Six on Saturday - The last for January 2026

Storm Chandra and other depresssions have brought so much rain to Somerset.  We are above the flooded levels but our regular walks have had to be curlained with waters sweeping across roads etc. It is at times like these that I am grateful for the paths and stepping stones and no grass which allows me into the garden with the possibility of enjoying the bits of the garden which may not be in sight from the comfort of the conservatory. I've waxed lyrical about some the snowdrops in the garden this week so if you want a little more variety I am sure you will find Jim's post certainly is as will be other posts linking into his.

1. With weeks of hardly any sunshine and dark days of above average temperatures, it is no surprise that the snowdrops in the shade haven't done as well as those in more open spots .  Signs are longer pulled out and weak stems of Galanthus Marjorie Brown.  I have read that snowdrops from the elwesii group do well in sunnier and drier spots, so this clump will be moved. 

Galanthus Marjorie Brown

2. In comparison this little clump of Galanthus nivalis 'Sprite' out in the sunnier position is looking healthy and hearty.

 

Galanthus nivalis 'Sprite'

3. "Is hope all that remains? Of course not. We have courage and inspiration and imagination and determination and resilience. And lots more besides. We have spring just around the corner." My SOS 'Sis' Gill Heavens has the most wonderful turn of phrase and these were some of her words from her post last week.  Also thanks to Gill, I was in receipt last spring of a pretty Primula vulgaris 'Taigetos' thanks to JK 'The Man from Del Monte' from whose garden it came.  Earlier this week I noticed that one of the clumps is just starting to flower.  I've read that it is sterile and increased by division only. 

Primula vulgaris 'Taigetos'

4. Galanthus 'Squashed Fly on a Windscreen' nivalis f. pleniflorus 'Blewbury Tart' first arrived in the garden a gift from Cathy in 2018.  I thought I had lost it. Had I just overlooked it or failed to mention it?  Blewbury Tart certainly deserves a place in this week's Six on Saturday: quirky and dishevelled and definitely filling me with joy on rediscovering it in the garden. I had even removed it from one of my lists as having been lost.  I found it just at the foot of the bird bath growing through the mint that I promised myself that I would get rid of, but knowingly leaving a few stems thinking they would be nice in drinks, deluding myself that it would not be outgrowing its place.  

'In 1975, Alan noticed ‘Blewbury Tart’ in a churchyard in the village of Blewbury in Oxfordshire, England, where he grew up, and collected it with the permission of  Vicar Hugh Pickles. The famous galanthophile Primrose Warburg helped to name it because she called it Blewbury Muffin when Alan gave it to her, thus inspiring the name ‘Blewbury Tart’.  

I asked Alan if there was a special anecdote that I could relate here.  He told me that when he first exhibited it in 1985, a prominent British journalist said it looked like a “squashed fly on a windscreen”.   Nevertheless Avon offered it for sale in 1992.  It is an unruly double with an outward-facing dark green inner rosette encircled by three narrow outer segments.  It looks like it is having a bad hair day and always makes me smile when I see it.  Alan relates that another prominent British galanthophile, Ruby Baker, considers it a favorite'. From the description on Carolyn's Shade Garden. 

5. I have a few books on Snowdrops, not many, more than one and less than I would probably want, but same time each year, I pick them up and have a read of sections.  Each year I get to learn a little more. In Her book The Plant Lovers Guide to Snowdrops Naomi Slade mentions that Snowdrops look best planted in company and one of the suggestions is to for them to be planted up with Euphorbia myrsinites. I have Euphorbia mysinites in the front garden and I may need to try cuttings in a few months time.  I can see how the contrast in form would go well.

Euphorbia mysinites

6. In the front garden I also have some snowdrops that are really good dooers.  It was one of the first snowdrops I bought when I moved here, they seed pods are fertile and I leave them under the leaf litter under the Amelanchiers where they germinate and grow up into little seedlings.  After a couple of seasons I move these to another spot in the front garden. I think they are Galanthus Elwesii 'Valentine'. I am growing just this one cultivar in this area, and after nearly nine years are making a good display.

Galanthus Elwesii 'Valentine'

The crocus are starting to come and there will be just a little more variety hopefully next week.  

Six on Saturday - 24 January 2026

 These are six things from my garden, noted yesterday and posted this Saturday to join in with other gardeners over on Jim's blog, where if you are tempted to join in you will find guidance.

1. Let us start with a plant that caught the sunshine even if it came out very briefly this week.  It has quite surprised me as I don't recall having moved it to what was the old vegetable bed. 

Eranthis hyemalis 

Could it be that a squirrel dug it up from the Conservatory Bed, and reburied it and forgot about it? However I have read that  Winter aconites contain cardiac glycosides, making the bulbs, roots, and foliage poisonous to squirrels and other rodents.  That must be a plus for this plant, and maybe I ought to get more or grow some from seed collected from this one as it is such a good doer.

2.  If I was to single out from amongst the several snowdrops currently in bloom in the garden, for this week it ought to be Galanthus Lapwing. Since receiving one bulb from Anna in 2019, it has now made up a good clump in the Conservatory bed. A lovely snowdrop named by the late Gloucestershire plantsman Phil Cornish in 1997.

Galanthus Lapwing

The variety really liked this garden and therefore rather than dividing the clump I bought another pot and placed it in the larger bed not far away from the Cornus controversa 'Variegata' which I planted out last January.

3.  There are different form of Cyclamen coum, and this one with silver leaves and the darker Christmas tree center and pale pink flowers is a little treasure. In winter the leaves I feel give a worthwhile ground cover.

4.  Evergreen plants are a definite plus in the garden, and this year so far Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' has been quite resilient.Certainly in the days with poor light, it shines out.

 5. Another shrub that for me lights up the garden are the Euonymus fortunei 'Blondy'.  These were ones I took from cuttings so feel quite chuffed with these.

Euonymus fortunei 'Blondy'

6. The Oncostema 'Peruviana' bulbs have done well since I planted them, to the extent that last autumn after they had gone completely dormant and all the leaves had died back, I had a go at dividing the largest multiple one and moved them to the far left of the drive in the shared border.  These are the ones I replanted.

Oncostema formerly known as Scilla

The Oncostema hughii was also moved to the front garden but I hadn't reckoned with the problem of it being sited near to the utilities cover.  since with its amazing rosette of leaves, it draws the eye, I think it will get relocated somewhere different next summer, also should any workmen want to have access to the cover and work down there, it would be trodden on .  The flower bud is just forming on this one. 

Oncostema hughii

I gave the Pittosporum a bit of a trim on Friday following Jim's post, but I may just have given it a bit too much of a short back and sides, and front!  Time will tell if I have been too harsh!

The rain it has rained, the wind it has blown, and the sun has hardly made an appearance, but we keep asking Alexa what time is sunrise to to check that days are indeed getting longer!  You get my drift I hope. 

Three little vases with Cyclamen for In a Vase on Monday

This morning I was out on a walk with WI friends, along part of Strawberry way which is a cycle and walking path built along the old Cheddar Valley railway line. We were lucky enough to walk without rain, but here as Mr S and I were having lunch in the conservatory, it got darker and darker and then the heavens opened.  Still feeling happy from my walk, I braved the rain and went out to pick a few cyclamen.

I tried to cajole the cyclamen coum into some of order but they were not playing ball, almost as if they resented being picked!  The leaves are from various Cyclamen hederifolium and the little twiggy bits with tricolour leaves is one of my choice shrubs is Lophomyrtus x ralphii 'Little Star'. with its little green,white and pink leaves. I could have picked more of the special snowdrops, but I thought a change would be good. The Lophomyrtus twigs were actually cut back so that I could see the snowdrops growing close by.

The three little vases are fine porcelain which Mr S bought for me on one of our date day outings to Clevedon at one of the galleries there.

I am linking this Monday's Vase as usual to Cathy's post. 

Six on Saturday - 17 January 2026

 With heavy frosts at the start of the week, followed by much rain and only a couple of half days when it has been dry, there hasn't been much gardening, just moving of small pots either into the shed or under the awning by the front door, to protect them from rain. This topic started a long time ago, and I am happy that Jim is our anchor where I am similar gardeners link in our posts about six things from our gardens each week.

1. Compared to the large blousey snowdrops such as Colossus, Galanthus 'Vic Horton' is a small and dainty snowdrop. Its form with thin grey twisted leaves and its ovary is a contrasting brighter paler green with a hint of lime, described by some as Olive Green. Its characteristic inner markings, this snowdrop is easily identified even without any name labels.  It does pretty well in the drier parts of the garden too.

Galanthus gracilis Vic Horton

2. At this quiet time of year where large colourful flowers are lacking in my garden the different  leaves really come to the fore.  I first saw a rather gorgeous textured leaved plant in a large stone urn on one of my first visits to The Bishop's Palace in Wells with Alison whom I met through In a Vase on Monday.   Teucrium scorodonia 'Crispum Marginatum' at eye height really appealed to me.  Sadly my request for a cutting from the gardener at the BP was turned down, but Alison very generously offered me a plant since she had this one in her garden, and that was back in 2017 soon after I started the garden here. The evergreen textured and ruffled edged leaves get somewhat tattered towards the end of winter, but when cut back, new growth soon grows back.  I moved it to the front dry bank in the front garden, but I think it is ready to make up a combination somewhere new in the garden.  I shall have to put my thinking cap on. 

Teucrium scorodonia 'Crispum Marginatum'

3. This is just one half of the patch of Cyclamen coum in the conservatory bed.  Through cross fertilisation and movement of the seeds by the ants, as well as relocation of some corms when in bloom to suitable positions, I aim to achieve a flowering carpet of different leaf patterns and also flower colours.

4. Galanthus Lady Beatrix Stanley was moved from the conservatory border to a spot behind the roses near the stone wall at the end of the garden a couple of seasons ago.  Even on the gloomy days, of which this week there have been many, they shine out. From just two bulbs kindly sent to me by Anna in 2019, I now have three good clumps. The long pointed outer sepals remind me of canine teeth at this stage.

Galanthus Lady Beatrix Stanley

5. Last year I bought a small Coronilla valentina subsp glauca 'Citrina' and it is just starting to show signs of blooms.  I'm considering moving it into the conservatory to enjoy its scent. It was thanks to seeing this on fellow SOSers posts that I bought this last year from Derry Watkins of Special Plants Nursery. 

Coronilla valentina subsp glauca 'Citrina

6. From time to time I plant up the little selection of Bonsai Pots with plants and stones just because I like to have small arrangements on the garden shed shelf or in this case on the round table, to more easily enjoy the form of small plants. This one is evolving into a moss garden of its own volition. It is not surprising given how damp it has been and how much moss grows on our roof.  

The smaller plant is Sedum hispanicum and the plant with grass like leaves is Sisyrinchium E K Balls.  The Sisyrinchium is commonly called 'Blue eyed grass'. Moss is supposed to grow in shade but is quite happy here in full sun, that is when the sun does shine!

In a Vase on Monday - Snowdrops

This morning I went out to see if there was something to get me going.  My eye was first drawn to yet another scattering of twiggy bits from the Oak growing just over the wall.  We have several squirrels attempting to build drays and I think these are the ones which fell down or were brought down by the wind and heavy rain yesterday.  They are however the perfect grey green to form a background for the snowdrops in this vase.

Next looking at the Pittosporum I thought a few pieces of that would form a good contrast.  On Saturday Jim mentioned cutting his Pittosporum before the new growth broke out, so this is a job for me this week.  Then I looked around to see which Snowdrops I would cut.  I have a little clump which I can't see from the conservatory which has been in flower for a couple of weeks, and its label read Melanie Broughton.  Since I could not see them when sitting in the conservatory, I decided to cut each bloom, and worked hard on trying to remember the name ready for writing this.  Well, I have looked at other example of Melanie Broughton, and this is definitely not that one, as there are just a little marking.  I felt a huge disappointment.  Can snowdrops loose their markings or is it simply that the label got misplaced.  I shall need to ponder this one and consult any sketches I made, if indeed I did any, when these were planted.  

To bypass or maybe even erase this crest fallen feeling, I shall concentrate on the feeling I had when I was cutting the blooms, before I knew of the problem, and also remember the little robin who came to see what I was up to, and also his song.  Here therefore besides the arrangement is the delightful studio pottery bowl with a robin on it by Laurence McGowan.  

After Knit and Natter this morning, and lunch, I have consulted my planting notes for 2022 when I received a selection of lovely bulbs from my friend Brenda and the name of Galanthus Mrs Macnamara is spot on for position and the description.  I am now a happy bunny!

I am linking in with Cathy over on her blog Rambling in the Garden.