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.