Saying “Happy New Year” normally trips easily off the tongue but after 2020 it has an extra resonance. I do hope this New Year really is a happy one for everyone.
It’s been bitterly cold the last few days with temperatures -0C and below. We had a 10 minute snow fall on Christmas Eve but it didn’t settle.
1. Spring bulbs
The crocuses, snowdrops and daffodils are coming through which makes for positive vibes. We even have some daffodils in flower!
2. Iris unguicularis
The open daffodils are in a sheltered woodland area with the winter flowering Iris which are also blooming.
3. Leucothoe Zeblid
I bought this little evergreen shrub in the autumn not appreciating how wonderful the claret winter foliage is. It has an ultimate height of 1-1.5 mtrs so will stay fairly compact. It’s in the middle of a circular bed full of crocus and daffodil bulbs – only the crocus have pushed through about 5cms of their leaves at the moment, but hopefully the bed will be full of color in a few months.
4. Mahonia
I don’t know the variety but this mahonia is full of little yellow flowers, brighting up the side of the drive. They have been allowed to grow a bit too tall and are about 2mtrs in height but with bare branches on the bottom meter.
5. Cerinthe
I usually have to grow Cerinthe from seed annually and envied those who succeed in the plant reappearing the following year. To my delight I have clearly now found somewhere they like and happy to self-seed. These Cerinthe plants have spread across the flowerbed and don’t seem deterred by the icy weather. I might find myself pulling some up rather than planting seedlings.
6. Plants still flowering
Despite the freezing temperatures to my amazement we have a fucshia still flowering along with Gazanias something I don’t recall seeing before but someone reading this may beg to differ.
So that’s my Six on Saturday for the first Saturday in 2021. Please pop over to The Propagator blog and check out all the other Six on Saturdays from around the country and abroad.