Six on Saturday: frost, foliage and flowers (25 January 2020)

For the first time in months we had frosty mornings, blue skies and sunshine. This is how I like my winters; chilly, still and bright. It feels far healthier than all the mild damp weather we’ve had of late. Alas, as the week has gone on the days have turned increasingly murky. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted. As well as proving good for the soul (further helped by the sound of bird song in the mornings) the brief cold snap provided an opportunity to take a few frosty foliage photos, which leads me to my first Six on Saturday.

1. The Iberis that featured last week has looked quite different with it’s frost tinged leaves. This photo was taken last Sunday morning.

As was this one of the lemon thyme.

2. Remember the new Lilac tree that I planted too close to the Buddleia a few weekends ago? It got moved a foot or so to the left last Saturday and, miraculously, not a single bulb was sliced in half this time. However, as I type this I’m trying to ignore a nagging feeling that I should have moved it just a few more inches…

3. A Nemesia planted in a pot last summer has survived the frosts and is flowering away. What was that? The pale blue of the flowers perfectly match the colour of the shed? You’re right, they do. I’d like to say that was planned but it wasn’t. In fact I don’t think I even noticed this during the summer.

4. It’s not the only plant that appears to have forgotten what time of year it is. This Erigeron karvinskianus that grows outside the front door is also flowering away. It’ll get chopped back in the spring.

5. As will the Verbena bonariensis which has seeded itself around the garden. It too is showing signs of new growth. These new shoots won’t survive the spring prune but I think I might try taking a few cuttings and see what happens.

6. And finally… Do you remember those two pots of bulbs I bought for my wife a few weeks ago? Well, they’re in flower. The heady scent of the Hyacinths hits you as soon as you walk into the living room. I tried photographing them throughout the week but the best photo I managed to take was this one from last Sunday with a van parked outside!

And they were my Six on Saturday. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, take a look at the site of the chap who started it all over at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.