Six on Saturday 26. 02. 22

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Pauline

Back to plants this week as I now have all my broken ridge tiles replaced, more tiles came down from a different ridge on the Sunday when the wind was just as bad as Friday, I didn’t think Storm Franklin was supposed to reach down here, but it must have done and my roofer will come Monday to reset the tiles along the main ridge. It will take a bit longer for the conservatory to be fixed but at least it is now weather proof so no more rain and hail will be coming in, yes, the poor roofer got caught in a hail storm on Thursday!

The woodland is looking very colourful at the moment and the rockery is starting to come into flower too, so it shouldn’t be long before that also has lots of flowers. I’ll start with the rockery.

no 1  Rhododendron praecox

This little rhododendron looks ever so pretty when the sun is shining through the petals.

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Six on Saturday. 19.02.22

Posted on February 19, 2022 by Pauline

All change, I had my post prepared yesterday as I was going to be out today and then Storm Eunice had other ideas! I had been watching my trees swaying backwards and forwards and hoping the branches that I could see falling weren’t going to cause any damage, it was a bit worrying when they banged into the windows.  Suddenly there was a loud crash and some roof tiles crashed into the conservatory roof, somehow the branches didn’t seem important any more! So my six for this week are of my efforts at tidying up.

No 1

Most of the rest of the glass has now fallen in from this section, it fell on the back of my head as I was sweeping up! No  damage to me thank goodness.

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Six on Saturday 12. 02. 22.

Posted on February 12, 2022 by Pauline

This last week seems to have rushed by and thank goodness I did manage to get some gardening done. I have been working hard in the woodland trying to get it ready for the snowdrop climax which I think will happen in a weeks time. I have just one more area to tidy and weed so , with a bit of luck, I might just do it in time. The weather this week has been lovely, sunshine warm enough to leave the coat indoors, my constant companion, the robin, singing to me and darting round my feet and so many different varieties of bees buzzing everywhere, I have really enjoyed it.

More new flowers are opening all the time, my six are as follows…..

No1   Eranthis hyemalis

Winter aconite can’t really decide if it likes my woodland or not. This tiny clump has been here for about 20 odd years, it doesn’t seed around and others that I have planted in different parts of the woodland have never been seen again. I treasure this one!

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No better place to be.

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Pauline

The sunshine beckoned this morning and it was warm enough not to need a coat on while working in the woodland. The birds were singing, my robin was keeping me company along with his mate and there were so many varieties of bees buzzing round all the flowers that were open, I can’t think of a better place to be, so please come with me and have a look.

Cardamine, Narcissus, Leucojum and Hellebores.

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Six on Saturday. 5. 2. 22

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Pauline

I’ve been busy, out in the woodland, whenever I could this last week, frantically trying to clear all the leaves so that the snowdrops and other small bulbs can breathe! I have also found that if the leaves are left then the little slugs are able to chew away at the flowers without the birds seeing them and clearing them up for me. I have made a bit of a difference, but there are still more to clear and weeds to pull. My six for this week will show that I am about half way through.

No 1

This was the first area to get tidied and weeded as this is what I see through the archway from the house and this has the most “special” snowdrops in it.

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Hip, Hip, Hippeastrum!

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Pauline

I bought 3 huge bulbs of Hippeastrum Temptation before Christmas and planted them up straight away. It wasn’t long before they showed signs of growing, much to my delight.

Just starting to open.

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Six on Saturday 29.01.22

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Pauline

It has been another frosty week down here in the south west, but yesterday when I went out in the early morning, the valleys were filled with mist and just the hill tops and trees rising above. The sun was just starting to come through it looked so gorgeous and I wished I could have stopped to take a photo. Never mind…….on to Six on Saturday, this week the hellebores have all started to open their flowers so they can have today all to themselves.

No 1

My first 2 were bought at the National Collection of Hellebores when we had a trip north in 2016. At the time of buying them they just had numbers, no names at the time.

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Six on Saturday 22.01.22

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Pauline

Another crisp week with frost each night and mainly sunshine most days. It has been very pleasant working in the woodland raking yet more leaves up so that I can see my snowdrops, some days even without my gardening coat. My robin is back again, swooping on anything that wriggles when I cart the leaves away, so once again I’m having to be careful where I put my feet. The other night was our coldest yet at -5C and it didn’t really warm up during the day, so I stayed inside and kept warm, thank goodness I took my photos the previous day for SOS! Here are my six for this week……..

No 1  Narcissus Rijnveld’s Early Sensation.

At last, only a month late!Narcissus Rijnveld’s Early Sensation is usually out for Christmas, but this year was still in tight bud until last Sunday, when I went into the woodland to look at it, there it was, it had opened overnight! I’m still not sure why it is so late with having had such mild weather in November and December, maybe it needed our first frost to remind it that winter had arrived and it had better start flowering.. Better late than never!

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Six on Saturday 15.1.22

Posted on January 15, 2022 by Pauline

The weather this week is more like January should be, frosty at night time and lovely sunshine during the day. Some days it has hardly risen above freezing which to me means that I stay inside where it is nice and warm! Other days I have been in the woodland frantically trying to get everything ready for the main snowdrop season in February. How could I have missed my Daphne last week, she is covered with flowers and the perfume is amazing when there is a slight breeze through the trees! Once again, it is time for Six on Saturday, my six are as follows……

No 1 Daphne bholua.

Such a delightful perfume comes from the Daphne in the corner of the woodland, I wonder if people walking up the road on the other side of the hedge can smell it, I hope so.

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Six on Saturday 8.1.2022

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Pauline

With one lovely sunny day on Wednesday , in a week of lots more rain, I was able to get into the garden and prepare the bed for snowdrop flowering which backs onto the woodland.  It was a pleasure to work in the fresh air and the sunshine coming through the trees and made such a change from all the grey, dreary days that we are having at the moment. We have also had our first frost, yipee!, and lots of flowers are now everywhere, they were just waiting to be kick started!

No 1   Camellia.

Last week I started off with one of just a couple of flowers which had opened on Camellia Donation, what a change this week.

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