! They look like wildflowers, which are a bit more welcome in my home garden, although I enjoy fancy hybrid Gladiolus also. They are supposed to be weedy where they get water, so in the future, I hope to give them their own space, where they can grow wild, perhaps with a few other annuals wildflowers, such as California poppy. Actually, I would like to do the same with the four o’ clock, just because I really do like them. I would not want them to get too aggressive, but I always want at least a few around, and perhaps more than just a few.
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I also looked up the glad and it looks very delicate. Four o’clocks also become weeds for me and manage to sow many seeds that need to be pulled. The plant’s tap root is hard to dig up when it matures. Otherwise, the scent is wonderful but needs to be planted in a bed of its own.
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Yes, on both accounts. The Gladiolus papilio is like a wildflower. If there were more, I would be tempted to bring some in with cut flowers! I want to put them into a situation where they can grow wild. I want to do the same with a few of the four o’ clocks also. I do not like them in the landscapes, but they are very nice where they need not conform to a landscape. I find that the bright pink sort are the most fragrant. I do not know why. White sorts are not so fragrant.
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Mine are somewhat of an orange color and smell great in the evening. I am sorry I put them in a bed.
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I find that if I continually break off the green stems and foliage before they get too big, the perennial root eventually exhausts its resources and dies. It takes a while though, and diligence. The root recharges itself as green foliage develops.
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I will give it a try.
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Loved the build-up! Looking forward to seeing it bloom.
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https://tonytomeo.com/2021/08/14/six-on-saturday-gladiolus-papilio/ This is from last year. They had grown very well, but were then displaced! They were so much fun to grow, so relocating them prior to bloom was a disappointment. They were remarkably healthy though, and except for the disruption of their bloom, they did not seem to mind relocation. I really want to put some of them into a situation where they can grow wild.
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Congrats on your big news! I totally understand.
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I have not enjoyed a flower like this in a long time. I know that there are plenty of other flowers out in the landscapes, but this species is rad! I had been wanting it or something similar (perennial Gladiolus) for a while, so was very pleased to get this from Tangly Cottage Gardening. I have a rule about purchasing things that lack that sort of importance.
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Wonderful, that is a good rule.
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