Six on Saturday – the Frozen One

Posted byofftheedgegardeningPosted inChez Nous, Six on SaturdayTags:, ,

Let’s be honest, hands up, who wanted to do a Six on Saturday today?  Not me.  But as I live in fear of a) being called a wimp and ridiculed even more than usual by Mr K and b) the wrath of Our Commandant Mr P, here I am.  Expect a lot of white.

There are many tender plants in my garden.  They are what I like to grow.  I’ve not got a proper greenhouse.  This is not grumble, after all I’ve got other things that people with lovely warm greenhouses don’t have, like gold platform boots and good strong calves.  Frosts are here rare, snow is as common as hen’s teeth.  Well Henny Penny bit me on the bum this week.  Days of heavy frosts followed by a layer of snow and freezing winds.  The whole point of pushing limits in the garden is the hint of danger, not necessarily for me, but for the plants.   It remains to be seen what has survived and what has not, and this could take months to materialise.  You pays your money you takes your choice.

The thaw has begun and today this little primula has been exposed from beneath its blanket of snow.  Looking a little squashed but not unduly bothered.  The Tracy of my garden.

Next we have tulips, pushing their noses out of the snow.  I have no doubt that soon these will be jollying up the front of my house.  That might well be the kiss of death.

Next the hellebore of previous weeks’ SoS, face harshly pushed into the frozen ground, crushed.  Like my heart.

Now Digitalis lanata looking like a plate of over-cooked cabbage.  Unlike the self-seeded monbretia around it, who haven’t turned a leaf.  Hmph!

Look closely and you will see a crimson shoot of Paeonia mlokosewitschii reaching like a hand from an icy grave.  Takes more than a little snow to stop Molly the Witch.

This dreadful weather has brought wild birds closer to our homes, looking for shelter and food.  It is a moral dilemma for us as we have many cats in the neighbourhood and we don’t want to set up a feline snack bar.  The teasels however have been attracting goldfinches, lovely to see pulling seeds from the spiky heads.  For those of you unsure, this is an artist’s impression, spookily accurate don’t you agree?!

Thanks again Mr P, hope you all have a good week!

 

 

 

36 thoughts on “Six on Saturday – the Frozen One”

      1. Mumtime? Tempted to drive around in circles until I notice an English registered Ford with lots of mud on it but mustn’t impose on that. But looking forward to Devonish Devon on 24th.

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  2. a snowy disaster. hope not. it might have given the plants a nice insulating blanket. i was inspecting the plot today as the snow melted, and was pleasantly surprised by how much new growth was bursting forth. monarda, phlox, helenium all going gangbusters.

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  4. Just back in from checking on my Molly the Witch, you caused me a moment of panic. She’s fine of course. That goldfinch is perfect, best thing I’ve seen all day including the feathered ones in the garden.

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  5. All I have to say Gill is that the snow you got has been a blessing actually; dry cold is worst.
    I am sure some of the plants will recover; some may even go dormant for a while, so don’t hurry to dig anything for a while. We sometimes get cold blasts in late May, so believe what I’m saying.

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  6. Ha ha, the teasel bird! It will no doubt soon take a flight of fancy. Your hellebore looks exactly like mine did in my last SoS. Sad sight, but I guarantee it will get better. Snow is actually an insulator of sorts. And, hurrah, Molly! You go, girl.

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      1. No, sadly we do not have goldfinches or anything much in the way of singing birds. Many people have tried to import them from Europe, but it never works. Lately, what we have in spades is Steller’s Jays and you’d be hard pressed to find a bolder, bossier bird. We’ve seen smaller birds gang up on them and I can see why.

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  8. I hope you recover from being bittten on the bum, I understand it is not an pleasant experience but that is indeed from what others have told me and hoping your plants will be ok!

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  9. Finally! COLOR! Mine were the only ones that were not pictures of snow; but they were all WHITE! Don’t get me wrong. I still love white. I just do not expect so much from everyone else.

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  12. That finch’s body shape, I think there’s a bit of penguin in its lineage. The photo of the hellebore, pure art. Loved it. Glad you were sufficiently bullied by Mssrs P & K into posting this week.

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