Rest and Renew

Six on Saturday

Our gardens, whether large or small, welcome winter as a season of rest and renewal. It’s a time when we can reflect on the plants we have and ponder new additions that will fill the beds and borders with colour and vitality.

We snuggle up in the warmth of our homes, browsing through plant & seed catalogues and making lists, often impractical because of their length and cost. But still, we optimistically plod onward, full of hopes of sunny, warm spring days when the garden bursts into new life.

At a glance, my garden feels and looks desolate, but everywhere, shoots are pushing through the ground, shrubs are sporting new buds and hellebores are beginning to flower. Spring will come. Winter is a time of hope.

Continue reading “Rest and Renew”

Dear Hellebore, don’t you know this is September?

It’s been a mixed week of weather again. We’ve had so much rain, blustery winds, a thunderstorm and just enough sun for everyone to get outdoors for short spells at a time. It’s been busy too. In this county, all schools were closed for three days due to a strike and I’m sure parents, grandparents and carers up and down the country must have been frantically trying to rearrange their week. My husband and I only had to reschedule two days though. Gardening was abandoned, but we still managed to spend time outdoors with the two grandchildren who were delighted to have this unexpected break from school.

I feel that we’re now settling into fairly normal Autumn weather patterns (though I’m seeing a couple of highs of 17C ahead), but in the garden, there is still some confusion among the plants. That of course brings me to the featured plant, the Hellebore.

But before going there, let’s take a look at the rest of this week’s selection for Six on Saturday.

Continue reading “Dear Hellebore, don’t you know this is September?”