The turning point has arrived. I’m ready to welcome in the ever-lengthening days and the garden is with me. There are new buds on the magnolia, the climbing hydrangea and there are flower buds forming on the mahonia. It is the time to celebrate seed heads and berries and the garden here does offer up some goodies – just a few. Here’s my six for this week.
One
I have been meaning to share the cotoneaster horizontalis for some weeks now and as you can see I should have done it sooner. The positive thing is that the birds have been enjoying the berries.
Two
Of course there must be holly at Christmas time. No berries here!
Three
For seed heads, I can offer the lovely whorls of the phlomis.
Four
And here the remains of the flower heads on the hibiscus syriacus ‘Red Heart’.
Five
The flowers on the viburnum are just beginning to open.
Six
Lastly, the lime green flowers of some hellebores. These are meant to be ‘Pretty Ellen’ but I have very strong doubts.
This is my last post until the New Year. I wish everyone peace and joy, a good gardening year to come and I look forward to catching up with you all in 2025. Many thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations for continuing to host our SOS gatherings.
This is another one of those ‘Not my garden posts’. Sorry to disappoint, the above photo is definitely not my garden. This week we were in Cambridge for a few days and spent a cold but sunny hour or two at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. It was a diversion on the way back to the station and I offer apologies to anyone out there who was disturbed by the trundling of our suitcase, a noise not compatible with the peaceful surroundings. Before departure the home garden was wrapped up for the cold spell, agapanthus under fleece for the winter and as there wasn’t time to transport the lemon tree to the greenhouse that too had a temporary double layer of fleece. This weekend I hope to get the lemon tree inside and it will be re-fleeced for extra protection when the cold weather settles in. Here’s four from the Winter Garden, Cambridge with its focus on ‘coloured stems, bark and foliage texture with winter flowers and fragrance until mid spring’. This garden begs to visited again in February when the snowdrops and winter aconites appear. The last two are from the Fountain planting.
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The Mahonia, Oregon Grape ‘Winter Sun’ in the background draws the visitor down the path. The boundary hedges have been used to frame the colours and to trap the winter scents in the garden. The birch tree behind the bench is betula ermanii ‘Grayswood Hill’.
Two
The colour of the red holly berries and the variegated leaf exploded in the sunshine, botanical details: ilex aquifolium, ‘Argentea Marginata’. Or Silver Margined Holly, in translation. My only holly is the result of a donation form the birds and doesn’t look half as exuberant as this, but then it’s a freebie so I won’t complain.
Three
Scent was much in evidence from this Viburnum farreri, its leaves just turning a coppery red giving a double winter whammy. That’s not a very botanical description, but you get the picture.
Four
It wouldn’t be a winter garden without that trusted favourite, cornus. This one is Cornus alba ‘Siberica’, which seems to be regarded as too vigorous for most gardens, but there are many others to choose from. The bergenia provides a good foil at the base.
Five
Coming out of the Winter Garden now, I couldn’t resist including the planting around the fountains. Here the seed heads of Phlomis russeliana, Turkish Sage, provide strong winter interest. I’d love to take this idea for the garden here, but I don’t think I have the right conditions. But it is something I am contemplating.
Six
The phlomis around the fountain is mixed with a planting of Stipa gigantea, which glowed in the sunshine. There is no doubting why it is called ‘Golden Oats’.
There was much to take in at the Botanic Garden and the website is very helpful, providing planting lists and good descriptions of the garden highlights. It’s well worth a visit, either in person or virtually. Back in my garden I will be continuing to mulch and may even make a start on tulip bulb planting. The compost heap needs a turn and one bin is ready to spread on the veg plot. The dahlias, zinnias, cosmos and roses continue to defy the season and as the temperatures seem to be picking up again for next week I will leave them as they are for a little while longer. The Propagator hosts the SOS meme and all are welcome to take part or simply to read and enjoy.
The first lingering frost arrived this week. A scraping the ice off the windscreen and frozen bird bath sort of frost. A ‘don’t walk on the grass frost’. But another of the bare stem roses arrived too. So I did walk on the grass in order the plant the rose. Here’s my six:
One
The frost came on a clear sunny day and as I was scanning the garden front and back for suitable greenery for the house I remembered that I have a rather large fir tree that sometimes deigns to drop a few fir cones. I gathered two and looked longingly up at the rest.
Two
I periodically wail about the lack of shrubs in the garden but whenever I get the chance to put something into a newly cleared space I choose a rose. This week ‘Souvenir du Docteur Jamain’ arrived. I must thank the good folk at Ulting Wick garden in Essex who tweeted about this rose for a north facing situation. It’s a climber and I’m hoping it will romp away all over that brown fence of mine.
Three
I just got my photo of the cotoneaster and the ivy into last week’s six in the nick of time. This week the berries have been stripped and the leaves have all gone. My festive offering for this week is holly. But no berries.
Four
I still have a drop of colour in the garden. The hydrangea is turning down its bracts (I think I’ve got that right but please correct me if I’m wrong!) and showing off the pink undersides.
Five
My neighbours’ viburnum are beginning to flower quite beautifully now. Ours has one single solitary flower head. All suggestions as to how get more will be gratefully received.
Six
The buds on the rhododendron are forming. This is a very large specimen on the north facing border. The north facing border is the focus of my attention for 2019. Watch this space for indecision, digging and hopefully, developments.
All the links to other SOSs from gardens around the world can be found at our genial host’s site The Propagator Blog. If it’s cold outside stay inside and have a good read!
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