Six on Saturday (2 March 2024)

For one brief moment on St Davids Day (the first day of meteorological spring) the rain stopped, the wind dropped and the colours of the flowers popped as the clouds cleared to reveal a seldom seen of late big yellow shiny thing in the sky. These photos were taken during that short respite from the gloom…

1-3. Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’ is doing its iridescent blue thing, Hellebore ‘Single primrose shades’ is doing its translucent primrose shades thing (and yes, that’s blue sky), and what was once a rather drab corner of the garden, over by the conservatory, is looking rather colourful with the return of a Narcissus ‘Jet Fire,’ co-mingling rather nicely with Hellebore ‘Sugar Plum,’ Helleborus liguricus, a blue Hyacinth and some Primroses.

4-6. One of the most resilient and early flowering Narcissus, ‘Tete-a-Tete,’ has been weathering the, err, weather rather well (I must plant some more), Hellebore ‘Single white blotched’ has got into its flowery stride, and the first Muscari has bloomed, over by the small wildlife pond.

That was my rather brief Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of our Six on Saturday host, Jim.

Six on Saturday (24 February 2024)

Oh for more than one dry day in a row. The pretty much relentless rain is becoming rather tiresome now. It makes taking photos for Six on Saturday particularly tricky when you have to do the old 9 to 5 what-a-way-to-make-a-living thing, although the evenings are getting noticeably lighter of late. We SoSers don’t let the weather defeat us though. Oh no! We wait for a brief respite from the wet, rush out there with our cameras, snap away and hope that at least a few of our photos turn out to be non-blurry.

1-3. First up, a sweet smelling Narcissus that might be ‘Martinette’ (returning for another year). The flowers of Hellebore ‘Sugar Plum’ are aging rather gracefully (that’s a metal mushroom lurking at the back) and I succumbed to the allure of a new Hyacinth as I was passing the Country Market shop on Friday – this is ‘Purple Sensation.’

4-6. Up next, another Hyacinth – a yellow one this time, and growing nearby is a Cyclamen coum (with a rather keen Tulipa sylvestris in bud behind it). And to end, the beautiful flowers of a Japanese Quince that I admired when walking into town yesterday. Around this time every year I ponder getting one for my own garden… although I never do. May be one day.

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of our Six on Saturday host, Jim. Before I go, a shameless plug for a short story in the latest edition of the ‘new-look’ People’s Friend, vaguely inspired by a trip to the theatre to see a Neil Diamond tribute act back in September.

Six on Saturday (17 February 2024)

It’s been another wet week. Great for slugs and snails. Less great for Narcissi, Primroses and Crocuses that are either getting eaten or flattened. There are an alarming number of aphids sheltering amongst the flowers too, especially the Hellebores. It seems the plant munchers and sap suckers are having a grand old time – and it’s still only February. The joys of gardening. But enough moaning – let’s ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive instead…

1-3. Helleborus x hybridus (Ashwood Evolution Group) Yellow with golden nectaries and red flush (the name kind of trips off the tongue doesn’t it?) has returned. The fragrant flowers of one of the Box replacements, Osmanthus x Burkwoodii, have opened and are looking rather splendid (although it’s not supposed to bloom until April/May), and Helleborus liguricus is continuing to do its stripy green flowery thing.

4-6. Now nobody sneeze near the striped pink Hyacinth. I found the flower stalk snapped in half the other day, the top section dangling precariously. I flipped it upright again and, somewhat miraculously, the top half has stayed put so far and the flowers have continued to open. That pot of unplanted daffs I found on the patio last month turned out to be ‘Jetfire’ and look! Another Hellebore has returned – Helleborus x hybridus (Ashwood Garden Hybrids) Single white blotched (another catchy name and possibly my favourite of the hellies).

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of our Six on Saturday host, Jim.

Six on Saturday (10 February 2024)

Last weekend’s gallivanting in Cheltenham didn’t go quite to plan. Both Mrs OMAHGT and I succumbed to some sort of lurgy while we were there, putting something of a damper on things. After a week of feeling decidedly ropey we’re finally on the mend – we’re even risking a visit to our favourite cafe this morning. Out in the somewhat soggy garden there are early floral delights to help further lift one’s spirits.

1-3. Remember that cliffhanger of an an ending to last week’s Six on Saturday? Well, it contained some new Hellebore purchases, including this one – Helleborus x hybridus single peach/apricot, which looks just as lovely from the back as it does from the front. I don’t think the other two bargain Hellebores in the box will flower for a year or two yet as they’re only tiny, but I’m happy to wait. Having grumbled to Jim that Crocus don’t tend to do very well here, several clumps have re-appeared, including this lot by the pond, and look… the flower buds on the Osmanthus x Burkwoodii are on the brink of opening.

4-6. Let’s end with some more Hellebores. The stripy green and faintly fragrant Helleborus liguricus was the one that made me re-think my aversion to all things Helleborey back in 2021 and led to purchases of Rodney Davey Marbled Group ‘Reanna’s Ruby’ and ‘Single primrose shades.’

Six on Saturday (3 February 2024)

Hmm, I’m here after all – albeit briefly. One is off gallivanting so may not get around to commenting until later. So without further ado…

1-3. This Hellebore ‘Sugar Plum’ is still the only Hellebore in flower at the moment. The Snowdrops are doing their thing and look! An Iris reticulata has appeared! I think it may be ‘Alida.’

4-6. The ‘oh-I’m-sick-and-tired-of-finding-space-in-the-borders-so-you’re-going-in-a-pot’ tulips are coming up, the swallows on the shed door are enjoying a spot of sun and a box containing a last minute how-did-that-happen spur of the moment plant purchase has arrived…

…and you’ll have to wait until next week to find out what they were (oh the suspense). They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of our Six on Saturday host, Jim.

Six on Saturday (27 January 2024)

Another a week, another storm. Thankfully, the garden escaped unscathed – although I’ve had to clear the path of fallen leaves that seemed to appear from nowhere. There are signs that Spring isn’t all the far away. Bulbs are coming up here, there and everywhere, and new foliage is unfurling on the odd (and rather keen) shrub or two, including one that I’ve, errr, just chopped down.

1-3. Sambucus nigra ‘Golden Tower’ seems to thrive on being chopped back every so often. I didn’t bother last year and it went to look rather sparse of leaf and became far more appealing to aphids. I chopped it right down to the ground yesterday (after a chocolate liqueur for Dutch courage) and added the branches to a small log pile in one of the borders – hopefully some wildlife will find it useful. After thinking I’d got shot of the Periwinkles a few years ago, I recently discovered they’d staged a comeback. Those that had migrated under the fence to the neighbour’s garden must have felt homesick and have decided to return. Still, the flowers are pretty. As are those of the deliciously fragrant Christmas Box.

4-6. Despite going to look very ropey last year, the Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ has begun to flower (hopefully the leaves won’t all fall off once its finished blooming this time round). Naturally, the Winter Honeysuckle is featuring again and will continue to do so until it finally stops producing flowers (probably around March/April) and behold! Stealth Snowdrops! I hadn’t noticed them until the other day. I need to buy a few more in the green over the next few weeks to plant elsewhere in the garden. I think this clump originally came from the former ancestral home in North East Wales.

Six on Saturday (20 January 2024)

A fairly brisk Six on Saturday today. After spending the night in Birmingham to watch the Strictly Come Dancing Live, Mrs OMAHGT and are travelling back to Somerset on the train this morning (all being well). After an invigoratingly chilly week (it got down to -6.5°C in the mini greenhouse one night) some of the plants that appeared to be on the cusp of flowering have thought better of it, making it a bit tricky to find much on interest this week.

1-3. Up first, a pot of Daffodil bulbs that I apparently forgot to plonk in a border after they flowered last spring – although I’m slightly baffled what the other plant growing in the pot is. Is it an Iris of some sort? Erysimum ‘Apricot Twist,’ is still producing a few blooms and looking rather lovely, while the the solar-powered water feature (which was placed in a new raised bed last spring) is looking, errr… less lovely. Building the raised bed around the water feature’s pot/reservoir seemed like a good idea at the time until I realised that I couldn’t remove it without the bed collapsing – so I emptied all of the water back in November (to prevent any potential damage from expanding ice) and covered it with a fetching yellow bucket to keep the rain out.

4-6. The Strawflowers are still adding some interest with their dried flowerheads, as are the silver papery disks of the Lunaria that bloomed back in April last year (revisiting that April post has really got me excited for the spring). And last but not least, one of those deliciously fragrant Cyclamen that are usually kept indoors but seem to survive outdoors – for a few years at least.

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of our Six on Saturday host, Jim. Right, time to suss out the hotel’s breakfast and then see if we can remember how to get to the train station…

Six on Saturday (13 January 2024)

Late on Sunday, after covering up the swing seat, I found myself doing a spot of impromptu gardening. Nothing strenuous – just tying in the two Coronilla shrubs that were planted against fences last year and a Trachelospermum jasminoides which has been growing every which way but up. It was rather therapeutic and the fact it was still light enough to do some gardening tasks at 4pm was rather cheering. The days are definitely getting longer. Anyway, time for Six on Saturday.

1-3. Up first, a surprisingly advanced stealth daffodil that had gone unnoticed until this week, one of the aforementioned Coronillas (which has begun to produce it’s whorls of fragrant pea-like flowers) and the rather sparse of berry and ironically named Callicarpa bodinieri ‘Profusion’ – it was far more profuse back in 2022.

4-6. The lemony fragranced Winter Honeysuckle is still doing its thing and a few of the flowers of the Sarcococca of short stature have begun to open – although they’ve yet to do their full on wafty-garden-filling-scent thing. And finally… the first of the Hellebores has bloomed. Three tiny ‘Sugar Plum’ plants were purchased back in early 2021. This is the first time any of them has flowered.

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of our Six on Saturday host, Jim.

Six on Saturday (6 January 2024)

After weeks of rain and gales, it looks like the weather is turning calmer, drier and cooler. Heck, I actually saw the sun yesterday. I hope so. The swing seat cover took flight the other day but thankfully got snagged on the climbing rose growing over the nearby arch. Other than that we’ve got off lightly here. At this time of year it can be a struggle to find anything visually appealing or new to feature for Six on Saturday. In fact, it was very tempting to just provide a link to last week’s SoS and save some media storage space on WordPress. Instead, I’ve mostly resorted to the rarely featured evergreens and semi-evergreens…

1-3. Over in the shady border, Lamium maculatum ‘White Nancy’ is quietly plotting world domination (although it has some serious competition from the Periwinkles). The berries of the Sarcococca confusa of short stature have undergone a number of colour changes over the past few months (scarlet at the end of October and dark purple at the start of December). They’ve now ripened to a glossy black (and the flower buds look as though they may open soon) while Euonymus japonicus ‘Bravo’ is doing it’s all year round variegated evergreeny thing.

4-6. As is the Euonymus japonicus Heathcliffe-it’s-me-I’m ‘Kathy.’ Despite all the rain (and my how it’s rained) the faded flowers of the Hydrangea ‘Miss Belgium’ are still looking lovely and brown while Rosa ‘Violet Clouds,’ a patio rose that seems to flower pretty much non-stop for months on end, is now providing winter interest with its red hips.

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of our Six on Saturday host, Jim.

Six on Saturday (30 December 2023)

Well, that’s another festive season all done and dusted. While I enjoy Christmas I’ve never been much of a New Year celebrator. The prospect of what lies in store always worries me rather – perhaps I’m just doing it wrong? However, a New Gardening Year is another thing altogether. Waiting for bulbs to emerge, planning what annuals to sow, the anticipation of spring… it’s all rather exciting. At the moment the garden is full of reminders of last summer. But there are also cheering signs of life.

1-3. Up first, the brown and crispy remains of last summer’s stars that are helping to add a bit of winter interest. The Allium angulasum looked great back in August but they look almost as good in skeleton form. The faded blooms of Hydrangea ‘Miss Belgium’ (a resplendent pink in July) are setting off the rusty metal ferns in the foreground rather nicely, and I’m always taken by surprise by the seedheads of Caryopteris ‘Heavenly Blue’ – a hit with the bees last September.

4-6. While late December and January can seem a tad bleak, winter flowerers, like this Clematis ‘Freckles,’ provide some welcome blooming bonhomie – as well as nectar for the odd brave bumble bee or two. The fragrant, spring-flowering Osmanthus x burwoodii that replaced a Box Moth caterpillar infested Box Ball back in August appears to be sporting some buds. And finally… a last minute photo of a few of the feathered friends that visit the garden. Watching them go about their business never grows old.