We’ve had a stormy week here, one of those weeks where house lights are on all day, every day. It had to get better at some time, and today, winds were lighter and for a while this morning, the sun shone…just for a while…but long enough to brighten my mood.

It was a good opportunity to get into the garden for a few hours. Mostly I was in the greenhouse, and when the sun was out, the temperature inside shot up to a glorious 15C.

But to the plants – there’s very little in bloom, though plenty of green shoots are beginning to show, in the soil and in pots.

Tete a Tete

Tete a Tete (top) are pushing up through the soil, and I’m looking forward to seeing their gorgeous little clusters of vivid yellow trumpets. They will have to be divided after flowering as they’ve been in pots for a good few years, but I can’t quite make up my mind whether to dry and store them until autumn or buy fresh. There’s still plenty of time to figure that one out (I’m happy to take advice though!).

Skimmia japonica

The Skimmia has grown quite large now, and it seems to be able to shake off all that the weather can throw at it. It always looks good.

Iris reticulata Fabiola

I have a few pots of Iris reticulata but this is the only flower so far. I think I’ve spaced them too far apart.

Camellia × williamsii ‘Daintiness’

I can’t contain my excitement when I see the buds on this Camellia. It’s over six foot tall now and lives in the back garden just outside the patio doors. The flowers on Daintiness are a soft pink, and soon, the shrub will be covered in them.

Primula

Primulas are starting to bloom, and I’m hoping for some fresh foliage too as the leaves look a bit sad.

Rose

This caught my eye when I went into the garden this morning. The buds of this rose are normally bright pink, but this one reminded me of a teeny weeny cabbage. I’m also seeing a lot of fresh growth on the rose bushes, which is unusual in this area at this time of year.

On the whole (so far) we’ve had few bouts of stormy weather, but temperatures have been unusually mild. However, we’re not through winter yet, and last year’s photographs showed the garden covered in snow on the 31st January.

Thanks to The Propagator for hosting Six on Saturday on Twitter.