My Little Garden 8th Jan 2022
I’d been hoping that we would get a bit of snow this week so that I could share some snowy garden photos with you. As is often the case where I live though, the white stuff that was promised for Friday never materialised and was replaced by yet more rain. Oh, and a few hailstones which turned to slush, and some thunder and lightning. Everything except crisp white snow…..
In happier times, earlier in the week, I took advantage of a cold sunny day and went to RHS Bridgewater. I’d been to their ‘Glow’ event before Christmas but I really wanted to see how the garden looked in daylight. There isn’t an area that is planted as typical winter garden (if there is such a thing) but when the structural planting is exposed in winter and the grasses and seedheads of the perennials play their supporting roles, the effect is very beautiful.
I also got to play with my new camera, which was very exciting, so I’m including three extra photos of Bridgewater in this week’s blog before I get down to the nitty gritty of what’s going on in my disappointingly non snowy garden.
After that little digression, it’s back to the serious business of Six of Saturday and as usual at this time of year I’m bending the rules a little.
- Camera
I finally bought myself a new one this week. I’ve been considering an upgrade for a couple of years, and with the prospect of getting some photos in a glossy mag, the time seemed appropriate. I’m really pleased so far, although for the first time ever I had to search the instruction manual to find out how to alter something in the default settings. My excuse for including my new toy is the tentative fact that it has been used in the garden this week.
2. Hellebore
I don’t really need another hellebore, but this one was a bargain and was my second new purchase of the week. For anyone who wants to know it’s name it’s called Helleborus HGC ‘Ice n Roses’.
3. New purchase number three
My third new purchase of the week was a little Sweet Box called Sarcococca ‘Winter Gem’. According to the blurb on a well known plant website it’s “a hybrid form (S. hookeriana var. digyna 'Purple Stem' x S. hookeriana var. humilis), which has inherited the best qualities of both its parents.” I bought it because I wanted a small enough variety to keep in a pot and because it was a very reasonable price at a local garden centre. I can already detect the fragrance of the flowers.
4. Snowdrops
I’m not quite sure which variety these are, but it looks like I might find out fairly soon.
5. Viburnum
Photographs of viburnum never really do the shrub justice in my opinion, but any shrub that has flowers in winter is very welcome in my garden, and the scent of these little pink flowers is just wonderful. The variety is Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Charles Lamont’.
6. Mahonia close up
The flowers are at their best right now, so I thought it deserved a second 2022 appearance.
Another week of January has passed by and we are one step closer to snowdrop season. Have a great weekend and take a peek at the gardens from around the world in the #SixonSaturday blogs and photos that are shared on twitter.
See you next week.
