Six on Saturday - After Storm Eunice

 This is the most ferocious storm I have lived through in the UK, with  strong winds which brought down the top of the steeple of nearby St Thomas's Church in Wells.  Having lived through cyclones, I remembered that my father went out and secured everything that could be moved, and very often it was a major pruning of shrubs and trees afterwards. Luckily the wind was from the South West blowing the tall thick evergreen Holm Oaks away from the house and the garden.  Otherwise we would have ended up with loads of green leaves splattered across the house and garden. As it is everything will need washing down.

1. When room was used up in the shed, I placed the cyclamen from the shelves right against the house, under a bench.  Today I shall be restoring all the plants to their proper places.

2. It was bad enough when I attended the HPS Galanthus Study Day near Salisbury.  It was impossible to take pictures due to the heavy rain and winds last Sunday, so this week knowing the winds were coming again, I tried to take some even though it was windy on Thursday.  Just how battered they are I am yet to find out.  I took one such clump and planted them out over a wider area last autumn.  The newly replanted ones are just emerging so will be undamaged and give me a later blooming. I have four such clumps all from the original 25 corms this is their 4th season in the garden.

Crocus Barr's Purple in the garden are up and doing very well, these were clumps established with just five corms each in October 2018. I find separating and replanting the corms every three or four years allows improved flowering, vigorous bulbs, and of course more! 

3.  Inside away from the winds the succulents continue to give joy, and Echeveria purple pearl is now in flower.

4. I had a treat on my return from a few days away:  this little Daff: Narcissus cyclamineus was in flower in the conservatory bed.

Narcissus cyclamineus

I have some others growing in a pot which has been nicely tucked up in the shed,  popped on top of inverted pot so that we can see it from the conservatory,  Here it was out of the bench on Thursday. I shall be giving these my full attention through the season with a view to establishing clumps in the conservatory bed alongside the one above.

5. Primula Port and Lemon is starting its spring flowering. 

6.  A pink pussy willow:  Salix Mount Aso is the centrepiece of the conservatory border.  The later pruning last year was pretty effective with smaller more numerous stems. I added a couple to a little posy I took to a friend, and as she loved them and saw the sprigs as potential cuttings too!

From small gardens like mine, to average size, medium and large, Six on Saturday bloggers will be comparing notes pinned to Jon The Propagator's post.  Anyone can join if you are inspired.