Six on Saturday - Winter Magic

After two storms within seven days, we are now having a few sunny pleasant winter days, which are working its Winter Magic in the garden.  I can see all sorts of spring specials breaking through the top of the soil, and each day I feel this magic working on me too. No doubt Jim will be sharing the Winter Magic in his garden, that is where if you wish to post about Six Things in your garden on Saturday, you are welcome to join, or just to have an idea what we have of interest in our gardens.

1. Eranthis hyemalis 'Winterzaube' 'Winter Magic'(winter magic) is a named form of the Winter Aconite and is usually in flower before the bulk of the snowdrops. 

I really ought to have bought three or four, but I got the last one! It is a sterile, golden flowered aconite and this early form was discovered in about 1980 near Erfurt, Germany. Maybe it had been moved to a polytunnel to bring out the flowers ready to sell at the HPS Somerset I attended last Saturday.  Hopefully Chris will bring more to the Shepton Mallett Snowdrop Festival in a few weeks' time.

Usually the weather means I don't drive down for the January HPS Somerset meeting but when I read that we were to hear Mickey Little speak, I was delighted that I was well enough and the weather had turned mild, and we were between storms. Mickey trained at Cannington, was a nurseryman at Kelways and Head Gardener at Castle Drogo, Hestercombe and Achamore before joining Avon Bulbs as a propagator. His knowledge of snowdrops is extensive and he has been involved in propagating new cultivars of Galanthus over the years. I was also very sorry to hear that this is the last year for Avon Bulbs as the owner Chris Ireland-Jones is retiring at the end of the year. 

2.  I also bought three snowdrops Galanthus Robin Hood and Galanthus S Arnott, which I already have but just planted a couple of years back, and a new one to the garden Galanthus 'Reverend Hailstone'. It was in peek condition when I brought it home, six days  later it needed to have the main flower cut off.

The flowers of this large hybrid are long with the outer segments double the length of inner segments, which have  pale green inverted ‘V ‘. I have read that it is an early season snowdrop up to 30cm high, so it will go somewhere at the back of the border. It was discovered at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire and named after former rector of local church .30cm

3. One of the slides Mickey showed was one where snow had covered the nursery and  I could see their ranks of Tropaeolum tricolor covered with snow.  As soon as I got home last weekend, out went the pot from the conservatory where it  is looking perfectly happy.  I gather if temperatures fall below -5C then they will need some protection.

Tropaeolum tricolor from the Avon Bulbs

4. Remembering and being able to easily identify my own snowdrops without referring to the labels, is not something I can do without revision and application each spring.  I picked three different blooms, have put them in a small vase in the kitchen, have made a sketch of the different inners and keep on looking at them.  Even Mr S is getting in on the act!

5. Despite planting the garlic on 1st October last year, and the relatively warm autumn, they were so slow to sprout, that I wondered whether they had rotted in the soil.  I'm pleased to say that was not the case: from seeing the shoots early December, this is how they are looking now with their criss cross of sticks to deter the neighbouring cats from scratching up the soil and leaving you know what behind!

6. The morning sun catches the Carex comans 'Bronze Form' nicely, and around it the small cyclamen coum are just starting to flower. 

Last Sunday I went out dig up some of the dreaded Spanish bluebells which appear to be taking over the border by the drive.  Yes I got a couple of buckets up, but hurt my foot on the top of the spade.  I wasn't wearing boots but my garden crocs. What a silly thing to do! The H&S in my own head reminded me that I should consider all aspects of a job before starting!