Saturday 9 January 2021

Six on Saturday - 9 January 2021

I'm linking in as usual with Jon: The Propagator, and will be fascinated as to what each contributor adds to their posts this week.  I'm relieved to hear that Jon has now planted all his daffodils. Some have great big gardens and will easily have plenty to share, but it is encouraging to read posts from people with small gardens like mine, as well,  as it is at this time of year that we can glean interesting morsels.  I find that each season, I build up posts that I can refer back to, and find useful.

1. I wonder how many of my borderline hardy plants are going to survive this freeze. A few years of mild weather have spoilt us.


Salvia Amistad in the garden, blackened and looking sorry. I shall cut it back, and maybe it will shoot up from the base. Otherwise, I have some nice rooted cuttings coming on, brought into the conservatory just in time. I had already given two away to different people, so I hope they have been under cover there. Thanks to my husband's patience walking around plants in our conservatory.

2. For me it is too cold to garden outside, but I could not resist doing just one thing: going out to pick seed heads. The finches seem to prefer the naked sunflower seeds, which attract many different birds.


Eryngium Silver Ghost is now shedding its seeds. This has proved to be a biannual in my garden. Your seeds were posted yesterday Anna. I have plenty still to share, so if you are interested, let me know.  It is quite easy to pop some in the post to you.

Our gardening club is a member of the Gold Scheme at Castle Gardens Group, and each year they offer composts delivered to your door at competitive prices.  It is the first time I've put in an order.  Ordered before Christmas, the bags arrived this week.  The very nice delivery man from Castle Gardens had several orders from our club members, but he still had the time to move them all to my potting area right round the other side of the house.  Thanks John!

3. Action taken too late

I was counting on a number of possible flowers from my new Alstromeria but I ought to have brought the pot into the conservatory before the freeze set in. As it was expected to reach -5C during the week, even though it was too late to save the growth, I thought the plant would be better in the conservatory.


4. I was quite touched by this present from Mr S, which was a complete surprise.   He knows how I love to find and watch the spiders in and around the garden. Mandy sent me a picture of a spider she hadn't seen before, at her allotment some time ago, and using the book I was able to identify it as a female orb spider. probably Araniella cucurbitina. Is is usually greener than the one in her photograph, but it may be in the process of moulting. https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/araniella-opisthographa. It is going to take some time to read and learn how to use this. Any spiders around the house are some to be caught and studied under a glass.


5. Present from my grand-daughter: little match box  called Tomato and Basil Soup in a box, but grow your own.  Would something like this be a great little present for members of a gardening club at the Christmas Party.  I am optimistically planning for 2021 December's Gardening Club party.  There may not be the fancy little miniature bottles, but little seed packets.  Maybe send some Forget-me-not seeds for a friend to sow in their garden? Yes, I have checked you can buy mini glass bottles with stoppers, and blank boxes, or maybe just learn how to fold origami seed packets. A couple of packets of seeds could be split many ways, or better still use good seed gathered from your garden.

I wonder whether all those vaccine bottles, which are in such short supply, are going to be recylced/reused/ or could they be upcycled?. If there are any doctors/nurses amongst you, maybe you could salvage some, if that is permitted?  


6. First snowdrop Diggory. These came from a bulb sent to me by Anna of Greentapestry in 2019 is up, though perhaps not yet fully open to allow correct identification.  I've been watching the soil held in the grip of ice, 'heave' and fall repeatedly over the past week, with my eye on the the first to emerge special snowdrops.  It seems as if I may have lost a few varieties of  the special snowdrops. I removed some small plants, and moved Diggory to the edge of the 'Conservatory' bed, close to where I sit.   Anna also sent me Lapwing and Lady Beatrice Stanley:  I shall be out checking whether or not they survived the warm summer.  Cathy sent me Blewbury Tart, Magnet and Mrs Macnamara in 2018, and I had also bought a couple in 217 : Woronowii and Elwesii, but I think they have not survived. I am hoping that Viridapice nivalis (2018) will come up, as it is an easy one to recognise. Indeed I need to check that the labels are in the right places and snowdrops correctly identified.  This is also the time I enjoy getting out my Naomi Slade's book The Plant Lover's guide to Snowdrops.


I do hope that you all will enjoy watching the snowdrops emerge.  Little clumps in parks and gardens, or along hedgerow, somewhere near you on your daily walks will surely bring you joy.


19 comments:

  1. Like you, I am watching the snowdrops every day to see how they are progressing and it has been a very slow progress this week as the weather has been too cold for them to open. There are so many snouts about ground and so many with flowers, not open, that a mild spell will bring a big flush of flower - something to look forward to.

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  2. I love the matchbox soup idea and will make these for some gardening friends and family next year, probably with origami seed envelopes. Thank you.

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  3. What a lovely gift from your grand-daughter, generosity must run in the family. And a nice idea to recycle the vaccine pots. I hope your alstromeria recover from their chilly blast. Stay warm and well Sis x

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  4. You've reminded me I need to have a wander around the garden to collect seeds. I spotted some seed heads on a few plants the other day and meant to go back later. Lovely snowdrop.

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  5. There will be millions of these miniature bottles but I would be surprised if they are allowed to be recycled, unfortunately. What a lovely present. I'm still anticipating my first snowdrop.

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  6. Diggory is a fabulous snowdrop. I have many of the ones you've described but not Blewberry Tart. Is that the double one that's a bit strange and frilly? Full marks for thinking ahead to your gardening club's Christmas party. Until this latest strain of the virus took hold I was optimistic we could run our club's full schedule from March but now I'm not so sure...

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    1. Maybe we could arrange a swap? Let me know. I should be able to divide the little clump come the summer. I read more and more that division and replanting when the bulbs are fully matured, when the base plate is not damaged, is the best time.

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  7. I'm another one watching and waiting for the snowdrops to open. I've no special ones myself, but since joining in this garden blogging I've come to appreciate them, so thanks for sharing their progress.
    Poor little Alstromeria. I hope it perks up. Those sudden cold nights do take us by surprise.

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  8. I think seeds make lovely thoughtful gifts (at least for those who like gardening!). Sweet matchbox with the tomato and basil soup.

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    1. I was also thinking bouquet in a box..with a variety of easy to grow hardy annuals?

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  9. For my salvia I had cut it down to 5cm from the ground for each stem and I mulched it. It must look the same as yours below and we'll see in the spring.
    It's a great idea this little match box to make your own soup! I note this idea! ...
    Regarding the empty vaccine bottles, I don't think that it's reusable for the public. They go to incineration with the needles ... but we must be able to find something that looks like that.

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    1. Thanks for that Fred, I am going out to cut it down. It will allow the other undamaged plants to shine.

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  10. Really thoughtful presents from your family, I love the thought of ‘soup in a box’! What a shame about your Alstroemeria. I hope it survives.
    I have Salvia Amistad in my garden and each winter I cut it back to the ground as we can have heavy frosts here. It always comes back, so hopefully yours will too.

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  11. Yes, that matchbox idea is great! Good to know some of your snowdrops are emerging - losing a few is sadly par for the course which of course we wouldn't notice in just a clump of the common ones

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  12. You did a wonderful job of identifying my spider, especially as I’d never seen such a spider before. You should have great fun this summer.

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    1. I was so pleased when you sent me your great photograph, and I was able to use my new toy! Reminded me of the times after Christmas when friends join in playing with new board games.

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  13. Keeping my fingers crossed for your 'Amistad' Noelle. I love the soup in a box idea and it would indeed be a great little present or raffle prize for a gardening club Christmas do 😄 Do let me know if 'Diggory' or Lady B. doesn't make it - I have spares. The foliage looks like him though.

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    1. Thanks Anna. I cut the Amistad right down, and as you saw I have some spares. I think Lady B is doing well, and I will 'show and tell' in a couple of weeks, for you to inspect her and confirm. I would quite like to have a go at growing snowdrops from seed this year.

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  14. Snowdrops are a wonderful interest

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