Six on Saturday - 1 February 2025

When I took these pictures yesterday I was thinking January, but today is the first day of February.  It felt that 'February fill dyke'* came a month early, but at least it did not rain yesterday, though we had had heavy rain again but overnight.  I'm joining in this weekly report on Six things from the garden, led by our chief Jim.

1. As well as snowdrops I love other early winter flowering plants, and this Eranthis  hyemalis is the first off the blocks.  Opening and hopefully attracting the Queen Bumblebee that I saw flying across the garden from the upstairs window. If I had been in the garden I would have not only seen her but heard her.

Eranthis hyemalis

2. In the same Conservatory bed are some early crocus still covered in raindrops but trying really hard to open.  They are gradually increasing, and I ought to add 'move some bulbs to the sunnier position' on my to do list. I read that six weeks after flowering is the time, maybe as the leaves die down. If you have any other views, please leave them in the comments box below.

Crocus sieberi Firefly

3. I do like little flowers and this is another one of my smaller snowdrops: Galanthus Margaret Billington with the two more rounded drops having four outer petals.  We are going to visit Elworthy Cottage for one of their open days, where I bought this snowdrop a couple of years ago, where the snowdrops are scattered around the sloping garden.  Nearby is a private valley full of snowdrops open during February. 

Galanthus rizehensis 'Margaret Billington'

 

4.  Another easily recognised snowdrop at the opposite end of this bed is Galanthus Diggory. This is just as they start to puff out their petals and the seersuckering is starting to develop.

Galanthus Diggory

5. The roses were starting to show signs of shooting, and therefore I decided it was time to get the pruning done. I usually get this done around Valentine's Day, but the whole garden seems to be in advance.  I shall wait to feed and mulch until the start of March.

6.  I love unusual bits and pieces and when walking past a house with some pieces of wood, some charred dumped outside on the pavement, I didn't just see this as an inconvenience but an opportunity to bring an attractive piece home.   It was so burnt I thought of it as a decorative piece of 'charcoal type' piece of wood, and used it to pose as a black background near small plants which it did very effectively.  Year ago I had seen an arrangement of charred trees in a landscaped setting on the shore of Lake Windermere. 

It can't have been completely dead and consumed by fire as for the last couple of years it has been sprouting the fruiting bodies of a fungi. A question on British Mycological Society Facebook identified it and it is a type of Turkey Tail: Trametes or Stereum species

Let us hope that a few days of dryish weather will allow a little more time gardening, or at least tidying up.

More snowdrops for this Monday's Vase

Last night we had rain, rain and more rain, and winds.  I was therefore very pleased that yesterday just as it was getting dark I went out to pick a few snowdrops to today's vase. This is being linked into Cathy's weekly In a Vase on Monday Post. 

At the end of January some of the early snowdrops seem to be earlier than they were last year.  Other snowdrops seem to be a little late, or at least I hope they are late and have not succumbed under the stresses of weather or insects, or the S &S gang!

Looking out from the conservatory at breakfast on Sunday I asked Mr S which snowdrop particularly appealed to him.  He pointed out  three types  at present out,  close to the conservatory, which he liked and Galanthus Bertram Anderson was one of them.  This is a  early impressive large flowered snowdrop with a large strong green apical mark on the inners. These are on the left hand side of the arrangement.

On the other side is the early flowering double Mrs Beatrix Stanley. They are quite distinctive in the garden with the pointed outer petals and the tiny green apical mark reduced to just two dots either side of the notch on the inner petals. When I look out at these double snowdrops the thinner pointy petals remind me of canine teeth. I received these originally as a couple of bulbs from Anna in 2019, and six year later I have a few good clumps. 

Some interesting silvery patterned leaved of Cyclamen hederifolium  provide a little foliage. The morning's local news showed examples of severe flooding and landslides in the county and the garden soil is looking decidedly flattened and soggy, but thankfully no damage.

Attempting to capture the 'King of the Birds' in coloured pencil

 With wind and rain, and scones for afternoon tea what better way to spend a Sunday than attempting to capture A Wren in coloured pencils.  Lots of improvements to be made if I have a second go at this topic.  I followed Linda Hampson's tutorial but changed the scale and the backing for the picture.

I've already spotted several problems, but then if a beginner like me could do this the first time, it wouldn't be such a challenge!

Last week I attempted the Highland Cow.  I started this hobby only recently and am enjoying it.

I found the tutorials on line and through The Old Kennels website.  Linda Hampson is the tutor.

Crassula 'Buddha's Temple' has top billing for Six on Saturday - 25 January 2025

You would think that gardening stands still during January, however it was not all quiet and again I am joining Jim for this weekly rendezvous.  If you would like to join the format is well explained over on The Six on Saturday's leader's anchoring post. 

1. Just over a week ago, I went to a recording of GQT with friends, over in the next town of Shepton Mallett where local galanthophiles will be drawn to their annual snowdrop festival next month.  A double episode was recorded and during the week, I listened to the latest programme.  

Q – Is there a plant with an amazing structure or pattern that you think would make a great building? (33’39”)

Matthew Pottage –Crassula 'Buddha's Temple'

Hearing this has prompted me to show you the current status of my Crassula 'Buddha's Temple'.

I was given the original plant  about fifteen years ago, and every so often take offsets to grow on for myself or give away cuttings.  What I am particularly excited about is that the taller of the plants in the left hand pot is developing flowers at the very tip.  This is the first time I have had flowers on a Crassula 'Buddha's Temple since 2014!

2. Rocky Mountain up on the Mendips is where they have a very good Fruit and Vegetables seller twice a week to one side their car park.  Having got my provisions I then sauntered into the plants area.  We wanted  something to replace the plum tree that I had recently removed.  The birds had been missing a shrubby landing platform near to the bird bath and I had sort of settled on something like a crab apple or maybe a sorbus.  Having examined different varieties and considered the plusses and minuses, none of the trees the nursery had appealed to me.  However I feel in love with a fine specimen of  a 'Wedding Cake Tree'.  I have been admiring them in local gardens and at £59 a bit of a treat, but I cannot remember if I bought myself a birthday present!  Cornus controversa 'Variegata' was introduced in about 1880 by Veitch’s Nursery of Exeter. It will have variegated leaves and hopefully planted with plenty of room for future growth, will be ideal in later gardening years as it requires little attention once it gets growing.  I see it as being underplanted with spring flowering plants.

Cornus controversa 'Variegata'

I am pleased that I did not delay as the weather turned much wetter, once storm Eowyn hit land. Luckily we we sheltered but friends higher up on the Mendips lost roof tiles.

3. Several gardens ago I grew a Viburnum bodnantense which was invaluable during early spring, and I just happened to walk past a rather nice small specimen.  I did not recognise the variety but Viburnum bodnantense 'Charles Lamont' at £8.95 will hopefully provide some winter colour and scent.  I'm not sure yet where to place it, and for now it has been potted up into one of the larger patio pots. The selection is named in honour of Charles Lamont (Assistant Curator at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh), who crossed the hybrids V. farreri and V. grandiflorum in 1933. For more details and comparison  go to the The Biking Gardener.

Viburnum bodnantense 'Charles Lamont'

4. I've shown these ferns growing in pots many times before, and they are just outside the door I use to access the garden.  This is one of three pots, which over the years grow more and more moss and more 'crowns' on the fern stump.  This oldest one has about five, but just look at the small fernling growing from the hole on the right. 

5.  The different snowdrops are having their moment and this week features Galanthus gracilis 'Vic Horton'.  It is the second smallest snowdrop in the garden and very easily recognised on account of its twisting grey leaves and the flowers have a small olive coloured ovary.  You can see the markings when the flowers open as they did when I brought them indoors.

Galanthus gracilis 'Vic Horton'. 

6. Even with the storm having brought winds and rain, , the low growing cyclamen coum are undamaged.  Some of the paler cultivars and pretty leaved coums are trying to catch up with the darker earlier ones carpeting some of the Conservatory border.

There still a few discoveries to be made in the garden and tasks such as repotting cuttings to be made, so hopefully I shall be joining in with Jim again next Saturday.

Galanthus gracilis in a Vase on Monday

It took a bit of determination to go out and pick a few bits just after lunch, but here I am joining in with Cathy's weekly In a Vase on Monday.

On this very dark dismal and damp day the snowdrops show up in the garden.  One of the smallest snowdrops is Galanthus gracilis 'Vic Horton', and I had sufficient out this early flowering variety to be able to pick a little posy.  The leaves of this snowdrop are small and narrow with a little twist in them.  

This is a distinctive snowdrop not only because it is so small about a quarter of the height of Galanthus Colossus shown last week, but also with narrow glaucous leaves with a twist in them.  With two mark one below the ovary and a pair each side of sinus.  The ovary is more of an olive green.  Alongside the snowdrops in the very small vase, are pieces of the little shrub Lophomyrtus x ralphii 'Little Star'. The little three sided cut glass antique vase is half the height of the vase shown last week, was probably designed to hold a little bunch of violets.  

On the mantle shelf behind the snowdrops is an abalone and I have placed the two birds.  

Tomorrow is book club day when a few ladies meet for lunch and discuss our book for the month.  I have really enjoyed 'A Terrible Kindness' by Jo Browning Wroe.  An excellent debut novel.