Chives

‘Alida’

Storm Brendan came and went which meant another week stuck indoors. This morning however there is a soft watered-silk-blue winter sky and the sun is shining. I don’t get much sun in my garden during the winter months; the sun is too low and doesn’t come far enough to the west and there is also a big bl**dy barn next door casting its shadow. Still I’ll take what I can get, and here are six things I found today on Saturday.

1. Iris reticulata. I have bought several different ones this year as I liked those I bought last year. They bloom early and they are pretty resilient in the wind and rain. Several are a similar dark purple shade, but with different coloured markings on the falls.  ‘Pauline’  has dark aubergine uprights and deep purple falls with white centres, ‘J.S.Dijt/Dyt’ has attractive reddish purple flowers with delicate white and yellow markings and ‘George’ features deep violet-purple flowers,  with bright golden-yellow markings on the falls.
   
   

   ‘Pauline’

   

   ‘J.S.Dijt / Dyt’

   

   ‘George’
2.  Iris ‘Alida’ is a pretty Dwarf Iris with exceptionally large, mid blue flowers, beautifully adorned with intricate butter-yellow and white markings on each fall. I had these last year and they are a beautiful summer sky blue so I had to buy more.
   
   

   ‘Alida’

   

   ‘Alida’

   

   ‘Alida’
3. All things green in the herb beds are starting to regrow. Allium ‘Cha Cha Chives‘ which I grow for their wacky flowers rather than for eating, several self-seeded foxgloves, a scabiosa (burgundy one I think), and still zillions of forget-me-not seedlings despite having weeded out zillions already! I think more thinning is going to be required.
   
   

   Foxglove

   

   Forget-me-nots

   

   Chives

   

   Scabiosa ‘Beaujolais Bonnets’
4. Along the woodland border which hasn’t seen any sun for months, finally one of my Helleborus niger, commonly called Christmas rose or black hellebore has buds and a flower. A lot later than many other SoSers have been posting. And it looks like something has been having a nibble…
   
5. In the same area are a few old Primula cultivated plants that once were used as pot toppers for my first containers full of tulips back in 2017. I replanted them along the woodland border but to be honest I am not so keen on some of the colours and they do get badly mauled by the molluscs. However, this one I like even though it is a bit gaudy. It seems to be in flower most of the year and certainly adds a bright spot to a very green space.
   
6. And last but not least is this Hebe (Veronica) shrub which is starting to produce flower buds. I am sure this one is a variegated green and gold variety, but the leaves seem more green at the moment. Maybe it needs some sunshine, which today it is finally getting! These evergreen shrubs do well in my garden. I’d quite like to add one of the ones with the stunning bronze or purple winter foliage. And yes. I have noticed that teeny snail over-wintering in the leaves.
   

As always, if you want a peek over other people’s garden walls then please pop over to our host, the lovely Jon, AKA ‘The Propagator’ where you find links to many more wonderful garden enthusiasts from all over the world, though maybe not so many flowers at this time of the year.

See here for the participant’s guide.

Six on Saturday