Saturday 4 January 2020

Six on Saturday - 4 January 2020

The Prop has some seeds, some bulbs and other things of interest:  with gems of information from his post and others:  here is my Six on Saturday.

With short days, and less suitable weather for gardening, I indulge myself: loosing myself in books. 

We have had dark and dank days, days of rain, and finally a little dry weather....

"A mist day, a moss day, a day of rain that never quite fell." 
'The light in the Dark: A Winter Journal' by Horatio Clare

1 Moss growing

Moss is feeling quite at home on the top of pots 



The Sphagnum moss used to decorate the surface of the Sarracenia is also thriving...does it look as if it needs repotting?


Little patches of moss picked off the roof by birds need picking off the drive most days, or else they take hold on the tarmac and help it to break up.

2 New Gloves

For the first time in years I have reached mid winter without cracked fingers.  I have been wearing gloves inside and out..  They were my special present: warm, comfortable, and a joy to use even in the damp and cold.


3.  Planning ahead...

I have a little pile of reading and this is one of my current books borrowed from the library.  The topic seems perverse given how wet it has been, but last summer it hardly rained at all here.  I really do like to establish borders that require little watering.  I am sure that I shall find some inspiration in Beth Chatto's Book for the gravel area...



some summer bulbs are already emerging such as this Allium Schubertii


and the Cyclamen cilicium grown from seed are sheltering under a rock overhang


Leaves appear in autumn with or after the flowers, dependent on the amount of rain, oval to heart shaped, sometimes with shallowly scalloped edges, with a green ‘Christmas tree’ centre surrounded by a broken paler green or grey-green area, underside reddish-purple, 1.5-6cm long, 1.5-5cm wide.

The seed was gathered from the side of the plant bought last year, but I wonder whether they are a resilt of a cross, or whether they will develop the patterning as described above on the Cyclamen Society webpage.  I must check the mother plant!

4 Still in Flower

A Penstemom but which one? Rich Ruby?  It has lovely red stems




5 Reds shine out in this weather

I've cleared away the old tatty leaves on this Poutlon Pride Rhubarb bought last year from D T Brown.  They describe it as the longest cropping rhubarb.  I've allowed it to build it during its first season, and given the mild weather it doesn't apear to have stopped producing new leaves yet.


The other Rhubarb Poulton's Red has 'disappeared', hopefully to reemerge in a couple of months time.

6 Sheltered Spot - Temperature above -3 C

Here is the much posted Fuchsia microphyilla 'Silver Linings'.  Through this weekly gathering under the Prop, contributors' generously share their knowledge, I now follow several and read their regular posts.  In his blog: Garden Ruminations,  this week Jim explained that several groups of Fuchsias go on flowering so long as the temperatures don't fall below -3C.  It must be mild indeed at this end of the garden.  On boxing day these was a small bumble bee visiting this bush.  It then went onto the flowering rosemary bush nearby. Note the little pink primula first collected in the wild about forty years ago!


13 comments:

  1. The silver leaved Fuchsia/Cyclamen combo would be at any time of year but at the beginning of January is totally stunning. I want to go out now and start moving plants around to the same end. I'm already thinking about what else could be grouped with them. Geranium incanum for one.

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    1. The geranium will look great against those flat pewter leaves of the Cyclamen Hederifolium...looking forward to you posting this at some later date.

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  2. Beautiful fuchsia, mine is looking a bit tatty at the moment, I should move it to a more sheltered spot. Very sweet little cyclamen, have they flowered yet?

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    1. Those are cyclamen hederifolium and were making a great show in September and October: https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2019/10/six-on-saturday-5-october-2019.html

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  3. Good to see the rhubarb doing well. It must be the best value garden plant and versatile. Interesting Six-on-Saturday.

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  4. I’m always partial to a Cyclamen or two - the leaves look so attractive with or without the flowers sitting on top! Lovely quote at the start of the post - I’m off to look up the book!

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  5. We bought the very same rhubarb last year. It's also put on new growth during the mild weather. Love the moss.

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    1. I've yet to eat some yet...hope it is as delicious as described.

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  6. Yikes, seeing your rhubarb has reminded me that I have tulip pots stashed right on top of mine. Must move them...

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  7. That cyclamen under the fuschia is something else. Which one is it? The little seedlings under the stone are lovely as well. I've such bad luck w/penstamon but yours makes me want to try again. I also loved the initial quote.

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    1. It is a silver leaved cyclamen hederifolium which I selected from some seed which I had sown into the gravel at my previous garden. I have since grown a couple of generations from its seed. All those leaves come from just one tuber. Until these came up I had never seen a silver leaved one. The seedlings seem to come true. I am now acquiring quite a collection of different ones, and also varied leaved coum: spring flowering cyclamen too. If you type in cyclamen into the search box at the top of my blog, you will be able to see all the posts on that topic, if you are interested.

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