Today it isn't freezing but it is definitely damp and mizzling. It is coming up to Christmas, yes I've mentioned that word. I'm not a very Christmassy sort of person well I do carry the name around all year, so maybe that is my excuse.
1. To help displace the feeling of 'Am I missing out on all the manic last minute shopping that goes on around me, and not being at all sucked into the pressure in the media to rise to the occasion to decorate, spend and overindulge'? To show that I am able to buy myself a little Christmas present, here instead of Galanthus Three Ships which I would have loved are three new snowdrops as consolations. I went to see Jackie Williams right at the top of the Mendips, this morning and picked up Galanthus Wasp, Galanthus elwesii Godfrey Owen which will have six outer white petals, and Galanthus reginae-olgae vernalis Christine, which she says flowers early here. It wasn't about planting snowdrops which would be in flower at the start of December but rather finding ones which will show a great promise and will probably be in flower just after Christmas.
2. It is cold and damp, but the Salix gracilistyla Mount Aso is clinging onto her leaves. Gently glowing yellow the leaves have been a special feature in the low light.
3. In the front garden the Geranium x magnificum is doing the honours.
4. Bobbing back again to the rear of the garden, the Weigela florida variegata has yet to shed its leaves and forms a good focal point toward the middle rear.
6. I nearly missed out on these lovely sticks. As we set out for our walk on Friday, a man was tackling his overgrown boundary onto the levels that shirts our housing estate. I guess he wanted to have a great view over towards the Tor. Who can blame him? On our return he had made an excellent job of making a layered hedge, and had these sticks of Field Maple on the ground. I asked him what he was going to do with them, and as they were destined for destruction, I was delighted to have him say I could have them. I am thinking of supports for the herbaceous plants in the Summer.
These six meant scaping the barrel, but with a small garden, and it being close to the Winter Solstice, there isn't much going on. I bet the Prop and all the other gardeners will have sufficient to make getting together this Saturday well worth it.
Beautifully coloured geranium and well done on getting those sticks!
ReplyDeleteI think congratulations are in order for making a Six at this time of year. It gets more and more challenging. Geranium Rozanne is such an intense colour. I still don't have one in my garden, and it looks like I am missing out.
ReplyDeleteI'm late and I have just realized that I have not read 2 or 3 Six ... This geranium 'Rozanne' dazzles with its colour in these gloomy days. Super practical these stakes! Well found.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear that some new snowdrops Noelle and maybe as I said in my email 'Three Ships' might come sailing in the future from my garden to yours. My 'Rozanne' finally gave up the ghost a couple of weeks ago or so. She is a most special geranium 😄
ReplyDeleteHello Anna, many thanks for the promise. I am so amazed on how Rozanne can disappear so completely during the winter. I finally chopped mine down yesterday on the 17th, so that I could see what bulbs were emerging below. I managed to divide my original plant a couple of years back and have four plants now.
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