Six on Saturday - 14 March

 It is going to be a trot or more likely a gallop through six things from the garden this week.  As I write this after 4 p.m. having spent the morning busy in the garden after coming back from the market, and the afternoon walking out into the countryside. Rules and guidance should you wish to note things from your garden too and join in is over at Jim's where I shall be linking this post to.

Well it was a surprising start start to the day as I looked out at the blue skies, but down below there was a frost and I had not taken anything in.  

1. Last autumn I planted a few Snakes Head Fritillary in pots and a few weeks ago once I could see where other spring beauties had been planted, into the borders they went. I have both the white and purple checkerboard varieties.

Fritillaria meleagris

2. Nearby the dark leaved  Irish polyanthus with  burgundy-striped pink flowers Primula 'Dark Rosaleen' has survived the winter.

Primula 'Dark Rosaleen'

3. Canna Tropicana came out of the shed a couple of weeks ago and braved the frost, but with another one possibly on the cards for this evening, I am going to have to move it back.  Also it looks as if next week during one of the sunnier days, I shall have to empty out the post and divide the many shoots.  I'm going to have a go growing in straight in the soil this year.

Canna 'Tropicanna'

4. A few years ago I was delighted that this little violet Viola labradorica had perched a ride in one of the pots from  my last garden.  There are quite a few around the garden now.  The richly coloured dark purple leaves make for a great little plant, whose seed is spread by ants.  They are already active in the garden.

Viola labradorica

5. Another violet which has been full of bloom is Viola odorata 'Kim'  I have now have several good clumps minus one which I removed from the conservatory border as it was outgrowing its space, which I wanted for some different plants.  This one seems to have selected its own spot along the edge of the path, where it does not have much shade.

Viola odorata 'Kim'

6.  I have a little dwarf Forsythia which really needs to have a different sort of year, any suggestions as to what I ought to do to increase flowering next year would be really welcome.

Tomorrow it is the Rare Plant Fair in Wells, the garden is full, but being just a short cycle away, I will not be able to say no to a visit!  

White Split Tin Loaf

This month's loaf from Bake with Jack Homebakers' Club lesson was looking back to a loaf of old.  During the online 'lesson' we had quite a bit a history and what different yeasts have been used over the centuries.  Although I have made bread with sponges before I had never seen it being done, and had not realised how well to mix the liquid and yeast mixture bringing in the surrounding flour until it was a thick paste.  Jack explained that this was a technique giving extra time and hence taste and this could be used with almost any dough.  In future I shall have all the ingredients ready and start this part of the process early in the morning.

I then had the dilemma of what loaf tin to use. I didn't have the shallower rounded loaf tin that Jack used, and my various tins and those above are just a selection I felt were not quite the right size.  I have what was bought as 1 lb and 2 lb aluminium loaf tins from Silverwood.  Ages ago I realised that certainly for the type of bread I baked they needed more dough, and this was confirmed simply by measuring the volume using water and comparing them to my reliably 1 lb and 2lb loaf tins.

In the end I  used my 1lb Silverwood loaf tin for the dough which weighed 862g when mixed. Another recommendation from Jack was to make a baking parchment sling to line the tin, which certainly removed the fear of the loaf sticking and made it easier to remove.
 

For 500g flour there was the addition of 10g sugar and 25g butter, which certainly gave a wonderful aroma and colour.  I have often used milk in a white loaf but here there was just water. As instructed I used the bread knife to draw the cut and I did this right to the level of the tin.  Then there was a further rise of 15 minutes before going into the oven.

The  loaf is excellent and here they was absolutely no egg needed to achieve that glossy golden crust.

I rarely make a white loaf these days, and there are already things I want to make with this such as a lovely toasted sandwich, pain perdu and a good bread and butter pudding. Next time I shall definitely double up the recipe to bake two loaves. 

Whilst looking for the history of the split loaf tin I came across a blog with a whole list of recipes with history too, which I shall most probably dip into from time to time.  The Bread Club 20 Blogspot.

In a Vase on Monday - Botanically inspired

Botanical drawings are beautiful and fascinating and shows the beauty of structure and details of plants. I love them and from time to time like to try my hand at studying and drawing specimens.  Yesterday whilst gardening I decided to remove the 'rogue' tulip from the garden table pot, and just plonked it a vintage apothecary bottle.  I thought no more of it until this morning when some of the blooms had opened.  We are having a strange day with mists swirling around, and the subdued light was perfect for this species multi headed Tulipa turkestanica.

This 'In a Vase on Monday' get together is the creation of Cathy, and just follow this link if you would like to learn more, and even join in.

Tulipa turkestanica

This morning as I walked through the dining room, I realised the copper stock pot and a large platter needed cleaning, then I realised the sideboard was overloaded with dried arrangements. I had started to clear some of them when I realised that they could also feature this week for In a Vase on Monday.

I knew that I would be wanting this tall narrow vase soon, and for several months it had been just the right height to show off the dried stems of Allium carinatum  subs pulchellum.

Allium carinatum  subs pulchellum

Needing my pie dish, the dried poppy heads were next to be spread over the garden.

Dried Poppy seed heads

With the ones which I had rescued from the garden last year, I tied into a little bundle which I have now moved into the conservatory.

All that is now left is the vase containing other flowers which I picked from the garden and dried last year. 

I think most of them featured last year in vases.  Just as some people like artificial flowers, I rather like dried flowers during the winter, reminding me of the beauties of summer.

Tulipa turkestanica closeup

When I see a multi headed tulip now I am reminded of the time years ago when we visited my uncle Noel.  He was a great prankster and had that reputation from a youngster.  When we arrived he took us straight into the garden to such us his prize tulip....there it was: a multi headed red tulip, a sole one in a bed of other straight up 'traditional' tulips.  Of course we could not reach it to inspect it or even see it that clearly, and we all just creased up at the joke, absolutely no one believed him and thought he had planted an artificial bloom.  Knowing what I know now, it was no joke, it was indeed a multiheaded tulip.  

Plants at the start of March 2026 - Six on Saturday

If you go over to Jim's you will find several of us, and you too could join in, who mark six things from our garden on a Saturday.  Let's start the the list! 

1.  Last autumn I bought a few bulbs from Pottertons and was going to plant the Tulipa Sylvestris out in the garden this spring when I could see where to position them, so had planted the bulbs in November in 10cm pots.  However I ended up planting them a few weeks back in a pot as a table display.  Nice effect wouldn't you say but at some time I shall have to release them in the garden where hopefully they will naturalise.  One of these is not Tulipa Sylvestris but I think it is T. Turkestanica which I have growing in the front garden.

Tulipa Sylvestris

When I have posted this I'm going out to wipe the Sahara dust off the garden furniture.

2. This year I took a chance on growing the Tropaeolum tricolor right through the winter outdoors without protection.  A few years back I was lucky enough to visit the now closed nursery Avon Bulbs, they said they grew their outdoors all year round outside their polytunnels.  I put all the tubers into one pot this season, but being outside as opposed to in the conservatory, they have plied themselves around the stems and have made a tangle near the top, which is impossible to untangle without breaking their brittle stems.

Tropaeolum tricolor

3. Corydalis Beth Evans seems to have taken to this garden and I now have several good clumps including this one in the shady border, as well as several elsewhere including spots in the conservatory bed and other sunnier spots.

Corydalis Beth Evans

4. I love violas and violets and these seed very happily and sometimes need weeding out.  However wherever possible I leave them till I can appraise their flowers. More and more I am enjoying watching out for how seedlings from all the plants emerge and choose ones with good constitutions and not worrying that they are not 'named varieites'. I have Viola odorata Kim and also Viola 'Baronne Alice de Rothschild' but I am now getting seedlings even within their own patches that are somewhat different from the parent.  Here in the middle of the gravel garden not far from the washing line hole, is this charming new violet seedling with flowers quite large for the size of plant and larger than others I mentioned earlier. I'll grow this on for another year to see how it performs in a more mature form.  It holds its flowers nicely above the foliage but this may just be the growing conditions, the full sun and the baking conditions.

5. Primula 'Petticoat' a lovely double old variety has thankfully come through the dry summer and is starting to flower'.

Primula Petticoat

6. Primula: 'Blue Horizon'' which like Primula Wanda is a juliae type is just starting to flower and in a couple of weeks will be full stride.  Nearby I have the very similar  Primula vulgaris 'Hall Barn Blue' which I bought and planted last year but this has yet to flower.

The Robins are nesting, I've spotted butterflies and a slowworm who was sunning itself. With lots of ladybirds stirring, I feel that the garden is awakening. After a couple of dry sunnier days todays it has reverted to being overcast with a slight mizzle.  

Plants etc from the garden at the end of February 2026

Another month almost gone, and this regular garden chat is being linked in with others over on Jim's blog. 

The end of February has still some lovely crocuses and the sunshine has been bringing out 'giant' bumblebees.  Watching them delve down into the crocus cups is both a delight tinged with a little suspense as I wonder whether the crocus bloom will right itself.

1. I am very fond of the colour purple...

Crocus tommasianus Ruby Giant

2.

Crocus Shockwave

There is one bulb with a much larger flower, I wonder whether I ought to 'separate' this from the clump to give it a more uniform aspect? I am sure this will be done by end of day.

3. A healthy robust crocus for me is this stripy Crocus vernus Pickwick, which I have had for many years, and is slowly increasing.  It is the last of the crocus to flower.

4. Verbascum phoeniceum violetta has been growing in its original position for over six years, and each year I've thought that it ought to be moved.  It was too far inboard for me to enjoy the lovely form of the flower spikes. I could see there were various good growing sections with roots and they were seperated to give five plants.  Hope they survive this and flower this year.

Verbascum phoeniceum violetta

5. It was only when I noticed how large the clump of  Symphyotrichum novi-belgii 'Purple Dome' was encroaching on surrounding plants that I decided it was time to do something about this and hence the 'shuffling' in the garden. With the soil a little improved its space was baken by the Verbascum.

Divisions ready to be relocated in the garden
or given away

Shuffling was a term my SOS Sis used this week when we were 'chatting' on messenger. It brought a smile to my face, and some encouragement to get out in the garden and do some more gardening. Last autumn I treated myself to a set of three useful plyable handled shallow buckets from a farm shop, I like the pop of colour and I can easily find them compared to the large black one I had.  The large black one went to a friend to use in her large garden!

6. For Gill who is not all that keen on Pulmonarias, this is a lovely one for the garden: Pulmonaria Sissinghurst White.  The bees certainly love it. This is just the first flush of blooms, when trimmed down they will spring back.  I'm going to try to show each flush just to guage it garden worthiness this year.

Bonus picture............seedheads of the Miscanthus nepalensis, which I trimmed down this week.  If any SOSers fancy trying to grow this, contact me and I shall put some in the post for you. Use facebook with my name and send me a message with your name and address. I placed a couple of strands on the soil a cm deep with gritty soil on the top, and I had seedling come up a few weeks later, and this spring have sufficient to start a clump,

It definitely feels as if winter is behind us, spring in on its way!