Happy New Year to all my gardening friends.
At last we are having cold weather, and it would have been easy to settle down, and just concentrate on making some lovely home made bread and soup, but knowing the gang will have convened this morning, I went out to brave the cold. These is plenty of time to do all of these. Jim our hero is the first of course to post each Saturday and the rest which may include you, are led by his example.
1. The first thing I went out to do was to put fresh water in the bird drinking bowl aka as bird bath. I was unable to remove the ice, but hopefully some warm water on the top will mean when I have finished writing this, I shall be able to shift it.
2. The soil is in the 'heaved' position I know that when it thaws it will collapse down, and a sure indicator of the temps are whether the snowdrops are bent over or not. . By the afternoon or with the warmth of a little sun, they will be standing up again. I showed this snowdrop a week ago, yes there are other special snowdrops up, but am saving them for another week.
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| Galanthus Godfrey Owen |
3. If it has 'frost' in its name, and it hasn't yet been shown, now is the time, don't you think? Just by Godfrey is Heuchera 'Mint Frost'. Frost or not the foliage is lovely but I have yet to see what its flowers are like.
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| Heuchera Mint Frost |
4. Around the base of the roses the cyclamen coum give that little spot of brightness, and can easily be seen from the house which is a bonus when you don't necessarily want to go out...
Unlike the C hederifolium from which I collect seed to share or sow myself, I leave the coum seeds to the ants to disperse, and then maybe choose better forms to transplant.
5. It is certainly the doing of ants which has led to Corydalis cheilanthifolia finding its own position up the stone wall. It is doing so well there with probably half a dozen plants up the wall that I have removed the ones on ground level.
6. Down in the shady border even though it is still winter, there are stirrings as evidenced by this little bit of yellow.
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| Yellow Hellebore |
Thank you for the snowdrops, the harbingers of Spring for me. Happy New year.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the heuchera 'Mint Frost' and it's cute, it seems rather small in size. No sight of the snowdrops here yet but I hope soon!
ReplyDeleteI just bought it as a small plant from a local grower, and no doubt it will increase, I rather like small plants for the small garden.
DeleteThose yellow Hellebore flower buds are exciting. I can't wait to see the flowers when they open.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have flowers in winter! We are currently experiencing lows around -17C here in my part of the U.S., so no flowers...probably not until March. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThat is far too cold for me Beth! Keep warm.
DeleteI was in soup making mode here Noelle - it was leek and potato soup for lunch and rather delicious it was too 😂 It's amazing how quickly snowdrops and hellebores recover from the frost. That aptly named heuchera is most attractive.
ReplyDeleteYes it was chicken, potato, celery, leek etc soup, and enough for several sessions too.
DeleteYou are definitely Queen of the Cyclamen and every year you remind me how wonderful they are. Thanks for the shout out, much appreciated. Hope you are warm and cosy with your (I'm sure) delicious home made soup. Broccoli soup for us today! Have a good week, Six x
ReplyDeleteSis not Six! :D
DeleteQuite apt as we are six sisters! Nice and cosy and today it is 10 C, and only a little sleet after dark yesterday. Why do they want to nanny everyone with all the warnings, this is winter!
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