Six on Saturday

If the forecast is to be trusted, it seems that today we had the calm before the storm – and it has certainly been a bright and sunny day! After a busy and challenging week, I’ve calmed down and taken stock – the garden needs my attention and seed sowing should be a priority over the next few weeks. However, before I get into the nitty gritty of preparation, I’ve taken some time to look around, enjoy the moment and bask in the beauty around us. With only a whisper of wind in the air, my six this week are from the garden and Walsall Arboretum…

Oh to be confronted with such a cheerful sight, gently swaying in the breeze as I walked Ollie around the Arboretum; snowdrops and crocus gleaming in the sun with the promise of things to come. Only one word – Joy!

And what would a Saturday in February be without snowdrops?

The perfume drifting off viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is just amazing. A few of these deciduous shrubs have been planted along one of the paths in the Arboretum and just the slightest breeze fills the air with their scent. At a height and spread of 2 x 1.5 m and happy in sun/part shade and any soil, this plant has the advantage of being rather pretty too, and certainly brightens a winter day.

Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ is a marmite plant, you either love it or hate it. I’m in the love camp – along with blue tits, black caps and sparrows who feast on the vibrant yellow petals. On the other hand, my mom has quite an aversion to it!

Silky soft lamb’s ears, stachys byzantina, are on the way up! This plant, which I’ve featured previously on my blog, has history in our garden – I removed it some years ago (or so I thought). When it reappeared last year, I looked at it in a new light and acknowledged that it has charm. I’ve decided that under strict control it has its place (and I love the feel of the furry leaves)!

Last but most certainly not least one of my hellebores – a stunner, it speaks for itself!

That’s my choice for this week, I’d recommend a visit to the home of SoS for more at: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/

10 thoughts on “Six on Saturday”

  4. Hortus Baileyana says:

    You’ve captured the light falling on the hellebore beautifully. I like a Mahonia, but I’m not sure I like the Viburnum. The flowers are pretty but they sit inelegantly on the branches in the ones I’ve seen.

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    • Phao Hewitson says:

      I can see what you mean (viburnum) and there is a bareness about the plant until the leaves grow in late spring – but the colour in winter and the wonderful scent makes up for it, surely?

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