I didn’t intend to be so late today but I’d just uploaded my six photos and started to write when the live news came on and we all found out that the Christmas we were looking forward to was not to be. We had already decided against stretching it to the limit, but we were looking forward to at least seeing both our children over the period, but as Sophie and her husband live in London, plans are now thwarted. However we must all remain positive for there is hope for 2021 with the vaccine programme gaining momentum.

As always, the garden is a sanctuary and this afternoon I spent a few peaceful moments deciding what to photograph – December can of course be rather limiting and it’s been very windy here today. For my six, I’ve included four grasses waving in the breeze, a hellebore just peeking out and to celebrate the Saturday before Christmas, our tree…

We’ve got a few different grasses in the garden, this one, miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ is a compact, but very large clump and although majestic, has outgrown its space. In spring, it’ll need to be divided – I’ve got a few spaces in the front garden that will benefit from parts of it. This grass prefers a well drained position in full sun and grows to a height and spread of 1-1.5 metres. Although not evergreen, its spent growth is attractive in autumn and winter, especially in frost and snow. I’ll cut it back to a few inches in spring, just as the new growth starts to show.

Carex comans ‘Bronze’ is a grass I’m never short of – it self seeds prolifically. Thankfully it’s a plant I really like and as it’s evergreen and low growing, it is great for pots and baskets. It likes any moist but well drained soil in full or partial sun and seems to be indestructible!

I planted eight Miscanthus Sinensis ‘Ferner Osten’ in our front garden 12 years ago – 5 of them are still flourishing. At this time of year the foliage is dry and brittle, but they’ll be left as they are until spring when new growth starts to appear – I’m hoping for a few bright frosty mornings to light up their stunning flower stems! ‘Ferner Osten’ is a perfect grass as its maximum growth is just 1-0.5m (height and spread), it’s unfussy about soil and it doesn’t self seed.

I’ve planted a few stipa tenuissima, also known as ‘pony tails’ or Mexican feather grass, in our front garden – it’s never still, so in a breeze it’s very hard to photograph! I’m trying to create a sweeping swathe of grasses and perennial plants in this border – it’s coming on and with Chris taking charge of weed control I’m sure we’ll get there! This stipa has a height and spread of 0.5-1m and like most other grasses prefers a well drained soil in a sunny spot.

And look who we have here! A lovely hellebore giving us a hint of what’s on the way in January….

Finally, a gorgeous Norwegian Spruce, a ray of sunshine decorated for the season and guaranteed to lift the spirits.

Keep safe and well all – best wishes for a safe Christmas and keep fingers crossed for a better year in 2021.

For more Six on Saturday adventures, a visit to the Propagator at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com is recommended!