Six on Saturday - 28 January 2023

 Last week Jim under whose 'cold frame' we gather each Saturday for our Six on Saturdays chatterings asked about my sowing of the cyclamen seed at this time.  I sowed the seed in a 'dark place' and keep them in a warmish place.  I can't quite find the exact instructions without skim reading, and it may have been on an online forum.  I tried three of my book on cyclamen, and since the seeds have yet to show their first leaf, the system may not have been effective and they will have to go out into the garden.

2.  This time of the year green leaves with a bit of a pattern shine out in the more gloomy days.

Arum italicum 

3. Gloom and damp make the mosses grow.  With no lawn where mosses for some are a nuisance, any little growths are to be admired.  I had taken this picture of a moss growing across a small stone on one of the little bonsai dishes I had planted up. 

Then Mr S called me in for coffee, and he was suggesting programmes in the coming week that I may enjoy and there is to be one this coming Wednesday called 'The Magical World of Moss', which will be on catch up after that( BBC 4 TV).  How serendipitous was that?

4. The old pots with self sown moss and self sown wild ferns from my garden in Kenilworth, are taking on a beautiful mature look.  Still with a few leaves on side crowns, I love to watch the leaves on these unfurl as spring progresses. In a few weeks I shall cut off all this growth the better to enjoy the new growth.

5.  I can't but add a snowdrop or two.....Galanthus gracilis 'Vic Horton'.  I bought it last year and followed the advice on this one and planted it in a patch of well drained soil.  It also had several doses of dilute sea weed feed. It has improved well here, and its ovary, although infertile,  is a lighter shade of olive.  Its leaves are fine and twisted and the whole plant is small and dainty. It is an excellent doer in this garden.

Just further along the same bed, is one another snowdrop: the ovary is yellow and this 'bleeds' out to the pedicel, spathe and down the scape.  It is a form of the common nivalis but with some yellow colour gradually increasing through its flowering stem up to the ovary. It increased from one to two this year: Galanthus nivalis Sandersii.

6.  I ventured to 'Gooseberry Bush Corner' and found a tangle of crossing thorny branches.  

Thank goodness I am in time to do a winter prune, and found some good advice. I have two gooseberry bushes: the one in the furthest corner is Invicta which comes into fruit early and had a good heavy crop of green goosegogs.  There is still a few jars of gooseberry conserve, which I enjoy with my yogurt. 

The one which I am peering over here is  Rubus uva-crispa Hinnonmaki Red. Last year I covered this one as the berries were turning dark red with an old net curtain.  You know the type, the ones you had in the loft from years back that you think will come in useful.  They did indeed become very useful to blackbirds were very carefully hidden behind them and could enjoy a bountiful crop hidden from my gaze.  One morning I saw a faint movement as the blackbirds were reaching the extreme of the branches getting to the last gooseberries, and when I went out, the bush was more or less stripped!  

This year I shall watch the blackbirds and pick as soon as they deem them to be ripe enough.  I now read that there are thornless varieties and may be tempted to try some perhaps another year if I get some good personal recommendations.

This week I became owner of a 'green waste' bin, have bought large sticky number to go on, and will be delighted to throw the pruning of the bushes straight into it.  I shall still of course carry out my bin duties each fortnight for the close!

I'm off to join in with my gardening pals, and you can use the link at the top of the post, for gardening conversations. Have a good week.

Snowdrops in a special vase on Monday

 I am unsure whether to call today's offering Special Snowdrops IAVOM or Snowdrops in a Special Vase.  To Galanthophiles these varieties are probably considered just good garden doers, so I feel happier erring to the Special Vase title.  I bought this this vase specially for snowdrops in 2018 at Shepton Mallett Snowdrop Festival where I met up with Alison who used to be a regular contributor.  It is just the right size for the taller snowdrops.

The two snowdrops towards the left top and bottom are Jaquenetta.  Galanthus Jacquenetta is a Greatorex Double with almost no ovary.  In the middle is the Godfrey Owen which is in that it has six outer and six inner petals, at the top is Fieldgate Prelude which had part of its stem cut off with  long outer petals/segments compared to the inner ones which bear the beautiful markings. Just in front on it is the last of the Galanthus J Haydn which has been in flower since before Christmas.  

In the vase is a couple of pieces of Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb', and a piece of the Hebe 'Silver Dollar' which is growing in a Bonsai Dish along with a few other alpines. 

Its been a glorious sunny but cold day, and after having some friends round this morning for a knitting session, went for a walk to the Palace gardens where the snowdrops had hardly pierced the ground.  It just goes to show that it is worth getting some of the 'special snowdrops' to get the season going as early as possible.  I am joining in with Cathy on this Monday, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a few other snowdrops today.  

Six on Saturday - 21 January 2023

Even when the weather effectively closes down opportunities for gardening, it does give more time for reading, and sharing in on zoom meetings from various gardening groups, and planning for new plants later in the year.  I love reading the other posts of SOSs available thanks to their dedication and to Jim who opens up with his post.  Knowledge and advice and even book recommendations are to be had.  I managed to source The Biography of Charles Darwin recommended a few weeks ago from our Library, and many thanks for that.  But I cannot remember who that was, so hopefully someone can let me know so that I can thank them.  

1. Thanks to encouragement from friends met on In A Vase on Monday, and Six on Saturday, I am enjoying snowdrops more and more.  Easily tucked in some pockets between other plants, snowdrops are an excellent 'collector's' plant even for a small garden.  Today I shall resist from showing any as they are quite frozen.

I came across an excellent talk on Youtube called Snowdrops for Beginners by Michael Myers.  Even if you are not a member of the AGS, these talks are free, and therefore do please share the link with your other gardening friends. I shared it on my Gardening Group Facebook page.

2. First thing in the morning it is still very cold, with frosting highlighting the pattern on the table. The top layer of the soil is heaved up making it look as if plants are semi buried.  

3. Earlier in the week, I started to clear a patch in the side border alongside the house.  I am having to dig a much deeper hole, as the Fuchsia had far deeper roots than I had expected, and those of the Mahonia intertwining with it have a great yellow colour similar to its stems.  I'm sure there will be suckering in the area, in the coming years.  Sadly since I started the job, it has been just too cold when I had some spare time.  Hopefully it will be cleared before next SOS!

4. A couple of weeks ago I was walking past a shop in Wells, and spied something familiar but different.  Many of you have probably read about the lovely Saxifraga stolonifera which I brought from my previous garden.  It has done amazingly well in the current garden along the narrow shady border.  The pot I spied in the shop had no name, but I have found it is  currently a popular houseplant called Saxifraga stolonifera 'Tricolor'.  

I was wondering whether it was hardy, and hopefully when it has some little ones, I was planning on try it in the garden.  Then by searching I found that it is, well if it is for Bob Brown of Cotswold Garden Flowers, then I shall certainly to planting it outside. Until the weather is much warmer it can reasonably remain as a house plant.

5. My cyclamen seed from the Cyclamen Society still have not germinated.  Good job I am the 'boss' of the kitchen and utility, which means I can leave these on the counter top. I open the bag every few days to check whether germination has taken place.

I explained nicely that they are my 'preciouses' and will germinate if kept at around 17 C in the dark, which explains the compost bag. Mr S is the tidy person in the house, but was convinced and he is being nice to me. Rather than bring in all the plants from the shed to that area, I felt they would be happier slightly cooler and moved them....

6. Other things have sneaked into the conservatory.  Can you imagine the tears if these were lost?

We keep the frost stat on in the conservatory, as with its good light, it is the ideal position for the succulents.

It may be just an ordinary species aeonium,  but the Aeonium balsamiferum is in its stride now, having had its summer rest.  The scent from the leaves is delightful.

Off to join in with Jim, and enjoy a read of Six things from him and other gardeners.

Cold, Bright and Icy on the Levels

 After just so many days of weather, when it seemed errands and shopping were the only things worth going out for, today we decided to go for our usual walk around Hay Hill.  

The skies were blue with a few wispy clouds, and walking along the higher Haymoor Drove, either side the Rhynes well full of water and the fields each side were flooded.  The line of pollarded willows stand sentinel marking a field boundary.

There were fewer birds than expected, but some ducks took advantage, and prior to their murmurations groups of starlings were looking for worms alongside the water edges.  The strange noise we heard was made by a crow was trying to break the ice, piercing the quiet of the afternoon. Across the water a thin layer of ice with clear patches catching reflections.

Further round we saw flocks of redwing, and groups of both pied and grey wagtails.

We wove from one side to the other along the roads keeping to the most ice free patches, those which the low sun had struck at times during the day.  Listening out for the cars, which were few and far between, we made sure to find a slightly wider place or use the bank where free to climb up onto. By the time we arrived home, I felt tired, but this is the longest walk for some time.

In a Vase on Monday - Don't Cry for Me

On Saturday, in a small gap between showers I made my escape into the garden to check on the snowdrops and emerging crocus.  There by the stone wall, a white rose in bud stunned me.  Iceberg was the one rose missed during the pruning sessions, and the idea of adding a short meaningful task seemed to draw me into the garden again later in the day. 

 Amongst the prunnings I rescued one bloom and brought it inside to sit on the kitchen window sill.  I already had a small vase of rosemary twigs kept over from some roast potatoes, as well as other herbs from the garden.  As it grew dark the rose seemed to gather a certain aura against the darkened garden. I tried to capture this but by then the kitchen reflections were too obvious.  

Here photographed in front of the slate platter, with garden grown chillies, thyme and bayleaf  is my offering for today.

Yesterday we walked into town, as by now with all the rain, the country lanes are covered with mud washed down from the banks, making a walk along them out of the question.  In town we popped into one of the charity shops, and my eye was drawn to the cover on a singles record.  If I had a record player I may well have bought it.  With the black background and the wet rose it just caught my eye!

Don't Cry for Me Argentina by the Shadows

You will smile when you see Cathy's sweet arrangement.  We all gather there each Monday, and you are welcome to, with plants/flowers/material from your garden arranged etc.

Six on Saturday - 14 January 2023

 Yesterday a friend posted 'the lake' that appeared to surround her property, but luckily the old houses on the levels were built on higher mounds, here we are at the top of a hill, with good drainage, and have I been glad of that.  Friday was sunny thankfully, but as we went out gallivanting, I only had time for a few quick pictures.  I am joining in with Jim for this Six on Saturday.  

It is so easy to tuck in spring flowering plants that come up do their thing whilst the herbaceous and shrubs are quietly waiting for the real spring to start, and my small garden does not quite yet have a surfeit of early spring beauties!

1. The second snowdrop to come into flower in the garden is Galanthus Godfrey Owen. The flowers were opening with only a shortened leaf, and look fuller on account of the six outer petals, and are low growing.  Last year I was also given a bulb of this by my friend Brenda and planted in a shadier part, but that one is not up yet.

2.  The third snowdrop is taller, but came into flower a few days after Godfrey Owen, grows on the other side of the seating circle close to Pear Beth.  It is Fieldgate Prelude.

With the special snowdrops which were established more recently, it is particularly interesting to see what order they are flowering in.  We have had such a peculiar year weather wise since they were planted and for the last few quickly planted, I failed to write them down on my plan for the garden, and am determined to get a better plan of the garden drawn up, and may call on Mr S's skills for that.  

3. Another exciting event was finding that the colour is starting to show in the yellow hellebore.

4. Just along from the hellebore is a fern that stays green all year round, its name is lost, but not so its ability to charm me particularly during the winter. As a result of a comment below I found the original entry on my notebook from when I bought it in 2014,  The label read Fern Polystichum setiferum multidivisilobum.  However looking up on the internet the name 'Plumosomultilobum group' or Plumosum Densum seems to be applied.

5. The first crocus to show colour, starting over a week ago, is Crocus sieberi Firefly. It is a little gem and undaunted by the all the rain. They are two weeks earlier than the earliest they have been in previous years.

6. I like to chart the progress of the Pittosporum Tom Thumb, particularly since I brought it as a cutting rooted from the one growing in my previous garden. It is now nearly as high as the bird bath.  It may get a gentle trimming to maintain its small size. 

Just how many soggy reports from around the country remain to be seen, but thankfully we have contributors from the southern hemisphere.  

 

Traditional English Macaroons

I raised the suggestion of a Knit and Natter group within our WI, thinking there would just be a few people interested, but our Chairman Ann has declared it the red hot ticket for this year, with far more than I could accommodate, such that there are going to be four separate groups on different days, at different homes.

Yesterday evening, I realised that having baked a few Passion Fruit Melting Moments biscuits, one of the ladies is gluten intolerant, so after dinner and a bit of a rest, I made half the quantity of the Macaroons recipe from Mary Berry's Baking Bible.  

I've steered clear of baking biscuits for some time, as I was finding the oven unreliable at the lower temperatures.  I had wondered whether the thermostat was on the blink, and had sent out an SOS to neighbours on our WhatsApp group, and the following morning Pippa arrived with her oven thermometer.  Yes the oven is fairly accurate at the higher temperatures, but is way over on the lower temperatures. In fact I have never been able able to bake those beautiful pale shortbreads, or macaroons such as these which should be evenly cooked and still pale and interesting.  

Now I have the answer: a separate oven thermometer. The oven light has gone, but Mr S promises to buy and replace it this week, and also if necessary a new thermostat part for the oven.  I had pondered a new oven, but if I can adjust my temperatures with this one, why change?  

In a Vase on Monday - Mid Winter

 One of the pleasures of living close to the countryside are the walks.  At present the ground is far too wet and soggy but the country lanes are relatively peaceful and a shortish person like me can enjoy the scenery through and now above the bare hedges which have had a severe short back and sides.  I did find a little clump of hazel which has escape the harsh blades, and they form the height in today vase bottle.

A spring of heather and a single Hellebore Niger join in this simple arrangement.  The lighting was tricky this morning, giving more or less a black and white look.

As for reading, alongside other non-fiction books I am reading, I have just finished Grandmothers by Salley Vickers. 

I found it a gentle slowish moving but non the less ejoyable read, with some of the scenes such as the visit to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, and the visit to Kew Gardens reminding me of my many enjoyable visits there.  I do remember thinking that those skulls were probably Monkey and non shrunken human heads!

As usual this post is linked in with Cathy, who dreamt up and instigated this most pleasurable of habits to joining up with vases from plants from our gardens, or maybe toy boxes? 

Six on Saturday - The start of a New Year

 I was woken up this morning by the storm.  As it is still pitch dark as I write this, I am unsure of whether it has been raining or not.  Still it is time to find six things to post about this week.

The less there is to see or do in the garden, the more time I have to think about the garden, more time to mull over how the garden will evolve.  Being a relatively new garden, apart for the layout of paths, gravel garden etc., nothing is fixed.  Plants can be added, removed or even moved, and this time of the year I feel more than ever is the best time for me to get on with this aspect.

1.  Moving an apple tree to the middle of the vegetable patch  is probably looking forward several years to when I may reduce the scope of the vegetable gardening and move towards less intensive use of that area.  For now it does release the whole fence area for growing beans etc against, allows for renewal of the fence, and gives the tree a better growing area.  This is apple scrumptious which has been in its position for three years, but yet to produce fruit.  I hope, having been careful with its roots that I may get a little fruit this year, or at least more in years to come.

2. Back in the Summer when I visited a gardening project I was given a head of bulbils of Babington’s leek (Allium ampeloprasum babingtonii).  There were sufficient to share with two other friends, and the bulbils I set in a pot have started to grow. It is an interesting edible plant, and I hope to add more perennial edibles to this area.

Pennard Plants are coming to our club this month, and I hope to get inspired there on more perennial edibles.

3.  There is nothing like a new year to hatch new plans, and I am hoping this year to give more attention to my roses old and new.  I remember reading some time ago on this regular weekly grouping about Uncle Tom's Tonic. As I already have four new roses waiting to be planted out in the garden, I went ahead and ordered in the necessary.

4.  Previously in gardens past, I have grown a delightful variety of roses, and one which flowers early and of which I was particularly fond of was Rosa Canary Bird.  That went on the same order as the feed! Then I remembered having admired each year Rambling Rose Malvern Hills in the gardens at the Bishop's Palace, so that went on the order as well.  Here they are having a little soak.

5. I was going to plant them up in pots in compost, to await planting with the other four, later in the spring.  Then five minutes later, realising that I knew where they were to go, decided to get on with that job.  

However nothing is quite so straight forward is it?  One of the Hebe Topiaras had to be cut back and then dug up.  I have rooted cuttings waiting on the sidelines and with another mature one in the bed, I was happy to sacrifice that one.  In any case some of the branches appeared to be dying back.  The Salvia Amistad too had to sacrificed, but I was intending growing new ones elsewhere, and again have rooted cuttings ready. Then the variegated slow growing Luma Apiculata Glanleam Gold also had to be moved, as well one of the Euonymus japonicus 'Golden Maiden'.  No wonder Mr S came out at 2 p.m. wondering whether we were to have lunch that day.  If he is not at home, I often get carried away gardening without lunch until it grows late!

6.  After lunch the two new roses got planted following all the instructions, and for now, the border looks like this. I like looking back on garden views and will post one again inn just a few weeks when the area will hopefully have lots of spring bulbs to give it colour and interest.

 

If it is plants in flower that tick your box, then Jim has some delightful shots of plants in flower in his garden, He is the 'anchor man' for this weekly get together. 

In a Vase on Monday - The first of 2023

 Happy New Year to all my family, friends and fellow bloggers.

Today I am a little late posting, and I make no excuses.  This morning we had wall to wall sunshine, and although it was still 6 C in the shade, I wanted to get out into the garden.  Early spring and with more early flowering plants, I could say that once the days are starting to get longer, is  a lovely time of the year in the garden.  Even the low slanting light throwing long shadows adds drama to the garden.

Here is today's little vase.

A few early dark pink Cyclamen coum add a splash of colour, with one of the c. coum leaves, and a couple of stems of Hebe topiaria,  The miniature bronze canons is a favourite of Mr S.  He would like a full sized one if we had a large enough garden, so when I saw this one many years ago, it was brought home for him.

Cathy who thought up this weekly get together several years ago, is the go to place to link in posies from the garden.