Six on Saturday - Keeping up appearances

We have had a few very cold days and  nights and wonderful bright skies.  As the garden is almost in the state of suspended animation, I really expected not to post this morning.  However looking out the window over the back garden changed my mind. 

Keeping up appearances as in making an appearance for Six on Saturday and  not in the sense of the sitcom. Have I pretended to be a connoisseur or plant expert with 'collections'? If I have, then from now on this will definitely not be the case.  I just love being out there, and to be fair today has been tricky but even with a very small garden, the sun rise this morning galvanised me into action.  For fancier plants, better gardens and plant wisdom that I can muster several SOSers will be huddling in with this comments and links over at Jim's.  We often even have 'exotic' postings and from the Southern Hemisphere and maybe even someone reading this would love to join in.  Jim's blog is where to find out how.

1. On the windowsill are two pots of the succulent Crassula Ovata Gollum. The much  larger ones are in the conservatory on a console table as they are now too large to sit on the windowsill.  The larger ones are moving on in the spring and these are the 'successors'. 

Crassula Ovata Gollum

Looking out of the window to take that picture of the sunrise, there below stands the roof of the Conservatory, or is it a greenhouse? 

Most of the succulents are packed in there and gradually more borderline hardy plants are being moved in.

2. One of the pots of  Tropaeolum tricolor has been brought it just in case the temperatures fall too low.  The other pot is in the shed.  Although several tubers were planted I seem to have only a couple of shoots come up.

Tropaeolum tricolor

3. Another succulent has recently come into flower. Looking up 'The String of Buttons' flower some of the plants have a good pink colour, these are definitely smaller and less significant.  There seem to be several different forms, showing diversity. Without setting up a black background it was almost impossible to get a reasonable view of the plant and flowers.

Crassula perforata in flower

Crassula perforata flower

4. I donned all the warm gear and went on a little scout round the back garden and noticed these fine cyclamen leaves.  It was from a random self seeded corm found when I was planting out the Sorbaria sorbifolia Sem last year.  Until it flowers I haven't an incling whether it is a Cyclamen coum or perhaps a C. cilicium.  Even then I may have to ask!  If you know, I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comment section.

5. The auricula are quite hardy and are sitting around the edge of patio taking in the sunshine.

6. The snowdrops weren't bowed down this morning so I guess the temperature did not fall much below -1C.  These are G. Bertram Anderson. They are a classic looking snowdrop and nice and big.

and although I have recently shown Galanthus Godfrey Owen, this is a second group bulking out nicely.  My friend Brenda gave me a couple of bulbs and last year I moved the bulbs to the conservatory bed, as I moved a fern to its old place by the bird bath.

Galanthus Godfrey Owen

It just goes to show that placement affects the time of flowering.  These are about three weeks behind my other clump which has been growing in a sunnier and warmer spot by the edge of the seating circle. I tried my hand at drawing Galanthus Godfrey Owen, and hopefully I shall find more candidates during the next couple of months. 

Looking at the garden critically this past week, has made me realise that some plants would do well to be moved to different places, but just now is not the time to put this into action!