Six on Saturday

I’ve spent a bit of time in the greenhouse this week potting on last autumns cuttings. That’s the easy part – finding room for the larger pots is proving tricky as the staging was pretty full to start with. There have been a few winter losses but most have survived and are growing away well. The Dahlia tubers are still in boxes in the loft and I need to magic up some space to pot them up and bring them into growth. Hopefully, there won’t be too many more cold nights like last night – down to zero. On the plus side, it’s a beautiful, sunny morning out there.

• Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is still producing its lovely flowers. The lack of sunshine and cooler temperatures means that the scent isn’t travelling very far.

• The Crocus and Iris reticulata in the patio pots are, mostly, over and there is now a definite yellow look to the patio.

This is the more sunny side of the patio and the Narcissi are slightly further ahead in these pots. The Tulips are rising, ready to take over next.

• Following the yellow theme, Coronilla glauca ‘Citrina’ on the first arch is looking glorious. It will need quite a prune next month to bring it down. I find it a tricky plant to prune as it flowers for about eleven months of the year.

• On the shady side of the glasshouse Dad’s Fritillaries are coming into flower. I bought some from his garden about eleven years ago and they haven’t really spread. Three years ago I collected some seeds and they germinated well. Sadly, the night after I put the grass-like seedlings in the cold frame they were devoured by slugs/a slug. I repeated the exercise two years ago and the seedlings met the same fate. Being a glutton for disappointment I sowed more seed last autumn and germinated them in the cold frame. I now have a pot of seedlings and am going to prick them out in clumps and put them on the cooler side of the glasshouse. Fingers crossed.

• Just along from the Fritillaries the new fronds of Athyrium nipponicum ‘Pictum’are rising from the ground.

• Pulmonaria longifolia has such beautiful silvered leaves. It isn’t until after flowering that the leaves start to live up to their name.

Confession time – I still haven’t cut the old leaves off of the Epimedium and the flowers are just starting to emerge. Tomorrow maybe…..

Thank you for reading and thank you to our host Jim. The other Sixers can be found via his website http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk

There’s been virtually no rain here in North Somerset this week and the sun has been shining. The garden has responded with a surge of growth and it’s lovely to see the new shoots emerging. After reaching nearly 16C on Wednesday and Thursday the temperature was only 8C yesterday and it looks set to remain around there for a while yet sadly. I made the most of the sun though and finished cutting down all of last years herbaceous stems. I can’t believe how much moss has appeared on the beds over the winter but with all of the stems now gone the ground should start to dry out a bit.

• The bulbs in the patio pots are starting to come good now. One disappointment though are the Iris reticulata. I made a reduced price, late season purchase of them and assumed that they would be blue (yes, I know what they say about assuming). They are all white! Very pretty but not blue. This pot doesn’t quite have the impact I’d planned.

• This is a lovely spotted, self sown Hellebore. Definitely a keeper.

• Nearby, you can almost see the Lamprocapnos spectabile shoots grow.

• I planted Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Munchkin’ in spring 2024. It struggled a bit in last summers drought and only had one flower head. The new shoots are just emerging and make a good contrast to the last of last years autumn coloured leaves.

• I’m definitely going to have to get to grips with Persicaria runcinata ‘Purple Fantasy’. It’s going for border domination.

There’s some of the moss I mentioned at the top.

• To finish, an unknown variety of Euphorbia brightening up the base of Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumnal Spire’

Thank you for visiting my garden. There are many other Sixers to be found at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk – that’s the home of our host Jim.

Another month gone and there’s still a lot of cutting down to do in the garden. I’ve managed a couple of short sessions going through the main herbaceous border cutting down last years stems but have left some as there were over-wintering ladybirds in them. I’m surprised that they haven’t been washed out with all of the rain that we’ve had.

• I have grown Crocuses in pots on the patio for many years. After they had finished flowering I would plant them in the herbaceous border in the hope that they would reappear the following tear. Sadly, not many of the yellow or fancy coloured ones were seen again but C. tommasinianus have gradually spread through the sunniest part of the border. They’ve now reached the point where I’m going to have to remove some – well, an absolute shedload of them. You have to be careful what you wish for, I guess.

Between the Crocuses and the Allium christophii seedlings it’s getting a bit congested.

This is another area but at least the Hellebore has managed to break through.

• Talking of Crocus, these ‘Pickwick’ have enjoyed the sun this week.

• All of the Clematis have come into growth well. I’ve cut most of the viticella ones back but by the north facing front door is C. alpina ‘Francis Rivis’ which flowers on last years wood. It has suddenly sprung into life and now has visible flower buds alongside last years seed heads.

• This bowl of Muscari ‘Mount Hood’ are from last year but have returned quite well. I’m finding that second year containerised Muscari seem to have a higher leaf to flower ratio.

• Foliage is also important at this time of year (well, all year) and the silver foliage of this small Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ had extra sparkle after yet another rain shower.

• I have a lot of Pulmonaria officinalis seedlings around the garden. Most originated from this plant and I leave them to flower then selectively remove some. The parent plant struggled in last summers drought but has come back fairly well. These lovely pink and blue flowers always make me smile.

Thank you for visiting. The other Sixers can be found at the home of our host Jim – http://www.gardenruminations.co.ok

A quick Six this week.

• I’m struggling to love our new gardening friends – slugs. I understand that they do a lot of good but some of them don’t know the difference between alive plants and decaying ones.

They don’t seem so keen on the double Snowdrops but the single ones are providing an ongoing feast.

• The slimy ones haven’t started on the Narcissi yet. The Beech hedge has thickened up in the last couple of years and these N. ‘Jetfire’ are disappearing into it.

The netting up this side of the drive is to (try) to stop at least a few cats making a shortcut across the garden.

• I haven’t pruned the Roses yet and must get around to it very soon but the hips on R. ‘Graham Thomas’ are still adding some colour in the front garden.

• In the glasshouse the cuttings taken last year and kept protected with fleece through the winter are beginning to come to life.

The sticks are to keep the fleece from resting on the cuttings. It always amazes me that in a few months time these tiny plants will be flowering their hearts out in the patio pots.

• Last year I found a stem of a Helenium broken off and lying on the grass. I don’t know the variety but it’s a very good doer and I decided to see if it would grow from sections of this stem. I cut four sections from the top half of the stem (the bottom half was very woody) and pushed them into a pot of compost. Three rooted. I’m going to divide the root clump in the spring – it’ll be a much quicker way to get some new plants 😂

• It’s late Friday night and I’ve just realised that I only have five photos! I’m out early tomorrow so here’s a progress photo of a quilt that I’m making inspired by the Birch tree in the garden – that’s the trunk on the right. Does that count?

Thank you for visiting my garden. The other Sixers can be found at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk thanks to our host Jim

We’ve been away for a couple of days so it’s a quick, late Six from me this week.

• The rapidly spreading Crocus tommasinianus are mostly lost among the stems of the herbaceous stems that haven’t been cut back yet but those at the front of the main border are a little more visible. The bumble bees are keen on them as well as me.

• Under the shrubs along the drive the flowers of Pushkinia scilloides have opened up

• I was given a gardening voucher a while back and a few weeks ago I bought a lovely new pot. Not being able to wait until mid spring to plant it up for the summer I’ve bought a beautiful Primula ‘Maple Syrup’ and a couple of pots of Narcissus ‘Tete a Tete’ for immediate interest.

• I planted this Hellebore many years ago. It’s maybe not as showy as the more modern ones but is very beautiful. It also prolifically seeds around. I’d pulled out all of the seedlings but another crop have appeared.

• The Pieris has been struggling for a few years so I’m going to remove it and plant another small tree instead (maybe a Crab Apple) but I’ll enjoy the flowers (frost not withstanding) first.

It looks good against today’s blue sky. It’s been so good to see the sun and feel its warmth, such a shame that we’re back to grey sky and rain tomorrow.

• While looking for today’s six I realised that it’s time to cut down the herbaceous grasses. This is Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’ and the new shoots are very clearly visible.

Thanks for visiting and thanks to our host Jim. Find him and all the other Sixers at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk

Another week of rain, though we’ve not had as much as some parts of the country. So it’s another Six from the gravel path. I’m not sure that there’s enough for next week though.

• I finally got around to cutting the old Hellebore leaves off and now I can appreciate the beautiful flowers that are beginning to open up. The yellow variety above is a Credale single and the one below is a Credale double.

• The new shoots of Lamprocapnos spectabile have started to appear.

• A newish find in the garden is lichen growing on some of the newer branches of Euonymus alatas. The shrub has been in the garden for about seven years. I’ve never found lichen anywhere else in the garden in all the years that we’ve been here.

• Despite the wet it’s not been very cold for most of the winter (well, not yet anyway) and the new shoots of Alstroemeria ‘Summer Breeze’ have started to appear. I need to cut the old stems off.

• There was a lull in the rain yesterday afternoon, just long enough to take some photographs, and the evergreen ferns were positively glistening. This is Asplenium scolopendrum Cristatum group. It’s beginning to look a little weather beaten but there are a lot of new fronds waiting to unfurl.

• Another fern to finish with – Dryopteris sieboldii with its thick leathery leaves. Over the last few years it has slowly moved itself back into the border and is now trying to occupy the same space as a Hydrangea.

Thank you or visiting and thank you to our host Jim at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk where you will also find all the other Sixers.

As I’m sure a lot of other Sixers have written it’s been yet another wet week. The one dry day we had this week I, of course, wasn’t at home. Like last weeks Six the following plants were photographed from the gravel path plus a couple from the drive. I’m not sure I can stretch it to another week so the lawn had better start drying out soon!

• Hindered by the weather and my health I haven’t been able to do much clearing up. I know it’s good to leave things in place for overwintering insects/animals etc but some things need to be cut down so that the new seasons plants and flowers can be appreciated. The temperature has been slightly warmer at times this week and the Snowdrops have been opening. This clump isn’t too bad but some of them are struggling to come through the fallen leaves.

• And these Crocus would be better appreciated if I had cut the old stems of the Golden Marjoram off and cleared the leaves.

• I still haven’t cut the old leaves off of the Hellebores though H. x hybridus ‘Moondance’ doesn’t need that treatment.

• Foliage is really important through the winter and Cyclamen hederifolium leaves continue to shine out at ground level. The new foliage of Lamium maculatum ‘White Nancy’ set this group off well.

• I don’t have many shrubs and those that I’ve planted get too large for the garden. That’s almost a deliberate choice as they fill the space quickly and can always be cut back. One such plant is Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’. I was a bit late cutting it back last year and so there aren’t as many of the glorious catkins this year but there’s enough to cheer me up on a rainy day (there are more than this).

They’ve got a bit more lengthening to do before they flower so I’m sure they’ll be in another Six soon.

• In the glasshouse Echeveria ‘Black Prince’ is thinking about flowering. It usually flowers in the summer when it’s outdoors so it will be interesting to see what happens this year.

Thank you for visiting my garden. We Sixers congregate at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk the home of our host Jim. Do go and visit.

It’s been such a wet week but at least the frosty nights have gone for a little while. Even if the weather had allowed it I wouldn’t have wanted to step off of the gravel path that leads to the glasshouse as the ground is so waterlogged. Here are six things that I could photograph on my way to remove the fleece from the overwintering plants.

• The Snowdrops are up but it’s not been quite warm enough for the flowers to open. There used to be masses of Snowdrops in this bed but, I think, the really prolonged hot, really dry weather has decreased their numbers drastically and this is no longer a suitable place for them. I plan to relocate them in the spring.

• The bulbs are showing their noses above ground in several of the patio pots. I planted Violas, Bellis and Primroses to add interest to some of the pots. The Bellis have been slow to flower but who doesn’t like a daisy in the winter.

• Heading down the path away from the house (it’s a small garden so that’s not many paces 😂) and the Sarcococca flowers have started opening. There’s no scent to be smelt so I guess some warm sunshine is needed.

• On the other side of the path is a Coronilla glauca ‘Citrina’ that I’ve trained up and through a trellis panel (no room to let it sprawl in a border). Since the frosty nights have gone the flowers have opened. So beautiful to see but, again, some heat from the sun is needed and then the scent will fill the top of the garden.

• We’ve reached the glasshouse now and if you stand with your back to the door you’ll be facing the side wall of the garage. Starting to cover this is Trachelospermum jasminoides ‘Variegata’ and the recent cold spell has given a lovely red edge to the leaves.

• The evergreen ferns come into their own at this time of the year and on the way back up to the house I thought that Polypodium cambricum ‘Pulcherrimum’ deserved the sixth slot for this week.

Looking at that photo reminds me that I need to cut the old Hellebore leaves off. I hope you enjoyed this walk up and down the gravel path. Unfortunately, the weather doesn’t look as though it’s going to be a lot different for the coming week so finding six different things for next week could be tricky.

Thanks to our host Jim for keeping the Sixers together at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk

It’s been too cold for gardening this week so it’s been a quick scurry down to the glasshouse each morning to remove the fleece then back down in the afternoon to cover the plants up again. A few of the cuttings are looking a bit iffy after the cold nights but time will tell. There was some welcome sunshine yesterday afternoon as I walked around searching for this weeks six.

• A few weeks ago I posted a very early flowering Hellebore. When I went outside a few mornings ago the flower stems had collapsed with the frost.

It’s taken a few days but the stems have started to recover though I’m not sure that they’ll be as upright as before.

Whilst on the subject of Hellebores, I was very late cutting off the old flowering stems last year and now there are so many seedlings appearing.

I need to cut off the old leaves but will wait until the weather is slightly less frosty.

• Despite the cold, frosty weather Clematis viticella ‘Margot Koster’ has decided to start into growth. It happens every year around this time and seems such a shame as I’ll be cutting the plant down to about 12” in March

• I was very late planting my pots of bulbs last autumn but a few are showing signs of growth.

A pot of Crocus ‘Gypsy Girl’

• As a contrast to the new growth the seed heads in the main border looked good as the sun cut across them.

• At the end of summer I was really surprised to find a couple of seed pods on the Trachelospermum jasminoides and have been watching them with interest.

This is a photo I posted on November the 14th. I didn’t know if they would ripen as it was getting a bit late and the pods were still green underneath. On our return from Christmas away I was upset to see that the larger pod had split open and was empty so I picked the other pod and brought it indoors. The next morning it had started to split open and by the next day the seeds were emerging.

Has anyone grown Trachelospermum from seed? Not that I need another plant…..

• Back in last summers drought the birds often came down to one of the little froggy ponds for a drink. One day I found the remnants of a Scirpus cernuus plant, also called the Fibre Optic Plant, that was growing in the pond all over the ground. I guess the birds were searching through the pot for worms ? The little pieces of plant were very dried out but I planted some in a couple of pots to see if they’d revive. I now have a couple of good sized plants in the cold frame that I’ll put back into the pond in the spring.

Thank you for visiting my garden, it’s good to share it. Links to the other Sixers can be found at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk thanks to our host Jim.

Happy New Year and thank you for visiting my garden. We were away for Christmas and have come back to frosty nights. I’d left the plants in the glasshouse covered with fleece and they all look fine but some plants in the garden have definitely been caught. Here’s a quick look at five things that looked good yesterday and one that’s not in such good shape.

• I planted Violas in some of the bulb pots and, so far they still look good.

• The beautiful clusters of flowers of Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ were browned by a hard frost a couple of weeks ago. The replacements seem to have fared a bit better. So far anyway.

• Sarcococca is one of those plants that sits quietly in the background and then comes to the forefront at this time of year. The flowers aren’t open yet but the shiny black berries will contrast well with them very soon.

• Now for the plant that’s not in such great shape. Epimedium leaves provide good winter colour and structure before being cut off as the flowers appear in early spring. This particular variety is looking very raggedy though. I found a lot of tiny snails in amongst the leaves but they don’t usually eat this plant and snails don’t just eat around the edges of leaves do they? Then I thought vine weevil beetles but I’ve not noticed them on the plant. The other Epimediums are still looking healthy thankfully.

• Coronilla glauca ‘Citrina’ has started flowering despite the cold snap.

• Blechnum spicant (or is it Struthiopteris spicant?) is a lovely little evergreen fern It has the common names of Deer Fern and Hard Fern. I don’t think a deer would bother with a plant this size though😂

Thanks to our host Jim. Visit his amazing garden at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk where you’ll also find links to the other Sixers